Touchstone Behavioral Health is a recognized leader in providing positive outcome, evidence-based, behavioral health services to youth and their families throughout Arizona. Since 2006, Steven Porter has been an instrument of change as the agency equipped its workforce with mobility tools and adopted a SaaS solution for Electronic Medical Records. Touchstone recently continued their evolution, using the occasion of merging two physical locations to rebuild their infrastructure, leveraging the best of Unified Communications and virtualization technologies to design a model for the next generation of social service providers. Mr. Porter began his IT career as a commerce developer, working on the first version of SkyMall.com. He advanced his skills through the dot-com bubble, working with companies providing innovative solutions for consumer-focused catalogs, the legal industry, and golf course equipment. Prior to moving into Information Technology, Steve worked in broadcasting, producing live NASCAR events and motorsports news programming for a national cable television audience.
Porter contends that there is not as much disparity between the two industries as one might first believe: both are constrained by funding, timelines and available resources; when effective, both require a thorough understanding of the requirements and desired outcomes; neither can be successful without a high degree of preparation; and nothing will ever go exactly according to plan. In short, both require creativity, flexibility, and communication skills in order to deliver on schedule and on budget.
Steve and his wife live in Phoenix, Arizona, where he enjoys golfing (poorly), grilling (well), and the occasional fine cigar. He’s been recognized professionally for communication skills, project management, and leadership, and is frequently quoted in Healthcare and technology publications.