15 Sep 2014 Community Health Centers names Leath as CEO

Community Health Centers of Arkansas (CHCA), the state’s Primary Care Association serving 12 health centers organizations and their 93 locations, recently announced the hiring of Mary Leath as its new chief executive officer.

Leath, who began her tenure at CHCA on Sept. 8, takes over after having served most recently as the chief operational officer at the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.

Leath’s 35 years of experience in state government has given her a strong administrative background for her new position. She has experience in state government, focusing on managing fiscal and policy related matters for various state agencies, including the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), where she first served as chief financial officer and later as deputy director of administration.  

For 20 years of her career, Leath worked in the office of budget within the department of finance and administration. Additionally, Leath served for seven years as the chief deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

The CHCA Board of Directors considers Leath’s extensive experience with the Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement and other state government agencies extremely valuable to the continued mission of the Community Health Centers of Arkansas, which is to develop and protect the resources that ensure quality healthcare for all.

“Mary’s understanding of the roles that community health centers provide to Arkansas’ most vulnerable population makes her a valuable addition to the organization,” said Dr. Susan Ward Jones, board chair for Community Health Centers of Arkansas.   

Community Health Centers provide a source of quality affordable comprehensive primary care services for approximately 164,000 underserved Arkansans. For more information about CHCA, visit chc-ar.org.