About Us

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation today announced the 2025-2026 class of the Massachusetts Institute for Community Health Leadership (MICHL), a program that brings together a diverse cohort of 15 health care professionals to strengthen their leadership skills, deepen their awareness of structural, cultural and institutional racism and expand their influence across organizations in public and private health settings.

Now in its 13th cohort, MICHL has guided over 210 emerging leaders since it started in 2005. Over the course of nine months, cohort participants will engage in a series of classroom, peer-to-peer and professional learning opportunities designed to equip them with tools to address the health care needs of Massachusetts residents who are economically, socially, ethnically and racially marginalized.

“The Foundation is proud to continue investing in the next generation of health leaders who will shape a more equitable system,” said Audrey Shelto, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. “MICHL has a lasting impact, not just on the participants themselves but on the organizations and communities they serve. Our goal is to develop a community of peers who are all dedicated to exploring how they can create meaningful change.”

The 18-day educational and experiential program is presented over the course of nine months, beginning this month and closing with a graduation celebration in May 2026. The Foundation underwrites the majority of costs associated with the program, which provides ongoing learning and networking opportunities after the initial nine-month program experience.

“MICHL offers a powerful space where emerging leaders step back from their day-to-day responsibilities to reflect, learn and strengthen their ability to lead with an equity lens,” said Program Director Sharon Bueno Washington. “The program challenges participants to explore how systemic racism operates in health care and prepares them to apply what they have learned into practice in their communities.”

The 2025-26 MICHL participants are:

• Oanh Bui, CLAS (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services) Lead Coordinator, Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Health Equity, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Courtney Chelo, Director of Government Relations, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
• Catherine Chung, Director of Operations & Strategy, Asian Women for Health
• Leslie Diaz, Director of Helpline and Public Programs, Health Care For All
• Margaret Eichner, Deputy Director of Behavioral Health Policy, Massachusetts Office of Medicaid (MassHealth)
• Malinda Ellwood, Acting Senior Director for Member Engagement and Experience, Massachusetts Office of Medicaid (MassHealth)
• Lissette Gil-Sanchez, Director of the Office of Sexual Health & Youth Development, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Samara Grossman, Director of the Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness, Boston Public Health Commission
• Sedruola Maruska, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center
• Shavel’le Olivier, Executive Director, Mattapan Food & Fitness
• Marisa Otis, Manager of Community Programs, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Taylor Rich, Senior Project Manager, Partners In Health
• Andrew Tarbox, Manager of National Strategy, Community Care Cooperative
• Morgan Taylor-McFadden, Director of Boston Healthy Start Initiative, Boston Public Health Commission

• Emma Tzioumis, Epidemiologist and Program Planning & Evaluation Specialist, Cambridge Public Health Commission

  MICHL was developed in 2005 by Michael McCormack and is now led by Bueno Washington, the director of the program. Daniel Michaud Weinstock serves as the program’s co-director.

  For more information about MICHL, please visit:
  https://www.bluecrossmafoundation.org/programs/massachusetts-institute-community-health-leadership

  About the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
  The mission of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is to ensure equitable access to health care for all those in the Commonwealth who are economically, racially, culturally or socially marginalized. The Foundation was established in 2001 with an endowment from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. It operates separately from the company and is governed by its own Board of Directors. For more information, visit www.bluecrossmafoundation.org.