About me
Matt Canuteson is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Director at Empire Justice Center in New York State. Proudly leveraging his experience as a person of color on a lifelong wellness journey, Matt’s drive comes from his gratitude that he has succeeded despite challenges. Because of this, he has diligently dedicated his career to equity and fairness and ensuring that New York's most vulnerable individuals and families have an equal shot at success.
After graduating from SUNY Albany as a Spellman Achievement Awards winner (Political Science), Matt earned his MA in Social and Public Policy from Empire State College. He then became the Policy Director at the New York Association for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services. In this role, Matt ensured that New York's policymakers heard and understood the voices of people experiencing behavioral health challenges. Leading and contributing to many successful advocacy campaigns to sustain or protect community mental health funding and service access in marginalized communities, Matt was also instrumental in advocacy efforts to protect the rights of individuals in New York’s behavioral health system.
Matt's career then included working at the national level for over a decade, contributing to or leading the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), which funded criminal justice, equity, homelessness, and access to public benefits projects. Matt worked to include the health equity lens in all projects he led or participated in and was recognized in 2014 as a SAMHSA Voice Award winner.
Matt joined the Office of Mental Health in 2018 as the Agency's first Chief Diversity Officer. Coordinating all agency activities related to workforce diversity, inclusion, and the elimination of disparities in access, quality, and treatment outcomes for marginalized populations - Matt provided leadership as the Agency responded to embedded disparities in COVID-19 mitigation, the murder of George Floyd, and tragedies such as the May 14, 2022, racially motivated mass murder in Buffalo New York. Additionally, Matt’s leadership was instrumental in raising the bar in how the Agency collected and used disparities data to influence how the Agency funds, oversees, and regulates New York’s mental health system.
In his current role as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Director at Empire Justice Center, Matt leads the organization's efforts to ensure a diverse and inclusive work environment and provides expert policy consultation on issues related to providing civil legal services to New York’s special populations.
