The Father Flanagan Distinguished Alumnus Award

Ambrose M. Rodriguez, MSW, MPA, ‘58

Presented July 25, 2015

L-R:  John Abare, '81, Pres. BTNAA, Ambrose Rodriguez, Fr. Steven Boes, National Executive Director, Boys Town   Ambrose Rodriguez is the oldest of three brothers from Pueblo, Colorado to attend Boys Town. After completing high ambrose-rodriguez-father-flanagan-award-2015school he was stationed with the US Army in Germany during the height of the Cold War.  Following his service, he entered the Psychiatric Technician program at Colorado State Hospital in Pueblo, Colorado.  He began his career at the lowest rung in the state Mental Health system and rose to be appointed the Director of the Division of Mental (DMH) for the state of Colorado. Rodriguez was responsible for providing the leadership for 16 community Mental Health Centers and 2 State hospitals in Colorado.  During his tenure as the Director of the Colorado Division of Mental Health, the state achieved significant progress in developing Children Code policies specific to child out-of-home placements. Under Ambrose's' leadership, the Colorado DMH also developed a state inpatient treatment program for violent patients with mental illness.

Rodriguez was appointed the Director of El Centro Mental Health Center in East Los Angeles, California in 1988. He was responsible for providing mental health service for a population of over 100,000, many who only spoke Spanish and were mired in poverty. Under his leadership, mental health programs were developed with the goal of promoting greater family involvement and healthy families.
 

In 1994 Rodriguez founded the Latino Behavioral Health Institute (LBHI) to specifically address mental health issues in the Latino community. He has served as President of this organization for the 20 years of its existence and developed a board of directors from both the United States and Latino countries.   LBHI provided needed leadership to address the mental health concerns of the Latino community. The LBHI’s mandate is to focus on underserved populations in health, behavioral health and related services by diminishing the stigma and enhancing services to these difficult to reach populations. Under his leadership LBHI addressed health issues and the underserved populations.  Significant accomplishments of his tenure include an annual Latino conference every year focusing on enhancing services to underserved Latino populations in California and across the country; National Roundtables to focus on developing methods to define and assess cultural competency, develop effective training programs and assess efforts in mental health agencies in relation to providing mental health services.
 

Ambrose Rodriguez has spent his entire adult life in the service of the neediest and underserved populations of his communities.  Like Father Flanagan, he sought to give those without a chance a glimmer of hope and the tools and skills with which to handle the challenges in their daily lives.  He has made his communities better through his selfless and tireless efforts to raise up those around him.  His commitment to bringing light where there is darkness served as a beacon that has led others to take up his quest and, as a result, has improved the conditions of the Latino community and those he served.  Ambrose Rodriguez is highly deserving of this award and reflects great credit upon himself, his community, Boys Town and the Boys Town National Alumni Association.
 

Rodriguez and his wife Cinda are the parents of five children and they have seven grandchildren.  He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Advancement of Hispanic Mental Health in 2010 by the National Resource Center at the Shining Light Awards Gala in Los Angeles.  He is a Lifetime Member of the Boys Town National Alumni Association.