Anna Protano-Biggs
The AIM Center, Inc. board of directors announced Anna Protano-Biggs as the new president and CEO of the AIM Center.
Originally from England with an Italian background, Ms. Protano-Biggs is a barrister-at-law and attorney-at-law with an international perspective.
Officials said, "The AIM Center board of directors is excited with Ms.
Protano-Biggs' experience within the mental health community, and knows she makes an excellent fit to not just lead the AIM Center but to create even greater change and mental health awareness within our community."
Ms. Protano-Biggs is the founder of the Hamilton County Mental Health Court and served as its inaugural director. She has worked for 9.5 years as a public defender in Chattanooga where she was lead attorney working with mental health consumers and clients with traumatic brain injury and developmental and intellectual disabilities. Ms. Protano-Biggs is a compassionate and dedicated professional with diverse experience in law, criminal justice, health systems, program development and management. She describes herself as a lifelong learner driven by the need to find creative and lasting solutions to community and government systemic issues. Ms. Protano-Biggs was named the 2017 TN Chapter National Association of Social Workers Public Official of the Year.
Prior to coming to Chattanooga, Ms. Protano-Biggs served as a senior research officer to the United Nations Special Rapporteuron the Right to Health, served the 56th United Nations Sub-Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland as a NGO representative and speaker, and worked with an Independent Health Research Project in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. She has a law degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Master of Law from the world-renowned Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex, and a Bachelor of Science in Management with Basic Medical Services from Imperial College London.
AIM Center has been helping adults in the Chattanooga community lead fulfilling and productive lives while successfully managing their mental health since 1989. Using a Clubhouse model of psychosocial rehabilitation, AIM Center is centered on recovery for its members and offers employment, education, housing, socialization, and wellness opportunities for adults living with serious mental illness.