Episcopal Health Foundation taps Harris Health exec to be new CEO

Episcopal Health Foundation announced Tuesday that Dr. Ann Barnes will be its next president and CEO. Barnes will take the role Oct. 3. She is currently the chief health officer and senior vice president for Harris Health System, a public system for Harris County residents. She will succeed founding CEO Elena Marks, who helped build the Episcopal Health Foundation from a startup to a $1.4 billion philanthropic organization dedicated to improving health and health care.

After Marks announced her plans to retire, EHF board member Bill Montgomery was appointed to lead a national search for her successor. Dozens of candidates from across the country applied and were considered for the position. It was Barnes’ experience that made her stand out, Montgomery said. “Ann’s body of work is so impressive,” Montgomery said. “She has the proven track record to build upon what Elena started and she really stood out as the best person, with the best experience.” Barnes said she wanted to work at Episcopal Health Foundation because of its mission. The organization was created to address health disparities through research and policy analysis. It provides grants to organizations that look at so-called upstream ways to improve public health, such as access to healthy food and having a safe place to live. “A lot of dollars go into acute care, hospital care and sick care, but (Episcopal Health Foundation) took the stand that we're really going to focus on upstream drivers with health and so that was incredibly exciting to me,” Barnes said.