Board of directors

David H Guthman, Esq. – President
Attorney At Law

Leon W. Watts III – Vice President
Entrepreneur

Robert R. Trujillo – Treasurer
Retail Banking Executive

Susan C Turner – Secretary
Probation Officer, Retired

Auleria Eakins, MPA
LA Care Health Plan

Beverly Davis, CPA
Tax Director

Gale Cohen
Consultant

Howard J. Fullman, MD
Kaiser Permanente Area Medical Director

Imani Brown, PhD
Urban Planner

Marlene Escobar
Nanny

Salvador Ross
Businessman, Retired

Executive Management

Risë K. Phillips, MPH, MBA– Chief Executive Officer

In 2009, following an extensive national search, Ms. Phillips was selected to lead T.H.E Clinic in our organization’s commitment to expand services and care to the community. Throughout her career, Ms. Phillips has held cutting edge leadership positions in the private and public sectors, as well as scientific research arena. Passionate about the plight of families and those with unmet healthcare needs, she has made significant contributions to policy, research, program development and services, and is well known for her work with government and political sectors at federal, state, and local levels.

In the private sector, Ms. Phillips has held senior executive positions at Maxicare and Blue Cross (now Anthem Blue Cross), using her academic strengths in statistics and data analysis to design strategic planning and budget systems as well as communications management. For the County of Los Angeles and the California Family Health Council, she was responsible for budgets of $145 million, revenue generation, lobbying functions, and policy analysis. Most recently, she was the Deputy Center Director in Washington D.C. for a company involved in supporting a global clinical trials network. Here, Ms. Phillips secured hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and managed relationships with organizations such as the National Institutes of Health as well as global partnerships in Asia, India, and South America.

Ms. Phillips graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s of Arts from Baylor University in Psychology, Behavioral Statistics, and Communications. She holds a Master’s in Public Health from the Yale School of Medicine with a concentration on Chronic Disease, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics. Ms. Phillips has integrated her science and health education into Finance and Management Information Systems with a Masters in Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management. In addition, she is a Certified Association Executive and is pursuing additional certifications in Project Management and Lean Six Sigma.

Ms. Phillips resides in the historic city core of Los Angeles and enjoys an active creative life as a published writer and a watercolorist.

Dr. Tracy D. Robinson, MD – Chief Medical Officer

Specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Robinson became T.H.E Clinic’s Chief Medical Officer in November 2008 after serving on staff for four years. She is a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist and a fellow in the American College of OB/GYN. A graduate of UCLA/Charles R. Drew medical school and residency program, she began practicing medicine in 1996. Originally from Louisiana, Dr. Robinson attended UCLA as a Chancellor Scholar. She has earned numerous awards, including Outstanding Student Award in 1992 from King/Drew Medical Center in OB/GYN and Psychiatry; National Health Service Scholar recipient; and OB/GYN representative of American Fertility Society Conference in Texas, where she submitted a paper on the care of the menopausal patient. She began her medical career after residency in rural South Carolina. While in South Carolina, she was chairperson of the Obstetrics/Pediatrics Committee of Carolina Pines Medical Center, Hartsville, South Carolina (1997-1998). After returning to California, she worked in the private sector at Airport-Playa Women’s Medical Center until 2004. After leaving private practice, she worked at California Hospital in the women’s health clinic where she is still on staff.

Dr. Robinson’s stated desire is "to serve the underserved and improve healthcare access for all. … I’m here at T.H.E. because I have a passion for caring for the underserved. We make a difference in the lives of the poor and underserved on a daily basis." She speaks English and medical Spanish.

Cynthia Perley, CPA – Chief Financial Officer

Cynthia Perley specializes in building entrepreneurial operations and complex financial systems, bringing to T.H.E. Clinic over 15 years of experience in improving business and financial performance. Before joining T.H.E., Ms. Perley was managing partner at Maraman & Associates, a human capital development and consulting firm where Ms. Perley worked with executives at all levels of an organization, facilitating the development of Strategic and Business Plans, and grooming executives for new and diverse leadership roles.

Ms. Perley is also a frequent speaker to organizations on leadership, success, and sales-related topics. She has given numerous seminars, workshops, and retreats across a broad range of executive-level development topics.

She has a BBA in Accounting from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, and a Master’s of Science in Healthcare Policy and Administration from Mercer University in Atlanta, GA.

Ms. Perley is a Past President of the Georgia Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and has served on multiple boards of directors, including the Rotary Club 2003 – 2008, Board of Directors 2006 to 2008, and the Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors 2006 – 2008.

Itohan Oyamendan, MHA – Chief Operations Officer

Itohan Oyamendan brings to T.H.E. well-proven expertise in launching, nurturing, and directing the day-to-day operation of multiple medical clinics serving low-income/homeless populations. Before joining T.H.E., Mrs. Oyamendan served as COO for the JWCH Institute, where she was primary officer for all of the health agency’s clinical sites. At JWCH, she supervised managers and directors, recruiting, screening, hiring, and evaluating program staff. She directed communications with county and state health service departments and other funding agencies; ensured that JWCH services met county, state and federal compliance; and maintained logs and statistics for internal and external review and reporting. Mrs. Oyamendan also worked with the Chief Financial Officer to monitor JWCH revenue and expenses from all consumer services departments.

Prior to serving the JWCH Institute, Mrs. Oyamendan spent six years at The Children’s Clinic (TCC), a Federally Qualified Health Center system in Long Beach, California. As Chief Operating Officer during her final three years at TCC, Mrs. Oyamendan provided direct management, coordination, and oversight of TCC’s six clinic sites. She also facilitated the construction and operations of a new 14,000-square-foot clinic, and oversaw a $10 million operating budget and ensured maximum reimbursement from payers. As TCC’s Chief Operating Officer, she was instrumental in starting and guiding a new school-based clinic, championing a patient flow and service delivery redesign that resulted in improved patient access to care, and interacted with community leaders and board members to provide information on clinic operations and activities.

Mrs. Oyamendan has also served as Administrative Resident to the CEO at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, and Program Manager at the Office of the Mayor, City of Los Angeles. In addition, she served as a board member of the Long Beach Multi-Service Center for the Homeless.

Jorge Abascal – Chief Information Officer

David Ujita – Director of Marketing

David Ujita brings to T.H.E. Clinic extensive experience in marketing communications. Mr. Ujita has over two decades of strategic and tactical experience with Fortune 50 high-tech global multinational corporations such as Hitachi and Toshiba, and his broad base of experience includes hands-on, entrepreneurial experience building and managing leading-edge marketing teams at newly formed pre-IPO start-ups. In recent years, Mr. Ujita has integrated more than two decades of corporate communications experience and process efficiency into the social services not-for-profit sector, providing both strategic communications and fund development expertise. Mr. Ujita has developed successful marketing communications strategies and fund development activities in support of drug and alcohol prevention programs working with youth, environmental education programs for children, homeless shelters, and hunger prevention programs. Mr. Ujita earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Commerce degree with an emphasis in Marketing from the University of Santa Clara, and makes his home in Long Beach, California.

Lilia Marin-Alvarez – Director of Human Resources

Lilia Marin-Alvarez has served as the Director of Human Resources for T.H.E. Clinic since March 2010, and has been affiliated with the healthcare industry since 1998 when she joined Hemacare, Inc. She has worked in an array of industries including marketing, publishing, advertising, and healthcare.

Prior to joining the executive team at T.H.E. Clinic, Ms. Marin-Alvarez served as the Human Resources Manager for the media acquisition firm Web MediaBrands, which accomplished more than 12 acquisitions over the span of three years. Ms. Marin-Alvarez's holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology/Human Resources Management, and an M.A. in Organizational Management.

Derrick Butler, MD – Associate Medical Director

A Family Medicine Physician and HIV Specialist, Dr. Derrick Butler received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, and his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco. He currently serves as Associate Medical Director at the T.H.E. Clinic and is the director of T.H.E.’s HIV Program. Dr. Butler is focused on addressing the current HIV/AIDS epidemic and the health disparities of urban populations. With an additional interest in international health issues, Dr. Butler has also lived in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer and worked in healthcare in various parts of Africa.

Sharon Leffall, WH, NP – Director of Clinical Services