At today’s Chamber Board of Directors meeting, Comal County Commissioner Donna Eccleston received the Chair of the Board Award in the field of mental health. This award is designed to honor individuals who have made a significant contribution to the community in a specific field of endeavor, and no more than six recipients may be named in a calendar year.
Eccleston is a Board Member and current Chair of Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disability, a 19-county local mental health authority. She is also a Board Member of the Texas Council of Community Mental Health Centers and started the Mental Health Stakeholders Partner Group here nine years ago. Her efforts have increased communication and understanding between all stakeholders and have made life better for the citizens of our county who require mental health services.
Eccleston worked tirelessly with Judge Charles Stephens to form the local Veterans Treatment Court, a specialty court designed to assist veterans in the criminal justice system. She is also a member of the McKenna Community Mental and Behavioral Health Task Force and the county’s Mobile Crisis Outreach Team. Eccleston was instrumental in obtaining the funds and development of this team, now responsible for taking care of as many as 90–95% of all civil commitments. She is a tireless advocate with our elected state delegation on mental health issues and have suggested modifications to statutes to increase efficiencies and optimize services in mental health across our state.
Eccleston was first elected to Commissioners Court in 2008 and has twice been re-elected by the voters of Precinct 1. As a member of the County’s Wellness Committee, she led by example as an active participant in activities to promote healthy living and fun competition among County employees. Eccleston serves as the County’s Indigent Health Care Appeals Officer and also serves on the Board of the United Way of Comal County and is an active supporter and volunteer for area food banks. She twice served as President of the Canyon Lake Rotary Club, and is a member of multiple chambers of commerce in the county.
For these reasons and many more, Eccleston is the second recipient of the Chair of the Board Award of 2018. April Weilbacher received the award in the field of downtown development in February. Eccleston and her husband Bob will be invited as a special guests to the Centennial Chamber of Commerce Banquet on January 25, 2019 where he will be further honored.