The California Health Collaborative Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Garrett, MPH, as our new CEO, effective June 1, 2025. Following a comprehensive search and evaluation process, we are confident that Greg’s extensive leadership experience and his dedication to fostering positive change in local communities will significantly advance our mission. His background as a committee executive for various nonprofit initiatives aligns perfectly with the Collaborative’s objectives. Greg will succeed our esteemed CEO, Stephen Ramirez, MPH, who will retire on June 30, 2025, after nearly 17 years of impactful service.

Greg has over 15 years of experience as a healthcare executive in community health program development, operations, and fiscal management. He specializes in guiding Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-based health organizations through growth and transformation, and has worked extensively with Medi-Cal managed care Plans. As a dedicated advocate for human rights, Greg also has more than a decade of experience in public health policy and advocacy.

As COO of the Native American Health Center (NAHC) for the past five years, Greg guided NAHC through the pandemic response in collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies. During his time at NAHC, he fostered a data-driven performance and quality improvement culture that resulted in a 35% increase in revenue. Additionally, he implemented the CalAIM Enhanced Care Management program, serving over 1,000 patients annually with complex health needs, and secured $15 million in grants for NAHC’s community wellness programs. He also launched a strategic planning initiative to ensure the financial sustainability of school-based health center operations across eight schools, improving student access to medical, dental, and behavioral health services.

Before joining NAHC, Greg was the COO at the Bill Wilson Center in Santa Clara, which operates counseling and supportive housing programs aimed at helping unhoused and at-risk youth. He managed a team of 40 behavioral health counselors, a Crisis Residential Center, and over 100 units of affordable and supportive housing, achieving a 93% success rate in reuniting youth with their families or providing stable housing.

Greg has served as the Chief Strategy and Government Affairs Officer at the Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI) in Oakland. This PACE program offers medical, behavioral health, dental, and home care to chronically ill seniors. Greg led a multidisciplinary team to enhance clinical practices and workflows, which reduced costs and improved patient health, resulting in a 28% increase in financial performance over three years. He cultivated strong relationships with elected officials and government leaders, and led advocacy initiatives with healthcare associations across California and nationally.

Greg serves as Vice President of the Board of Trustees for the Alameda Health System, whose charter includes oversight of the $1.5 billion public hospital system in Alameda County. He is a member of the California Primary Care Association (CPCA) and previously chaired CPCA’s State Policy Committee. He has also held the position of Commissioner for the Alameda County Public Health Commission and Chairperson of the California Housing Partnership Board of Directors, promoting the expansion and preservation of affordable housing in California. A first-generation college graduate from Clovis, California, Greg earned a BA in Political Economics from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Public Health from San Francisco State University.

With this announcement, we also bid farewell to our long-standing CEO, Stephen Ramirez, MPH. Over Stephen’s nearly 17 years serving as our CEO, the Collaborative has grown substantially. Total annual funding and staff size has nearly doubled. Program funding has expanded to cover the full spectrum of services, ranging from pre-natal to senior populations, and services now include behavioral health for women (pre/postpartum) and prevention services for adolescents. We have also become a strong and recognized Managed Care Medi-Cal fee-for-service provider, and with this, our capabilities in providing such services are supported with an expanded IT enterprise. In short, the Collaborative has thrived and become even more successful under Stephen’s leadership and guidance.

We are deeply grateful to Stephen for his leadership, devotion, and commitment to the Collaborative. And, we look forward to Greg continuing the many initiatives that Stephen has brought to the Collaborative and leading the future efforts of the Collaborative.

Finally, the Board thanks each of you for your continued commitment to our mission and for the dedication you each show every day.