Kevin Williams, Former CPEHN Staff and Longtime Donor
In 1997, Kevin Williams, a graduate of law and public health, was hoping to fuse his dual degree into a career advocating for communities of color and universal health care. At the urging of Carmela Castellano-Garcia, President and CEO of the California Primary Care Association — and CPEHN founder in her former role with the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California — Kevin applied for a job at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, a project that was initially housed at the Public Health Institute. Immediately drawn to CPEHN’s multicultural focus, Kevin started as policy coordinator with Tomiko Connor, CPEHN’s former Executive Director, to build the organization’s presence and policy expertise. Kevin’s leadership was essential in developing what has become CPEHN strong reputation as a leading multicultural health policy organization. Among Kevin’s many accomplishments, he has held key positions at UC Berkeley School of Public Health, and is currently the Associate Director at Berkeley Youth Alternatives, which was founded by his mother, Niculia “Nikki” Williams.
Currently the Board Chair for Lifelong Medical Care, a federally qualified health center serving Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, Kevin feels that his current jobs – both paid and volunteer – are all connected to CPEHN and the values he has held since being one of the organization’s first staff: a focus on diversity, elimination of health disparities, and education. He relies on CPEHN’s newsletters and action alerts to keep him informed. “I don’t usually have as much time to research each issue,” said Kevin, “so I have to go to sources I trust and CPEHN is one of the sources where I can get the latest on health policy that I can use as a reference point in my job and Board discussions.” Kevin also uses information from CPEHN to inform the youth he works with at Berkeley Youth Alternatives so that they can make a difference in their community and encourage them to go into health or policy careers.
After two terms on CPEHN’s Board of Directors, Kevin continues to support the organization through his giving. When asked why he gives, Kevin said, “I give out respect for CPEHN’s work and an understanding of how difficult change is to actually implement. CPEHN was one of my first jobs out of grad school and I think it’s a blessing that I can give to an organization like CPEHN and have my name associated with an organization I respect, admire, and want to see reach the ultimate levels of leadership and influence.”