The Connected DMV Board of Trustees further expands its community and industry experience with the addition of Williams-Brinkley, who will be part of the nonprofit’s innovative work to ensure everyone in Greater Washington can live, dream, and thrive.
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 14, 2022 – Connected DMV announces the appointment of Ruth Williams-Brinkley to its Board of Trustees. The new appointment is part of Connected DMV’s ongoing strategy to accelerate equitable economic renewal across the Greater Washington metropolitan area and reshape the region’s physical, digital, economic, and social infrastructure to help vulnerable communities by delivering innovative regional initiatives. With the addition of Williams-Brinkley, Connected DMV expands industry representation in the group that includes leaders from across the DMV region representing academia, industry, the public sector, nonprofits, and philanthropy.
Connected DMV leads initiatives such as: the Global Pandemic Prevention and Biodefense Center, which aims to create a stockpile of human monoclonal antibodies for the world’s 100 leading pandemic-potential pathogens through its lead initiative AHEAD100; the National Capital Hydrogen Center to accelerate the region’s clean energy economy via hydrogen; preparing women and people of color for careers in quantum through the Potomac Quantum Innovation Center; NEXTversity, a comprehensive program that provides a pathway for underrepresented populations to gain the professional skills needed to access a high-end job with the potential for succession into subsequent leadership roles within professional service organizations in our region; and a Regional Economic Development Strategy rooted in economic growth and social equity, among others.
Ruth Williams-Brinkley is currently President of Kaiser Permanente, Mid-Atlantic. She oversees all of Kaiser Permanente’s care delivery and health plan operations in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland, Baltimore, and Northern Virginia, a total of 35 medical office buildings and almost 800,000 members. Williams-Brinkley joined Kaiser Permanente in November 2017, with responsibility for all of Kaiser Permanente’s care delivery and health plan operations in Oregon and markets in Vancouver and Longview/Kelso, Washington. Prior to Kaiser Permanente, Williams-Brinkley served in a number of executive roles: as CEO of KentuckyOne Health, Kentucky’s largest integrated health system, as president and CEO of Carondelet Health Network in Tucson, Arizona, and as president and CEO of Memorial Healthcare System in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“Williams-Brinkley brings formidable leadership skills and know-how in delivering critical capacities for the region,” said Vice-Chair of the Connected DMV Board of Trustees and Nominating Committee Chair, Jill DeGraff. “Her contributions will be invaluable in shaping the critical programs that Connected DMV designs and delivers to advance growth and fill gaps across the region.”
“Ms. Williams-Brinkley has an exceptional track record of improving the long-term welfare of people in Greater Washington through her work at Kaiser Permanente. On our Board, she’ll join leaders from across sectors and jurisdictions who bring extensive community relations and expertise in regional collaboration. I’m confident that with her inclusion on our Board, Connected DMV will reach new heights in our work to deliver equitable solutions for all who live and work in the region,” said Stu Solomon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Connected DMV.
“I’ve enjoyed many years of hands-on executive-level experience in healthcare, working with communities in some of the most economically diverse areas in the country,” said Williams-Brinkley. “Connected DMV is poised to bring transformative change for the people of Greater Washington, and I am excited to join in their work to help everyone in our community to live healthier, more productive lives and to thrive.”
Williams-Brinkley has often appeared on Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Women in Healthcare and Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare and was named one of Becker’s Most Admired CEOs. She holds bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees from DePaul University, and an honorary doctoral degree from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.
About Connected DMV
Connected DMV is an initiatives-based, charitable 501(c)(3) organization that works with regional organizations across Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia – the DMV – to help drive ongoing improvements to social, digital, and physical infrastructure. Connected DMV focuses on initiatives that span local jurisdictions and require public-private-academia-community collaboration to best achieve the dual objectives of enduring economic health and social equity.
Contact:
Toni DeLancey