Mike Lancaster, 59, who has been chief of clinical policy since 2004, and Leza Wainwright, 54, a deputy director in the state mental-health office since 2003, will share the top job. They replace Michael Moseley, who retired after nearly four years as director of the division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services.

Lancaster and Wainwright did not return telephone calls Friday, and their salaries were not available. Wainwright will be in charge of day-to-day operations, including budget and personnel, and Lancaster will concentrate on clinical policy and services.

Their boss, Dempsey Benton, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement: "It is clear that we need to have strong, focused leadership on both the clinical and the administrative sides of the operation. These two professionals are uniquely qualified to fill those roles. I don't think any one individual would have the skill set to give both the clinical and administrative functions the attention they deserve at this time."

Lancaster and Wainwright take over at a difficult time. The state has wasted millions in the past two years on community support, a mental-health service. Not all mentally ill residents have the programs they need available near their homes. One of the four state mental hospitals, Broughton in Morganton, lost its ability to collect federal insurance money in August after a patient died while being held to the floor and another patient was seriously hurt in a fall. The state announced this week that Broughton was ready for reinspection that, if successful, would allow it to qualify for federal money again.

Legislators have a long list of goals for the mental-health division. First, they want to make sure the new community support service stops hemorrhaging money. From March 2006 through this January, community support for children and adults, a skill-building service, cost nearly $1.4 billion. In January 2005, the state told the federal government that those services would cost less than $5 million a month.

Legislators are also hoping to expand crisis services and find ways to stop licensed professionals from leaving the business or leaving the state.

Having Lancaster, a psychiatrist, in a top job will help, said Rep. Verla Insko, a Chapel Hill Democrat who co-leads a legislative mental-health committee.

"A lot of the problems we're seeing are related to our clinical services," Insko said.

Pender McElroy, chairman of the state mental-health commission, said Lancaster and Wainwright are skilled and knowledgeable leaders. McElroy does not anticipate a major overhaul -- something he said the division needs -- until the next governor takes office next year. The division oversees delivery of services to 315,000 people and has a $2.3 billion yearly budget, according to the department.

"This is a stopgap measure that won't address the serious problems that we have in the mental- health system," said McElroy, a Charlotte lawyer.

Frank Edwards, past president of the Wake County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said he was disappointed that Benton promoted two insiders rather than looking to someone outside the division.

"I'm extremely disappointed Dempsey didn't bring in new blood," Edwards said. "I can't imagine trying to take the team that made the decisions that got us where we are and say, 'We're going to fix the system.' "