David Guth (MSSW ‘81) wears a Centerstone lapel pin nearly every day. It’s a small symbol of the pride he feels in the work Centerstone does. And sometimes when people notice it, they’ll say something.
“I get stopped frequently by people who say, ‘You’re with Centerstone? You saved my life,” he said.
Guth is quick to clarify that he didn’t personally save anyone. A therapist did. A care team did.
“I feel like I help to cultivate an organization that creates the opportunity for really gifted clinical people to do their magic,” he said. “And I feel very, very privileged to be part of that.”
As CEO of Centerstone, Guth has spent more than three decades building the kind of organization where that kind of life-changing care can happen. During that time, he has helped grow it from a $6 million regional provider into a nonprofit health system with more than $1 billion in annual revenue and 10,000 staff serving over 250,000 people each year.
His journey to that role, however, didn’t begin in a boardroom. As an undergraduate math major, Guth began taking psychology courses while still figuring out his career path. When a friend mentioned a psychology class that required a practicum placement and told him about an opening in the adolescent unit of a state psychiatric hospital, Guth applied and secured the placement. He completed the practicum over two semesters, working with young people facing serious mental health challenges. The hospital ultimately offered him a job, and Guth soon found himself immersed in work he hadn’t previously imagined.
“I had this mathematics degree and took a job for just under minimum wage,” he recalled. “But I loved it.”
Guth was promoted a few times during his time there, and the experience solidified his passion for behavioral health. He later decided to pursue a Master of Science in Social Work from the UT College of Social Work.
Building a System of Care
In 1988, Guth joined one of the legacy organizations that would eventually become Centerstone. He made a two-year commitment. He never left. Since becoming CEO in 1992, Guth has overseen Centerstone’s transformation from a small regional provider into one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems specializing in mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
Today, Centerstone provides care for individuals of all ages across Florida, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee through outpatient clinics, residential programs, school-based services, telehealth, and inpatient care. The organization also supports military families nationwide and places clinicians in nearly 1,800 schools each day. Yet despite overseeing a billion-dollar system, Guth consistently returns to individual impact.
“What I’m most proud of is the difference we’ve made in the lives of folks,” he said. Those moments when someone stops him to say their life was changed are reminders of why the work matters.
Advice and a Lasting Connection to the College
Though his career has unfolded at a national scale, Guth’s advice to students is practical. One of the most valuable decisions he made early on, he said, was taking an accounting course.
“If you’re going to be in a leadership position, you have to be able to understand the financial operations of your program,” he said. “You don’t have to solve a differential equation, but you need to know the difference between a balance sheet and a P&L.”
He also emphasizes adaptability.
“The skills that got you there aren’t the skills that are going to ultimately be sufficient for the new role that you step into,” he said. “You have to reinvent yourself.”
Guth has remained closely connected to the College of Social Work, serving on its Board of Visitors and receiving the Douglas Henry Award for Service to Children and Families at Risk. What he values most about the UTCSW is not just the degree it confers, but the shared commitment it fosters.
“What I love about social work is that it leads to all sorts of different careers,” he said. “But the unifying thing is that people are looking to make a difference in the lives of others. And that’s not universal in humanity, but it is universal at the college.”