New Board Nominating Committee Begins Process to Bring New Leaders to Board

For immediate release

Media Contacts:
Chuck Benya
Howard Brown Health Center
773-388-8793
chuck@howardbrown.org    

Marissa Ellenby
PCI
312-558-1770
mellenby@pcipr.com

Howard Brown’s New Board Nominating Committee

Begins Process to Bring New Leaders to Board  

Volunteer committee members working to identify and slate 6-8 new Board members 

CHICAGO – Feb. 11, 2011 – A newly formed, volunteer nominating committee is working to identify new Board members for Howard Brown Health Center. The committee is leading the selection process that is part of Howard Brown’s Responsible Transition Plan, which was launched in December 2010. 

Ron Nunziato, a certified healthcare compliance officer and active community leader, is chair of the newly formed committee. He served on Howard Brown’s board from 1985 to 1992, including two years as president, and he just completed a term as the board chair of Vital Bridges after a decade of service.

 “The nominating committee is working to identify the highest qualified level of individuals, who understand board governance and fiduciary responsibility and who can bring senior-level experience in healthcare, finance, or operational expertise to the Board,” said Nunziato. “We are looking for people with the conviction, the time, and the passion to serve for Howard Brown.”

The Responsible Transition Plan is designed to transition oversight of the organization to new Board members by July 1. It is intended to renew and refresh the board’s membership, strengthen its ties to the community, and ensure long-term stability of Howard Brown and its services to the community.

The committee’s goal is to identify six to eight candidates for consideration at the Board’s meeting in March. Another slate of nominees will be presented in June to complete the transition plan. The committee already has more than 30 letters of interest from individuals willing to serve on the Board.

The nominating committee consists of six experienced individuals with ranging professional backgrounds and ties to the lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual (LGBT) community. In addition to Nunziato, committee members are:

Lisa Kuhns, Ph.D., Howard Brown staff

Matt Neilson, Current Howard Brown Board member

Tom Klein, M.D., Physician and Partner in Klein, Slotten and French Medical Associates

Leslie Ramyk, Executive Director, Ravenswood Health Care Foundation

Alicia Ozier, Executive Director, Taskforce Prevention Services

 “Howard Brown has been in the forefront of LGBTQ healthcare services for many years, and as a health-directed organization, it is vitally important to the community at large,” Nunziato said. “New board members can help insure that Howard Brown continues to provide these critical services.”

“We are grateful to the community volunteers who offered to serve on this important committee.  The committee is doing vital work that is an important part of Howard Brown’s transition,” said Board chair Karma Israelsen. “We look forward to new board members joining the board.”

Also, in keeping with its pledge for change in operations, Howard Brown is partnering with George Krafcisin of the Executive Service Corps (ESC) to help ensure the quality of the board transition process.  With 31 years of experience with Kemper Insurance, Krafcisin offers his expertise from the Chicago area’s largest nonprofit provider of capacity-building services, specifically working with Howard Brown to design new board materials and descriptions, develop a formal board orientation and create board development tools. 

About Howard Brown Health Center

Founded in 1974, Howard Brown is now one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning and allies (LGBTQA) organizations. The agency serves more than 36,000 adults and youth each year in its diverse health and social service delivery system focused around seven major programmatic divisions: primary medical care, behavioral health, research, HIV/STD prevention, youth services, elder services, and community initiatives. Howard Brown is a multi-site operation based in Chicago and includes a main health and research center in the Uptown neighborhood TRIAD Health practice at Illinois Masonic Hospital, the Broadway Youth Center, and three Brown Elephant resale shops in Chicago and Oak Park.