Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) Builds New Leadership Team for Future Growth

Alonzo Brown
Phone: 773.388.8661
Email: AlonzoB@howardbrown.org 

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Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) Builds New Leadership Team for Future Growth

Team Built for Strategic Growth and Expansion

Chicago, Ill. (June 13, 2012) – This month, Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) is culminating the final six months of its fiscal year 2012 with a set of leadership announcements designed to propel the organization toward its goal of being one of the top community health centers in the country.

Over the last six months, this growing team and its new additions have produced positive financial results that have enabled and catalyzed HBHC’s service expansion and growth, while at the same time resolving past financial obligations and positioning HBHC for future strategic opportunities.

Announced today are changes to the leadership team that include both internal promotions and new hires in the areas of Clinical and Community Health Services, Development and Communications, Legal and Public Policy, and Social Enterprise. Together, this team is crafting the very building blocks the organization will use to create a sustainable portfolio of services that meet the needs of the rapidly growing number of patients and clients HBHC serves.

To lead its Health Center Operations expansion, HBHC is proud to announce the promotions of Dr. Magda Houlberg and Michael McFadden, and the addition of Alicia Ozier.

Effective June 1, 2012, Magda Houlberg, MD, former vice president, Clinical Services at HBHC, is now senior vice president, Health Center Operations and Chief Operating Officer. In her new role, Dr. Houlberg will ensure the coordinated, efficient and effective delivery of HBHC’s clinical and community health services, research, pharmacy services, and practice support for the more than 14,500 patients and clients HBHC serves (up from approximately 9,000 the prior year). In the coming months, Houlberg will oversee a significant expansion in HBHC’s health services and research, currently underway, including notable expansions of services, locations, and the addition of a significant number of new physicians and health providers as HBHC grows quickly to meet the rising demand for its primary care services and research. Dr. Houlberg brings significant leadership and management experience to the role in addition to being board certified in internal medicine and subspecialty board certified in geriatric medicine, and certified by the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) in HIV primary care. She is an associate professor of geriatric medicine at Rush University, and is a member of the national board of directors for Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE), the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults.

After excelling as Director, Social Services, Michael McFadden, LCSW, is now vice president, Clinical Services. In his new role, he will lead the expansion of clinical services to include a broader array of seniors’ and women’s health and wellness offerings, and launch new services such as pediatrics and family medicine. McFadden is a licensed clinical social worker and has played an integral role in developing HBHC’s care coordination model and driving integration of its clinical services. With his extensive knowledge and experience in community outreach, care coordination, and HIV programs, McFadden will work closely with HBHC’s Community Health Services team to ensure that HBHC’s patients’ and clients’ needs are met through the integration of medical services, behavioral health services, and case management.

Alicia Ozier, vice president, Community Health Services, recently joined HBHC to lead and expand its testing and outreach, prevention and wellness, and education initiatives by leveraging existing and developing new relationships and partnerships. Ozier and her team provide HIV/STI prevention, testing and counseling, social services, youth services, senior services and women’s health programs, and through community collaborators, work to remove barriers that impede access to care. One of HBHC’s best examples of this integrated and collaborative service model is its Broadway Youth Center, which also falls under Ozier’s executive leadership, along with HBHC’s Lesbian Community Care Project (LCCP); both of which she is actively working to expand and improve through collaboration with the programs’ long-standing partners and participants and the establishment of new and innovative relationships. Prior to joining HBHC, Ozier was executive director of Taskforce Prevention and Community Services, a Chicago-based social service agency that provides HIV/AIDS education, awareness and testing services to at-risk populations primarily located on the West side of Chicago, where she designed innovative outreach and community health programs. Ozier brings to HBHC extensive experience and knowledge of community health programming and development.

HBHC is also proud to announce new leaders for its Development and Communications functions including Mary Morten, Willard Dumas and Alonzo Brown.

Longtime development veteran Mary Morten joined HBHC as interim vice president, Development, to lead its development and fundraising efforts. Morten, who has held key leadership positions with the City of Chicago, including Director of Violence Prevention and Director/Liaison for the Chicago Commission on Human Rights, will marshal her talents around the goal of increasing HBHC’s ability to deliver more services to the uninsured. Morten previously served as the interim executive director and board president of the Chicago Foundation for Women. She has also developed and led several successful key campaigns and initiatives for local and national non-profit and government organizations. Morten will assist HBHC in developing new fundraising programs and strategies as well as assist in expanding its overall development capability by working collaboratively with internal teams and external partners.

Willard Dumas, III joined HBHC as senior director, Development, after serving as National Major Gifts Officer at Lambda Legal where he was responsible for the solicitation and development of major individual gifts and national corporate sponsorships. While at Lambda Legal, he developed programs to build awareness and support of the organization, including initiatives that have been benchmarked and adopted by Lambda Legal offices across the United States. At HBHC, Dumas is responsible for leading and managing the development and cultivation of new and existing donor relationships to support the organization.

HBHC’s Senior Director, Communications, Alonzo Brown joined the organization to manage its media and public relations efforts. Brown is responsible for disseminating the organization’s core message to the public including its patients and community stakeholders, and developing and maintaining key relationships with members of the media. Brown possesses extensive knowledge and experience in leading and executing successful public relations and communications initiatives. Most recently, he worked with Porter Novelli’s Atlanta office, leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s African American male HIV prevention campaign.

In addition to the promotions and additions to its Health Center Operations, and Communications and Development teams, HBHC built new Legal and Public Policy operations led by Michelle Wetzel, Esq. and Clint W. Sabin.

Serving as General Counsel, Michelle Wetzel, Esq., joined HBHC to lead and manage its overall legal affairs. As senior legal counsel for HBHC, Wetzel provides strategic legal advice and guidance to effectively and efficiently assist in the operations of HBHC’s entire enterprise. Prior to joining HBHC, Wetzel served as executive director of Alexian Brothers’ Bonaventure House, a Chicago-based non-profit organization that provides housing, spiritual care and other comprehensive services to those impacted by HIV/AIDS. Wetzel also has a long and distinguished record as a practicing attorney serving the underserved, including at Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago.

To ensure that its patients’ and clients’ interests are represented during the development of key legislation at the local, state, and federal levels, HBHC is proud to announce Clint W. Sabin as senior director, Public Policy and Advocacy. Prior to joining HBHC, Sabin served as manager of Legislative and Regulatory Development for the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). Sabin has been involved in the shaping of major policy and legislation changes that have helped thousands of Illinois citizens through lobbying, advocacy and research.

Last, but certainly not least, HBHC has strengthened its Social Enterprise operation with the addition of Bill Joure as its new director, Retail Operations.

Bill joined HBHC to lead its three Brown Elephant resale shops in Chicago and Oak Park and any future retail social ventures HBHC may launch. Joure comes to HBHC with extensive experience in retail operations, which includes the leadership of large volume retail entities such as Pottery Barn and Eddie Bauer. Prior to joining HBHC, Bill served as the Merchandise Mart Showroom Manager for Kohler Company’s Baker, Knapp & Tubbs furniture division. As Director, Retail Operations, Joure is responsible for ensuring the continued success and profitability of the Brown Elephant retail stores. Proceeds from the Brown Elephant provide unrestricted funds to HBHC, which enables the organization to provide care to underinsured and uninsured individuals.

"I am proud to be joined by these talented and knowledgeable professionals to help propel HBHC to be best in class. This team will collaboratively work to ensure that HBHC’s patients, clients and stakeholders receive the highest degree of service possible," said HBHC’s President and CEO Jamal M. Edwards, Esq.

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About Howard Brown Health Center

Founded in 1974, Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) is one of the nation's largest health care and research organizations, primarily serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and its allies. It is the largest such organization in the Midwest and serves more than 36,000 adults and youth each year throughout the region. An innovative and patient-centered health home, HBHC provides primary medical care, behavioral health services, and specialty chronic and infectious disease services, and conducts nationally-renowned clinical and behavioral research.