(Chicago, IL, June 28, 2018) — Howard Brown Health is proud to announce that Serette King has been named Associate Director of Community Engagement. This newly created position will build, manage, and strengthen partnerships between Howard Brown and external stakeholders, including peer organizations, businesses, and individuals. As Associate Director of Community Engagement, Serette will act as an ambassador to the LGBTQ community at large, identifying opportunities to expand access to care and solidifying relationships with community partners and underserved communities, with special attention to communities of color.
The position of Associate Director of Community Engagement extends Serette’s involvement in outreach and relationship building. He is the former Manager of Outreach Services and CDC Project Manager at Howard Brown. Since 2013, Serette’s accomplishments include initiating and managing the organization’s work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Better2Gether Network grant, creating the Back2Basics Ball and Fahrenheit Chicago (one of the four founding members) for communities of color as an HIV screening event on Chicago’s south side, and expanding sexual health screening at Northalsted Market Days.
Serette is already a well-known figure in the LGBTQ community; he shared his excitement for the new opportunity, “I’m looking forward to using my outreach experience to strengthen Howard Brown’s already outstanding relationships with organizations and the entire Chicago community. It’s vital that we continue to show our commitment to the south and west sides and be actively present in people’s lives.”
Serette reports to Diane Pascal, Senior Vice President of External Relations. According to Diane, “Serette will help Howard Brown to better serve the community by strengthening our ties to neighborhood businesses, organizations, and leaders. Howard Brown has grown from three clinics in 2015 to 10 clinics today and we recognized a need to better know our neighbors in Englewood, Back of the Yards, Hyde Park, Lakeview, Uptown, Edgewater, and Rogers Park.”
Howard Brown Health exists to eliminate the disparities in healthcare experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through research, education and the provision of services that promote health and wellness. Howard Brown is the largest LGBTQ organization in the Midwest, providing primary and specialty healthcare, social services, and infectious disease screenings to more than 32,000 people each year. The 10 clinics span the City of Chicago, from Englewood to Rogers Park. For more information, visit howardbrown.org.