PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2025
TAMRA RINGELING
Thrive Behavioral Health Chief operating officer and interim president
HAVING AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY has been one of Tamra Ringeling’s key leadership qualities over the last two decades.
Facing the Holidays with a Cancer Diagnosis
The holidays are often painted as a time of joy, tradition, and togetherness. But for…
Learn More
“Staff can come to me whenever they need to. Obviously, we have regular meetings, but I’m accessible to them when they need other things,” said Ringeling, Thrive Behavioral Health’s chief operating officer and interim president. “Generally in my early career, I made sure that I was very familiar with all of the job duties of the people under me. I made sure that I could do the job, or I could fill in or help them understand or explain any questions they may have.”
Ringeling’s career at Thrive began in 2004 as an unlicensed clinician. From there, she obtained several roles, including clinical supervisor of the West Warwick-based health organization’s community support program, vice president of adult services and homeless initiatives, and her current position helping oversee Thrive’s operations.
Rising through the ranks at Thrive gave Ringeling insights into how to best lead by example, she says. Also, Ringeling says connecting with employees has been critical to her daily work.
“I understand what they are going through, the challenges and the successes that they’re having in their job allow me to help problem-solve, allow us to improve our systems and make things hopefully a little easier to do their jobs,” Ringeling said.
Seeking funding to extend the life of a key housing program at Thrive has been one of Ringeling’s biggest accomplishments with the organization. She recalls Thrive had a federal grant that allowed the organization to start a program for housing, servicing individuals who have been or were chronically homeless.
“When I became involved with it, the grant was running out, and the whole point was to move the program to be Medicaid-funded so we can sustain it once the grant ends,” Ringeling said.
Under Ringeling’s leadership, Thrive has also improved and restarted a key outpatient program to help individuals with substance and mental health issues.
“That program was struggling, so we made some changes as far as leadership of that program, and now we’re back doing really well, being able to support our community,” she said.
