The board of directors of International Community Health Services (ICHS) is pleased to announce the selection of Kelli Nomura, MBA, MHP as the health center’s CEO. She will begin the role effective Nov. 7, 2022.

“We are very excited to have Kelli at the helm of ICHS,” said Board President Gildas Cheung. “Her strong leadership abilities and passion for patient advocacy and behavioral healthcare will ensure that everyone in our communities, including the most vulnerable, will continue to have access to quality, affordable health services.”

Nomura brings to ICHS over 35 years of experience in the behavioral healthcare industry. She has served as director of the King County Behavioral Health & Recovery Division, where she provided visionary leadership to achieve accessible quality behavioral health services to low-income residents. She has developed strategic collaborations and alliances with the Health Care Authority, managed care organizations, providers and community members to strengthen the mental health and substance use services continuum of care to produce desired outcomes for patients, stakeholders and the community.

ICHS is Washington state’s largest Asian and Pacific Islander nonprofit health center providing comprehensive health care to all those who need affordable care, especially immigrants and refugees. An ICHS board member for over 10 years, Nomura has chaired board committees and workgroups such as community relations and advocacy and strategic planning.

Nomura succeeds Teresita Batayola, who will continue to serve as President to facilitate a smooth transition for Nomura. ICHS is grateful for the hard work of the CEO search committee and for the unanimous endorsement by the ICHS board of its recommendation to appoint Nomura as CEO. ICHS also thanks the community for its engagement in this process that included surveys and input from 34 community leaders and participation in the interview process.

“I am thrilled about Kelli [Nomura] leading ICHS into its next chapter in serving our communities,” Batayola said. “She has the depth and breadth of experience to ensure ICHS gets to the next level of service and growth.”

International Community Health Services (ICHS) is a nonprofit community health center providing culturally and linguistically appropriate health services to improve the wellness of King County’s diverse people and communities. Since its founding in 1973, ICHS has grown from a single storefront clinic in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District with deep roots in the Asian Pacific Islander community, to a regional health care provider employing over 600 people and serving nearly 30,000 patients at 11 clinic locations.