The state Behavioral Health Administration, which lost its first two commissioners amid allegations of mismanagement, hired a deputy commissioner without checking with the nonprofit where she had worked for 12 years or learning she was under investigation for stealing $99,000 in a tuition-reimbursement scheme, The Colorado Sun has learned.
Lindsay Salas, who was hired in November as a deputy behavioral health commissioner at the 4-year-old state agency, worked there until Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office revealed this week that Salas doctored tuition reimbursement records to take $99,000 while she was head of CASA of Adams and Broomfield counties.
The nonprofit, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, trains volunteers to stick up for abused and neglected children throughout the court and foster care process. Salas agreed to a civil settlement to return $66,000 of the money, which the attorney general said she pocketed by taking advantage of one of the nonprofit’s top donors who had agreed to pay for her tuition at the University of Denver. The judgment resolves a civil case but does not preclude any other potential legal action against Salas.
The scheme was “first identified internally” by CASA in January 2025, and its board of directors launched their own review, consulted a lawyer and hired an outside forensic accounting firm to investigate, said Cathy Lucas, a spokesperson for the regional nonprofit. Salas was on leave during the internal investigation. She resigned from CASA in May and the findings of CASA’s review were turned over to the Attorney General’s Office in July, Lucas said.
Salas was hired for the high-level job at the state Behavioral Health Administration in November, three months after the state Attorney General’s Office learned of the theft allegations.
“CASA has had no communication with BHA,” Lucas told The Sun when asked whether the nonprofit had ever provided a reference check to the state regarding Salas’ job performance.
The nonprofit, however, “cooperated fully” with the attorney general’s investigation and “will continue to do so as any remaining legal proceedings move forward.” The nonprofit also established a financial controls subcommittee to strengthen its policies and made other policy changes to “reinforce accountability and stewardship moving forward,” Lucas said via email.
“No general programmatic funding or donor contributions supporting CASA’s mission were affected beyond this specific matter,” she said. “Our focus remains on serving children and families in Adams and Broomfield counties.”
An attorney general’s spokesperson referred questions about Salas’ state job to the Behavioral Health Administration. “Investigations by the attorney general’s office are confidential, and it is not the office’s practice to inform employers if an employee is the subject of an investigation,” Lawrence Pacheco said.
Gov. Jared Polis’ office referred questions about why Salas was hired to the Behavioral Health Administration. The BHA, through email, said Salas started her job as deputy commissioner of administration Nov. 17 and that she is now on administrative leave.
“We take any form of fraud very seriously and find this information very alarming,” spokesperson George Laumeyer said. “During the hiring process BHA followed state hiring policies, including a background check which did not reveal anything concerning. All hiring decisions are made by the hiring manager, which in this case was the BHA Commissioner. Because this is a personnel issue, we have no further comment at this time.”
He did not respond to a question about whether the state agency called CASA as part of a reference check.
Salas’ attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
The first leader of the new Behavioral Health Administration was gone after about one year and later sued Polis and other state officials alleging racial discrimination. Dr. Morgan Medlock, a public health expert who had previously been chief medical officer for the Washington, D.C., Department of Behavioral Health, claimed in a lawsuit that she was fired because of her race. She told The Sun that she had conflicts with other members of the governor’s cabinet and his chief of staff.
The second BHA commissioner, Dannette Smith, stepped down in February after a 35-year career in behavioral health. Polis called her a “strong leader” but her resignation came as current and former staff at the BHA complained of a toxic workplace.
The agency’s third commissioner starts the job Monday. Stephanie Beasley is the current deputy executive director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and previously oversaw child welfare services in Indiana.
Polis announced plans to create the Behavioral Health Administration in 2020 at the recommendation of a task force that had met for the previous year. The group traveled the state hearing stories of a fragmented system that left people without access to suicide prevention, substance abuse treatment and other mental health care. The group called for a centralized office for mental health to replace the splintered system that included 75 programs spread across three state agencies. The BHA opened in July 2022.
The attorney general’s staff found that Salas, who worked at CASA from 2013 until last year, violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act and the Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act. A top donor had offered to cover Salas’ tuition at DU so she could get a master’s degree, and Salas falsified tuition invoices in 2023 and 2024 that led to the donor paying $99,000 beyond the actual cost of tuition. DU refunded the money in several payments over two years to Salas, the state investigation found.
Salas is barred from handling charitable donations for five years, according to the settlement.
Type of Story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.