Garrett Braukman
Executive Director - SoCal West Region
Garrett Braukman has spent over 15 years in behavioral health, driven by a deeply personal mission. Growing up in a home shaped by mental health challenges and substance abuse, and losing his father at thirteen, Garrett made it his life’s work to help others find their way out. He started his career as a behavioral health technician and worked his way through every level of the field before spending over a decade in executive leadership, overseeing everything from clinical programming and admissions to business development, branding, compliance, and multi-site operations. Today, he serves as Executive Director of the SoCal West Region at Emend Healthcare.
Throughout his career, Garrett has built organizations, led Joint Commission accreditation efforts, negotiated in-network insurance contracts, and driven growth through culture-first leadership. Beyond the world of treatment, music has always been a foundation of who he is. That passion led him to become a major part of the Kyle Pavone Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing overdose deaths in the music industry, and a featured speaker at the 2025 Vans Warped Tour on addiction and mental health. Whether he’s leading a team through organizational change or speaking backstage to touring artists and crew, Garrett’s approach stays the same: meet people where they are, build something real, and never lose sight of why the work matters.
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