July 5, 2013
July 3, 2013 - The OPHI Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Liz Baxter, MPH will become executive director August 1, 2013. Baxter brings three decades of experience in health and health policy, most recently as executive director of We Can Do Better (formerly Archimedes Movement), a grassroots organization focused on reframing Oregon’s policy debate to emphasize health rather than simply health care. Baxter is also the Board Chair of Cover Oregon, the insurance exchange that will serve as Oregon’s marketplace for individuals and employers to compare and purchase insurance coverage and access financial assistance. “Liz is a visionary leader, a bridge builder, and a champion for health equity. We are excited that she will bring her knowledge of health policy, her commitment to public health, and her statewide contacts to her new role at OPHI,” said Paige Sipes-Metzler, OPHI Board President. Formed in 1999, OPHI is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health of Oregonians. As a member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes, OPHI gives Oregon’s public health system an independent voice for prevention, strategically convenes partners around common goals, and places action research into the hands of policymakers, practitioners and communities. “I am excited to join an organization whose goal is to improve the health of Oregonians, especially with the lenses of equity and social justice” Baxter said, adding, “With OPHI’s leadership, Oregon has made great strides on local and statewide public health efforts that will have lifelong and generational impact. And we have a lot of work still ahead of us.” Throughout her career, Baxter has taken on leadership roles identifying and convening diverse stakeholders to ensure that multiple perspectives and meaningful public engagement inform research and policy making. She has ledinnovative pilot projects to improve care and services, as well as national research and demonstration projects to improve outcomes for at risk patients and community members. Baxter received her Masters in Public Health from Portland State University, where she has taught courses on federal and state health reform. Baxter will succeed Mary Lou Hennrich, who recently retired as OPHI’s Executive Director after 10 years. During Hennrich’s tenure, OPHI was at the forefront ofefforts to prevent childhood obesity, shape public health legislation, and support municipalities in planning future development with an eye toward health.
