Business, Culture & Media – 2024

Dr. John Damon, MS, PhD, is the CEO of Canopy Children’s Solutions, Mississippi’s largest and most comprehensive non-profit provider of children’s behavioral health, education, and family support services. John works with all three branches of government, business thought leaders, and community stakeholders to develop public policy, clinical best practices, and catalytic partnerships aimed at helping every child and family reach their full potential. He has served as president of the National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health, president of the Behavioral Health Society of the Mississippi Hospital Association, and president of the Mississippi Association of Child Caring Agencies.

In addition, he was appointed by the Mississippi Legislature to serve on the Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee and by the Mississippi Supreme Court to serve on the Children’s Justice Commission. He has also served on other appointed task forces, including the Governor’s Healthcare Task Force (chair, Mental Health), the Mississippi Children’s Mental Health Task Force, and the Governor’s Human Trafficking Taskforce. 

John has been the featured presenter at many state and national conferences as well as the US Senate Caucus Committee on foster care, mental health, and substance abuse. He has co-authored book chapters and Congressional white papers on best practices in children’s behavioral health and has published in multiple peer-reviewed journals. John is a Fellow of the fifth class of the Health Innovators Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.