Whitney Cipolla is policy research and engagement coordinator at Healthy Minds, where she equips policymakers and other stakeholders with research and data to drive practical solutions that make mental health and substance use care accessible to all Oklahomans.

Whitney plays a key role in Healthy Minds’ workforce initiatives, including her research identifying the adequacy of Oklahoma’s behavioral health workforce. Her extensive data analysis of Oklahoma’s licensed behavioral health professionals contributed to Healthy Minds’ 2023 reports on opportunities to grow and extend the treatment workforce, as well as a landmark research report on access to behavioral health services through commercial insurance.

Before joining Healthy Minds in 2022, she worked as an advocacy specialist at Mental Health Association Oklahoma and taught sixth-grade English.

Outside of her work at Healthy Minds, Whitney is the 2024 chair of TYPROS, the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s young professionals organization. A lifelong Tulsan, Whitney also serves as board president of Oklahomans for Equality and is chair of the City of Tulsa’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Committee. She was recognized as one of Oklahoma Magazine’s 40 Under 40 for 2024.

Whitney graduated with honors from the University of Tulsa with a bachelor's degree in English and women’s and gender studies and a minor in education. She received her master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in public policy and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from OU-Tulsa in 2020.