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Axis Community Health has announced Liz Perez-Howe as the organization’s next CEO, taking the reins in June from current CEO Sue Compton who is retiring after over 40 years of service with the Tri-Valley nonprofit health system.
Perez-Howe is currently working as the chief operating officer for Axis.
“We are extremely fortunate to have Ms. Perez-Howe step into the CEO position,” said James Paxson, chair of the Axis Board of Directors.
“She understands the pivotal role community health clinics play in public health, has operationalized many initiatives at Axis, and cares deeply about the Axis mission of serving our patients. All of this makes her uniquely qualified to now head the organization into the future,” Paxson added.
Perez-Howe joined Axis as chief operating officer in 2013. She is a graduate from Southeastern University and holds a master’s in professional counseling from Georgia State University. Her prior experience includes directing regional operations for Sylvan Learning Center in Northern California and directing services at a 19-county mental health agency in Georgia.
According to Perez-Howe, organizations like Axis provide a safety-net to the underprivileged members of the community.
“It is an honor to be entrusted with leading Axis, particularly since when growing up, my own life and my family were lifted by safety-net services when we were struggling. I would not be who I am today without places like Axis,” Perez-Howe said.
Retiring CEO Compton expressed confidence in the exceptional achievements, abilities and credentials of Perez-Howe.
“She has excelled in her role as COO — gaining the utmost respect from staff, managing the operational side of this never-ending pandemic, and ensuring that our clinical and front line services operate in an exemplary manner,” Compton said. “But without a doubt, the most important gift Liz brings to being CEO of Axis is her love for the organization and her belief in the mission.”
Perez-Howe will start as the new CEO of Axis on June 4.
Axis is a nonprofit community health center that has been serving the Tri-Valley since 1972. With five locations throughout the Tri-Valley, Axis’s staff of 200 serves more than 15,000 local residents through an array of services that include medical care, behavioral health services, dental care and a WIC nutrition program.