Pediatric and family mental health leader strengthens executive team with chief growth officer, chief marketing officer, and senior VPs to drive innovation in care delivery

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brightline, the leading family mental health solution supporting kids, teens, and their parents and caregivers, today announced the appointment of Kelsey Mellard as chief growth officer and Elizabeth Hart as chief marketing officer, as well as three new senior vice presidents. 

Mellard, whose healthcare experience includes policy and technology, previously worked in innovation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She was the CEO and Co-Founder of Sitka, a video consultant specialist network supporting value-based care providers.

Hart, who most recently served as chief customer and engagement officer at Eleanor Health, has experience in brand marketing, patient engagement, and customer acquisition and retention at organizations including Cigna, Everside Health, and AOL.

Dr. Jeanne Marconi, a nationally recognized pediatrician known for innovative and integrative care delivery, has been named senior vice president of business development and strategic partnerships. Healthcare operations leader Perkin Chung has been named senior vice president of operations. Vicki Mar has been promoted to senior vice president of product and engineering. 

The executive appointments support Brightline's expansion from a virtual-only model to a hybrid model with in-person care, positioning the company to continue delivering high-quality and evidence-based mental health care for kids, teens, and their families while expanding to also serve those with higher-acuity behavioral health needs. Brightline will partner with health insurers to drive more in-network coverage for families, making mental health support more accessible and affordable. Its first brick-and-mortar mental health clinic will open in New York in 2025.

"We have more than five years of incredible outcomes from our clinically validated, virtual care delivery model, but we've learned that many parents and caregivers want an in-person option when seeking a therapist or psychologist for their children, so we expanded our care delivery model to include brick-and-mortar clinics," said Brightline CEO and Co-Founder Naomi Allen. "This hybrid model allows us to serve more families with higher-acuity needs and offer early screening to support parents and caregivers. These executive appointments will support this shift, ensuring Brightline continues its innovative, family-first approach to mental health care."

Brightline has also expanded into public-sector partnerships, working with the California Department of Health Care Services to offer free digital behavioral health coaching and support for kids 0–12 and their parents and caregivers through BrightLife Kids. In just over a year, BrightLife Kids —which is free to all California families with kids 0–12 regardless of income, insurance, or immigration status —has helped families in nearly every county across the state. 

Funded through the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, which has a focus on health equity across the state, BrightLife Kids is helping to close the care gap. BrightLife Kids is reaching families of multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds, with the highest percentage of families identifying as Hispanic/Latinx. Of families in coaching, 80% identify as BIPOC. Across the state, 5% of Californians live in rural counties. With 5.7% of BrightLife Kids families living in rural counties, the program is reaching families who may not otherwise have access to behavioral health care.

"Since its launch, Brightline has led the way in pediatric and family behavioral health, transforming care delivery and achieving outstanding patient outcomes. Through evidence-based treatments and innovative care models, Brightline continues to set new industry standards. Its partnership with California through BrightLife Kids has the potential to reach millions of families, providing free, accessible behavioral health care, which is particularly impactful for those facing barriers to care," said Emily Melton, Brightline board member and managing Partner and Co-Founder of Threshold.

About Brightline 

Brightline is a therapy and psychiatry practice that delivers expert pediatric, teen, and parental mental health care to families and kids up to age 18. Brightline's virtual and in-person outpatient services include diagnostic evaluation, therapy, psychiatry services (e.g. medication management), and psychological testing (to assess learning differences, school readiness, executive functioning difficulties [e.g. ADHD], and autism). In addition to its generalized support, Brightline offers focused programs, including those that support anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders, ADHD, and disruptive behaviors. Founded in 2019, Brightline has delivered care to tens of thousands of families with industry-leading results. Brightline has been nationally recognized for clinical excellence and innovation for several years, including the Fast Company 50 Most Innovative Companies (2022) and Behavioral Health Business Companies to Watch Award (2024). Brightline is based in Palo Alto and is backed by investors Boston Children's Hospital, Northwell Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Google Ventures, KKR, and Oak HC/FT.

Visit: www.brightline.com.

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SOURCE Brightline Inc