Executive Director
Sharon E. Friedman
Executive Director
Mental Health Association of Montgomery County
Sharon Einbinder Friedman, LCSW-C has worked at Mental Health Association of Montgomery County since 1994. Since 1996 she has served as Executive Director and under her tenure as the agency’s leader has overseen growth of the organization’s education, advocacy and direct services. Most recently expansion has been focused on meeting the mental health needs of our culturally diverse community, educational efforts to promote mental wellness, mental health crisis preparedness and response, and advocacy efforts to keep mental health at the forefront of public policy. Mental Health Association has been recognized for excellence by Washingtonian Magazine, the Alliance for Workplace Excellence and the Gazette of Business and Politics.
Ms. Friedman has strong involvements in various aspects of the community. She was the Founder and President of the Montgomery County Alliance for Educational Excellence, the President of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs and her expertise was tapped for the transition teams of the last two Montgomery County Executives. She has been active in mental health advocacy and community education at the local, state and national levels, including work with Mental Health Association of Maryland and Mental Health America (formerly National Mental Health Association). She is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery (class of 1997).
Ms. Friedman has received the Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Local Hero Award, the National Association of Counties (NACo) Communities Caring Award for the Montgomery County Mental Health Crisis Response Corps of Volunteers, the Community Leader Award from Jewish Women International, the Athena Award for Professional Excellence, Service to Community, Assisting Women Reach Full Leadership Potential, and the WETA Hometown Hero award. She most recently was recognized by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women.
Ms. Friedman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She received her M.S.W. from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and Community Planning and her BS in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maryland.