Twenty years ago, there were no female CEOs on the Fortune 500 list. Thirty years ago Gail Lapidus broke through the ranks of male applicants to become CEO of F&CS. Lapidus has held her CEO position since 1986. Since that time, the agency has grown significantly and operates over 50 programs with a budget of over $52 million and over 600 employees. FCS is the largest outpatient community mental health center in the state of Oklahoma and serves more than 100,000 Metro Tulsans each year.
Lapidus said, “Every day I want our clients to find hope in our services that can then lead to a therapeutic experience where lives can improve.”
FCS, founded in 1925, provides a broad array of specialized mental health, addiction and family services founder-resourceded adults and children. FCS provides recovery treatment services for those battling mental illness and addiction, strengthens individuals and families in crisis, heals children who have been abused or traumatized and provides professional internships for graduate students.
Lapidus is a licensed clinical social worker who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (1973) and a Master’s Degree in Social Work (1979) from the University of Oklahoma. She was honored by the School of Social Work for exceptional contributions to her field. In 2016, she was awarded a League of Women Voters, Madam President Award. The previous year, she was honored with an outstanding women’s leadership award from Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, a historically Black international sorority and The Woman of Moxie Award by the YWCA. She also received a Distinguished Alumnae Award from the University of Oklahoma, College of Arts and Sciences. Previously, in 1997, Lapidus was awarded the inaugural inductee into the University of Oklahoma School of Social Work Hall of Fame for outstanding leadership in professional practice.
Earlier honors and awards include: Woman of Distinction by the Tulsa Business Journal, a One Award from the Oklahoma Center for NonProfits, the Pinnacle Award from The Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women and the Tulsa Women’s Foundation, the Newsmaker Award from the Association for Women in Communications, and the Non-Profit Management Excellence Award from The Support Center of Oklahoma. She also received honors from the Schusterman Family foundation, Zarrow Families and the Mental Health Association in Tulsa for longtime commitment and innumerable contributions to mental health in our community.
Lapidus has served as Vice- Chair of the University of Oklahoma School of Social Work Board of Visitors and continues as an emeritus board member. She has served on many other community boards and task forces addressing family, children’s and mental health issues. She has also been a director on the board of B’nai Emunah Synagogue, and LSB Industries, Inc .(LUX), a manufacturing, marketing, and engineering company, headquartered in Oklahoma City.
