PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026
BETH BIXBY
Tides Family Services Inc. CEO
As the old saying goes, “Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody.”
For Beth Bixby, that somebody was Brother Michael Reis, founder of Tides Family Services Inc. in West Warwick, whom she met at age 15 while working at a Dunkin’ Donuts. His influence shaped her career and approach to leadership.
“Brother Michael dedicated his life to Tides and shaped Rhode Island’s children’s services system for decades,” said Bixby, now CEO at Tides. “He was more than a CEO – he was a mentor to so many of us. He believed deeply in servant leadership and taught me that leadership is not about authority; it’s about responsibility. Your role is to help others succeed.”
Although Reis died in the fall of 2023, his legacy continues through leaders like Bixby, who spent her early career in homes, schools and family court, shaping how she leads today.
“[Those experiences] taught me that real change happens through relationships, trust and meeting people where they are,” Bixby said.
Today, some of Bixby’s most significant work has been leading implementation of mobile response and stabilization services across Rhode Island, providing 24/7 behavioral health crisis response for children and adolescents.
“Families receive rapid, trauma-informed intervention that stabilizes the crisis while keeping children safely at home whenever possible,” Bixby said. “I helped shape legislation that made Rhode Island the first state in the nation to codify children’s mobile crisis response into state law.”
She’s also strengthening Rhode Island’s juvenile justice continuum through programs combining behavioral health care, education and workforce development for youths.
Bixby says her greatest professional achievement is helping build an organization that continues to evolve while remaining true to its mission.
“When I began my career at Tides, I could never have imagined becoming its CEO,” Bixby said. “Our organization has helped transform how Rhode Island responds to children in the child welfare system, juvenile justice and behavioral health crises. The achievement belongs to our staff, whose compassion makes this work possible every day.”
