Program

Health Leadership

Class VI graduates honored in spring celebration Family, friends and colleagues joined Class VI Health LeadershipProgram participants for their graduation ceremony held at SierraHealth Foundation on March 30. It was a beautiful afternoon andevening on the river for all to celebrate the accomplishments of thenewly-graduated Health Leadership fellows.

The graduation speaker, Cindy Ehnes, director of the CaliforniaDepartment of Managed Health Care, honored the fellows for theircommitment to improving the lives of the people in their communi-

ties. She called on them to become “radicals” in the area of health and health care access; to be rowdy and intolerant of roadblocks to access; and she cautioned the graduates againstbecoming a bureaucrat in this field. Ms. Ehnes reminded the graduates, above all, toadhere to their core values, primarily the value of courage—courage is about living one’svalues every day.

Health Leadership Programalumnae, Teri Duarte andLeona Jull, both of Class III,welcomed graduates to thealumni group by sharing theirown inspirational stories ofgrowth and leadership. Theyalso invited and encouragedthe graduates to attend thealumni retreat May 9 to 11 at Grizzly Creek Ranch inPortola.

Spring 2007

Class VINews

Sierra Health Foundation

The newest Health Leadership fellows celebrate during the graduation reception.

Cindy Ehnes, director of the California

Department of ManagedHealth Care, addresses the

graduating class.

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Sierra Health Foundation

Page 2 — Class VI News

Health Leadership alumni meet three times per year to re-establish friendships, reinforce earlier learnings, and addressnew topics to enhance their leadership skills. Last spring,members of Classes I-V attended a retreat at Sierra Health’scamp in Plumas County. At the retreat Bob Myrtle and DaveLogan, regular faculty of the program, returned to work withthe group on coaching/mentoring and time management,respectively. Yoland Trevino led a process of appreciativeinquiry, which is a method of assessing a situation from a positive perspective. Yoland also worked with the alums ontransformative collaborations. Her presentation has now been incorporated into the class curriculum.

Bob Myrtle returned once again on the first of a two-day session in October 2006 to lead a discussion about organiza-tional and individual collaboration. Participants shared theirown collaboration stories, including lessons learned and challenges they’ve faced.

Alumni reconnect at sessions throughout the yearThe topic of overall sustainability planning (programmatic aswell as organizational) was selected as a natural follow up bythe alumni for the next two-day session, held in January2007. Lynn DeLapp, of Davis Consultants Network, led thegroup in activities designed to explore vision, results, niche,and internal systems, and led a highly-participatory discussionon other aspects of sustainability including financing, supportand champions, and writing a plan. Larry Hill, President ofCal Pro Research, discussed developing a basis for sustainabil-ity, starting with establishing standards of excellence. He thenpresented methods for monitoring results of improvementefforts, the impact of those on an organization’s clients andstaff, and the action to take based on what is learned.

Carol Farron,Mimi Khin Hall,Cindy Snelgroveand Sharyn WardTurner make thecase for engagingthe public in preparation for a pandemic flu outbreak.

The results of six months of hard work were evident duringthe final three-day class session as this year’s class memberspresented the work of their project teams. As a part of theHLP, participants work in small groups to practice new lead-ership techniques, to learn from one another, and to use and expand their networks and resources to examine issues affecting nonprofit organizations and health concerns in the region. We encourage you to take advantage of valuable tools and resources the project teams developed and com-piled. They are posted on Sierra Health’s Web site at www.sierrahealth.org/hlp/resources. The projects covered arange of topics:

Preparing for a Flu Pandemic: Based on their research ofnonprofit organizations, agencies, businesses, school districtsand others, the team developed a presentation promoting flu

pandemic planning and a template to be used in designing anaction plan that they have begun sharing with public healthagencies.

Retaining Valuable Staff: This team surveyed employees ofnonprofits to assess what keeps them at an organization andwhat prompts them to move on. Based on this research, the project team put together a set of tools and resourcesdesigned to help create an atmosphere conducive to retainingstaff. They reminded their audience that simply makingemployees feel appreciated for the work they do has a greatimpact. It doesn’t hurt to have some fun once in a while,either, which was emphasized during the presentation whenall in attendance donned nose and glasses.

Recruiting a Diverse Workforce: This team explored the ethnic and cultural diversity of the health and human servicesector workforce and recommended recruitment options toincrease workforce diversity. The team recommended employ-ing nontraditional recruitment strategies such as word ofmouth, postings at community centers, listings in culturally-specific publications, and announcements at cultural fairs toattract employees from diverse backgrounds.

Evaluating Sierra Health’s Organizational AssessmentStrategy: Besides the Health Leadership Program,Organizational Assessments is another of Sierra Health’scapacity building strategies, so it was a natural fit for a proj-ect team to evaluate this grant strategy. The team reported apositive response to the strategy overall, recommended thatSierra Health continue funding organizational assessmentsand offered recommendations for some possible modifica-tions to the strategy in the future.

Class VI project teamsaddress community andorganizational issues

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Health Leadership Program

John Boyd (Class IV) is serving a full-timeinternship at The Child andAdolescent Abuse, Resource,Evaluation (CAARE) Diagnostic andTreatment Center at the UC DavisChildren’s Hospital.

Dana Campbell (Class IV) has taken the position ofFiscal Officer at Community ActionAgency of Butte County, Inc.

LeeAnn Hatton (Class IV) has joined Mother LodeJob Training as WIB Coordinator/Business Services Representative.

Elizabeth Hudson (Class III) has taken the position ofDirector, Shelter, Family & DisasterServices for The Salvation Army ofSacramento.

Alice Kienzle (Class III) has been promoted toDeputy Director of Nursing at theButte County Department of Public Health.

Richard Knecht (Class I) has been named ClientServices Director for Placer CountyChildren’s System of Care.

Samrina Marshall (Class III) is now the RegionalMedical Director for State HealthPrograms at Health Net.

People

Page 3 — Class VI News

Applications available for Class VIIThe seventh Health Leadership class begins October16, 2007, with a four-day residential retreat at GrizzlyCreek Ranch in Portola, Plumas County. Fourteen daysof instruction are scheduled from October throughearly April. The program brochure and application are available now on the foundation website, www.sierrahealth.org. Applications are due to SierraHealth by 5:00 PM on Friday, June 29, 2007. Themost competitive applicants will be:

• An executive manager of a nonprofit organization or public entity within the foundation’s 26-county funding region

• Supervising a team of employees during the course of the program

• Committed to continued charitable community service

• Interested in expanding their impact beyond their organization

• Passionate about the social service sector

Lessons in leadershipPresident Len McCandliss shares lessons in leadershiptransition as he nears his retirement after 22 years atthe helm of Sierra Health Foundation.

Leadership transitions…

As I prepare to step down as President of SierraHealth Foundation, the issue of leadership transitions has been squarely in front of me. Notonly am I transitioning out, there will be a newperson transitioning in. And along the way the

board, staff and partners of the foundation are transitioning, too. Eventhough this is a predictable event in the life of an organization, it is notsomething we do often and so we may be unprepared for issues thatarise during this process.

It is estimated that 84% of nonprofit CEOs will transition out in thenext ten years. That means that many of you will deal with that transi-tion soon. Maybe you are dealing with it now. Fortunately there areresources to help in managing the process.

A web search on “leadership transition” will yield many contacts. Youwill discover tips for all aspects of the issue, publications from crediblesources, and consulting firms to help with the process. You can decidewhat level of assistance your organization requires. I suggest you alltake a few minutes to look at some of the materials that are available.

My experience has taught me several things:

• Recruiting and hiring is not transition planning. An organizationneeds to be constantly aware of the probability of change and haveplans in place. A review and update to the plan should take place atleast annually. The plan should address changes in the board as wellas key staff.

• Everyone in the organization is affected by the transition of key individuals. Keep your staff informed about the process, within thebounds of confidentiality required in personnel changes.

• Whether planned or not, these events are personal. You may want to have a mentor or good friend to talk with and others in the organization may want that opportunity.

• It is an opportunity to lead. Embrace it.

Leaders on the move…Mary Nakamura(Class VI) has joined theSacramento County Division ofMental Health as CulturalCompetence Program Coordinator.

Steffany Ritchie (Class IV) has been named ProgramDevelopment Chief for the ColusaCounty Department of BehavioralHealth.

Shelley Rouillard(Class IV) has joined the CaliforniaManaged Risk Medical InsuranceBoard (MRMIB) as Deputy Directorfor Benefits and Quality Monitoring.

Petra Stanton (Class III) has taken the position ofDirector of Health ProgramDevelopment at The Effort, Inc.

Erik Sternad (Class I) has taken a position inVentura County as ExecutiveDirector of Interface Children FamilyServices.

Ricardo Uribe (Class III) is now Family SupportCenter Program Director withCatholic Charities of the Diocese ofSanta Rosa.

Susan Wilson (Class III) is Executive Director of theHealth Improvement Partnership ofShasta.

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Sierra Health Foundation Health Leadership Program

Health Leadership class rosterCorla BertrandExecutive DirectorChico Community ShelterPartnershipChico

Kathy CoxDirector of Clinical ServicesEMQ Children & Family ServicesSacramento

Vicky EverettOperations DirectorHill Country Community ClinicRound Mountain

Rachel FarrellExecutive DirectorHarmony Health Family Resource CenterMarysville

Carol FarronCommunity Development DirectorLodi Memorial HospitalLodi

Teresa FavuzziExecutive DirectorCalifornia Foundation forIndependent Living CentersSacramento

Edward FigueroaCo-DirectorSt. Mary’s Interfaith Community ServicesStockton

Debbie GabelichDirector of Marketing and Business DevelopmentSacramento Make-A-WishFoundation, Inc.Sacramento

Anne GeraghtyExecutive DirectorWALKSacramentoSacramento

Ann GuerraExecutive DirectorFREED Center for Independent LivingGrass Valley

Mimi Khin HallProgram ChiefPlumas County Public Health AgencyQuincy

Mary-Michael HanburyDirector of Administration and PlanningChild and Family InstituteSacramento

Laura HeintzExecutive Director of Residential ServicesFamiliesFirst, Inc.Davis

Jennifer KwanProgram ManagerCover the KidsSacramento

David MandelProgram Manager/SupervisingAttorney, Senior Legal HotlineLegal Services of Northern CaliforniaSacramento

Karen MarlattExecutive DirectorValley Oak Children’s ServicesChico

Scott MautteProgram SupervisorSacramento Department of Parks and Recreation Sacramento

Mary Nakamura Cultural Competence ProgramCoordinatorSacramento County Division of Mental HealthSacramento

Kay G. RuhstallerExecutive DirectorFamily Resource & Referral Center of San JoaquinStockton

Roxanne SlaughRegional SupervisorMarshall HospitalPlacerville

Cindy SnelgroveDirector of NursingDel Norte Clinics, Inc.Yuba City

Mary StroubeCEO/PresidentTerra Nova CounselingSacramento

Randy B. TookerDirector of OperationsBoys and Girls Club of AuburnAuburn

Sharyn Ward TurnerCoordinator of School HealthServices, Health & P.E. CurriculumNevada County Superintendent of SchoolsNevada City

Class VI2006–07

1321 Garden HighwaySacramento, CA 95833

Nonprofit Org.U.S. PostagePAIDPermit No. 1112Sacramento, CA

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