Gov. Sonny Perdue has named Jewel Norman as the state mental health ombudsman, a position that is being funded for the first time this year.

Perdue said in a statement Wednesday that Norman will start her five-year appointment on July 16.

She will be responsible for establishing a state-wide complaint process, collecting and recording data on complaints about service providers, recommending law and policy changes, and compiling a biennial report on types of complaints, among other tasks.

Norman's previous experience includes heading a residential treatment facility and several large comprehensive psychiatric hospitals.

Perdue had created a committee to nominate candidates for the new position in January.

About the Author

Featured

Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com