BOSTON—The Fenway Health Board of Directors announced today that it has selected Heidrick & Struggles to lead the process of finding a diverse slate of qualified candidates for consideration as the organization’s next CEO. A search committee led by Board members Lisa Paine, CNM, DrPH and Benjamin Perkins, MA, MDIV, will oversee the process. Additional representation from the Board will include Joseph Castellana, Ph.D. and Jonathan Matsui, Ph.D. Fenway Health staff on the search committee include Rossana Encalada, MS, RN, Director of Nursing; Jennifer Potter, MD, Co-Chair of The Fenway Institute and Dwayne Steward, Director of Community Affairs for The Fenway Institute.
“This is an important step forward for our organization and we’re confident that Heidrick & Struggles is the right firm to partner with us,” Perkins said. “We are committed to an inclusive hiring process we will actively engage the input from our employees and the community that will result in the hiring of a dynamic and effective new leader.”
Heidrick & Struggles’ Education & Social Enterprise Practice has helped nonprofit and healthcare organizations around the world fill key leadership positions. The organization prides itself on providing sophisticated advice and counsel to some of the world’s most impactful institutions. Stuart Sadick from Heidrick & Struggles’ Boston office and Michael Loiacano from its Chicago office will run the search.
“This is an opportunity to think through what Fenway Health needs most right now, but also what the organization will need a decade from now,” added Paine. “In order to succeed and thrive, organizations like Fenway Health require leaders who are collaborative, inclusive, and purpose-driven. They also need to be able to influence and inspire other leaders throughout the organization.”
The search comes at a time of extraordinary change and growth at Fenway Health. In 2017, Fenway Health served 31,863 patients, an increase of seven percent over the number of patients served in 2016, demonstrating Fenway’s ability to provide high quality and comprehensive health care to the LGBTQ community and to those who live and work in our neighborhoods and beyond. Additionally, the 2018 Men’s Event raised a record-setting $780,000 for Fenway Health, demonstrating the community’s strong confidence in the organization’s new direction.
The search is expected to formally begin next month. Interim CEO Darlene Stromstad, who is an expert at leading healthcare organizations through periods of transition, will continue to lead the organization during the search process.
Since 1971, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhood, the LGBT community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population. The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues. Fenway’s Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center cares for youth and young adults ages 12 to 29 who may not feel comfortable going anywhere else, including those who are LGBT or just figuring things out; homeless; struggling with substance use, or living with HIV/AIDS. In 2013, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts joined the Fenway Health family, allowing both organizations to improve delivery of care and services across the state and beyond.
[From a News Release].
