Former MetroHealth Leader Kythryn Carr Harris Tapped to Lead Portage Path Behavioral Health

A Cleveland behavioral health executive is heading south to Akron. Portage Path Behavioral Health has selected Kythryn Carr Harris, MSW, LISW-S, as its next CEO. She officially starts Jan. 1. The Portage Path Board of Trustees made the announcement Nov. 9. Carr Harris will replace Tracy Yaeger, Ph.D., who plans to retire at the close of the year. Yaeger has spent 36 years with the organization. From Cleveland’s MetroHealth to Summit County Northeast Ohio readers may know Carr Harris from her recent work at the MetroHealth System. She served there as Executive Director of Outpatient Behavioral Health Operations. Her team included more than 180 professionals working in behavioral health and substance use services. Those services stretched across 17 locations. She joined MetroHealth in 2021. Prior to that, Carr Harris spent close to two decades in central Ohio with the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County. Her title there was Vice President of Clinical Services. During her Franklin County years, she built several new programs. Those included an addiction stabilization center and two mobile crisis teams. She also headed development of the county’s first Opiate Action Plan. All told, Carr Harris has more than 25 years of leadership experience. Her career covers clinical practice, provider organizations, county systems and hospital-based care. Education and Credentials Carr Harris earned a Master of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Her undergraduate Bachelor of Social Work comes from the University of Kentucky. In Ohio, she is a Licensed Independent Social Worker with supervisory designation. What the Board and New CEO Are Saying Board chair Robert Cooper said the trustees wanted someone who valued the agency’s history and could guide its future. “Our board set out to find a leader who would respect Portage Path’s past while charting a course toward a successful future, and we found that leader in Kythryn Carr Harris,” said Cooper. “She has spent her career building and advocating for access to care for the people who need it most. Her experience developing mental health and crisis services, along with strong community partnerships, is exactly what we were looking for in our next CEO.” Carr Harris pointed to the agency’s long track record in crisis and outpatient care. “Portage Path has guided individuals in our community on the path to recovery and hope for more than 55 years,” said Carr Harris. “I’m honored to join an organization that has a legacy of providing crisis care and quality outpatient mental health and substance use services to the Summit County community. I look forward to building on our foundation with our staff, our community partners and the individuals we serve.” Yaeger’s Career Spanned Nearly Four Decades of Change Yaeger’s time at Portage Path began in 1990, when she arrived as a psychology resident. A year later, she was working there as a psychologist. She went on to spend 25 years as Vice President of Clinical Services. The board named her president and CEO in January 2017. Her tenure as CEO included some major tests. The agency worked through Ohio’s 2018 Behavioral Health Redesign. It also kept serving clients through the COVID-19 pandemic. Growth continued during that stretch. Portage Path won two SAMHSA grants worth a combined $6.3 million. Staff worked to create Summit County’s first mobile therapy center. Last December, the agency became the second Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Summit County. Outside Portage Path, Yaeger teaches as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine. Many young professionals have learned under her guidance at both places. Local Answers for 988 Callers One of Yaeger’s lasting contributions involves the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Working with the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADM) Board, she helped make sure Summit County calls reach trained local specialists at Portage Path. In 2024, Yaeger teamed with the ADM Board and the City of Akron to start the Summit County Outreach Team, or SCOUT. Cooper credited her with steady leadership. “Dr. Yaeger has been a steady leader who has worked tirelessly to balance the needs of our staff, our clients and the Summit County community,” said Cooper. “She leaves a strong foundation that will carry Portage Path forward for years to come.” Yaeger offered thanks as she prepares to leave. “As I prepare to pass the torch, I do so with tremendous confidence in the people who make Portage Path what it is,” said Yaeger. “Thank you to our dedicated staff, our unwavering Board of Trustees, and our partners and donors. Your support has made this work possible. It has been a privilege to serve alongside you in caring for and improving the lives of our Summit County community.” About the Agency Portage Path has offices in Akron, Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls. Each year, it serves more than 8,000 Summit