Boston-based Fenway Health — one of the country’s leading care and research centers for LGBTQIA+ people — has hired Manny Lopes to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective September 2, its board of directors announced last week.
Lopes served as President and Chief Executive Officer of East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, the largest federally qualified health center in Massachusetts and one of the largest in the country, from 2012-2021. East Boston Neighborhood Health Center serves over 80,000 patients annually, 80 percent of whom identify as BIPOC and 60 percent of whom speak a language other than English as their primary language. Under his leadership, the health center significantly increased its number of patients served and was nationally recognized for high quality level of care.
Lopes also co-founded the Community Care Collaborative (“C3”), the only Accountable Care Organization in the Commonwealth created and governed by health centers and exclusively focused on advancing community-based care for MassHealth members. More recently, he was Executive Vice President of Public Markets and Government Relations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
“Manny’s history of delivering outstanding outcomes for diverse patients while fostering inclusive organizational cultures makes him an excellent interim leader for Fenway Health,” said Fenway Health Board Chair Scott Walker. “His proven track record of strategic leadership coupled with his strong ties to state and local policymakers and health care leaders will help advance Fenway Health’s existing efforts to deliverthe highest quality care and fiscal sustainability.”
“As someone who has received all of their health care at a community health center—my mother received her prenatal care when she was pregnant with me at East Boston Neighborhood Health Center—I am deeply committed to community health care centers and the role they play in our communities. Fenway Health is a vital player in the state’s public health infrastructure, and I want to see Fenway Health succeed,” Lopes said. “I will not be a candidate for the permanent CEO position, but I am thrilled to join the organization as Interim CEO to provide leadership during this time of transition and ensure that Fenway Health is as strong as it can be when a permanent CEO is hired.”
The Board will immediately begin the search for a permanent CEO to replace Ellen LaPointe, who has served as Fenway Health’s CEO since March2020. A committee of the Board co-chaired by Jennifer Chrisler and Brandon Greer and comprised of representatives from Fenway Health’s varied stakeholders will begin interviewing professional search companies who will identify a diverse slate of qualified candidates for consideration.
—from a Fenway Health press release
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
