The University of Maine at Fort Kent names Distinguished Service Award honoree

6 years ago

FORT KENT, Maine — The University of Maine at Fort Kent has announced that Gregory P. Disy will receive the Distinguished Service Award at the university’s 136th commencement ceremony on May 12. This award is given to individuals who have gone above and beyond in service to UMFK.

“Mr. Disy has worked diligently to be a collaborative partner with UMFK,” said UMFK President John Short. “He has been a valued asset to our behavioral science program and our students.”

Disy, LCSW, is Aroostook Mental Health Services Inc.’s CEO, where he ensures the organization serves in conformance with AMHC’s vision, values and policies established by the board of directors and senior leadership team.

He is an independently licensed clinical social worker in Maine and received his master’s degree in social work from the University of Maine at Orono. He is an active member of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services (AAMHS) and is its current treasurer.

Disy is an active member and current president of Integrated Service Solutions of Maine and serves as the organization’s lead to their Information Technology Collaborative. He is also the organization’s representative to the Mental Health Corporations of America (MHCA) and a member of a peer collaboration team with three other CEO colleagues from across the country.

Disy is a current member of the board of directors for the Mental Health Risk Retention Group (MHRRG) specializing in providing liability and malpractice insurance for the behavioral health field.  

Disy has been employed by Aroostook Mental Health Services, Inc. since 1980 and prior to assuming his position as CEO in 2009, he was the organization’s chief operations officer.

“Mr. Disy has always been mindful of the needs of clients and our communities throughout his career,” said Shawn Graham, LCPC-C, CADC, assistant professor of human services at UMFK. “He has been very supportive of extending learning opportunities for our students by supporting internship placements as they near the end of their academic careers and prepare to enter the field and/or pursue advanced study.”

AMHC, which serves Aroostook, Hancock and Washington counties, opened in 1964 with a staff of four employees and served 300 customers. At that time there were no local resources available to provide care for individuals with mental illnesses; people either went unserved or received care in Bangor. AMHC was born out of a serious need to provide a local response to support individuals with mental illness. Bob Vickers became the executive director in 1970 and created the initial vision for the full-service, comprehensive community mental health center that AMHC is today.

The organization offers crisis, residential, outpatient behavioral health and rehabilitation services. In 2014, AMHC served 7,653 customers with a staff of more than 300.