Jacob Spellis, MSW, LSW

Jacob Spellis is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Health, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare organization headquartered in Maumee, Ohio. Under his leadership, Vital Health has grown into a multi-service healthcare system providing addiction treatment, psychiatric services, youth behavioral health programs, and recovery housing throughout Northwest Ohio.

Jacob's path into behavioral healthcare leadership was not a conventional one. He earned his GED before pursuing higher education, completing his Bachelor's degree at the University of Toledo in 2015 and his Master of Social Work at the University of Michigan in 2016. He is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) in the state of Ohio.

With more than a decade of experience in behavioral health and social work, Jacob worked his way through the field — from peer support to group facilitator to program manager to business owner — before founding Vital Health. He did not enter behavioral healthcare as an executive. His leadership perspective comes from working at every level of the field, including directly with the people Vital Health serves today.

Jacob's leadership is also informed by his own experience with recovery, giving him a personal understanding of the challenges people and families can face while rebuilding their lives. That perspective, combined with his professional experience and education in social work, continues to influence how he approaches leadership, healthcare, and the people Vital Health serves.

Jacob leads Vital Health with a philosophy built on four principles: compassion, accountability, proximity, and vision.

He believes in treating people with dignity and recognizing their ability to change and grow. At the same time, he holds that high standards and compassion are not opposites — patients, employees, and leaders all benefit from clear expectations and accountability.

"High standards and compassion can exist in the same room. In fact, I believe the best healthcare requires both."

Jacob started on the front lines of behavioral health. As Vital Health has grown, he has never wanted to lose sight of the people on the other side of the decisions being made. He believes leaders should stay connected to the employees and people they serve rather than leading entirely from an office.

"I believe in leading from the front. A leader should never ask someone to uphold a standard they aren't willing to uphold themselves."

His long-term vision is to build sustainable systems and organizations that can improve healthcare beyond any one individual program or leader — developing people, creating opportunities for growth, and making decisions based on what is right for patients and the long-term organization.