Leadership
Dr. Luis F. Diez-Morales is currently the Chief Medical Officer and Executive VP of Charter Oak Health Center. Prior to Charter Oak Health Center, he joined Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center in 1984 as Director of Medical Ambulatory Services and as Systems Medical Director of Ambulatory Services. He was also the Medical Director for the Curtis Robinson Men’s Health Institute and The Center for Health Equity. He was the Chairman of the Continuing Medical Education Committee for Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center.
He attended Notre Dame High School in his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, and the University of Puerto Rico for both his bachelor’s degree and medical school. He completed his Residency in Internal Medicine at Wayne State University where he was also Chief Resident, followed by a Fellowship in Endocrinology at the University of Connecticut.
Jill Davies started at GHLA in 1984 and has served as Deputy Director since 1988. She directs Building Comprehensive Solutions to Domestic Violence, a key initiative of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, in collaboration with GHLA. Her advocacy on behalf of family violence victims spans three decades. One aspect of her work is the conception and continued development of the victim-defined approach to advocacy. She has written and consulted extensively on issues of importance to family violence victims, including advocacy and safety planning, poverty, and legal issues.
The author of numerous articles and materials regarding violence against women and family violence, her writing encourages critical thinking and supports improved practice. She is co-author of the book, Domestic Violence Advocacy: Complex Lives/Difficult Choices, Sage Publications (2014).
Will Perez is a Management Consulting professional who helps organizations plan and deliver on their transformational strategies. He is a Managing Director at Slalom Consulting where he has worked since 2012. He has also held prior leadership positions at The Hartford Financial Services Group, Accenture, and Virtusa. He was born in Aguada, Puerto Rico and is a lifelong Connecticut resident where he attended the University of Connecticut and earned a degree in Computer Science and Engineering.
He has volunteered his time to numerous non-profits in Hartford and is a member of the Latino Endowment Fund giving circle. He joined the Hispanic Health Council Board in 2019.
She is currently the Director of Internal Communications at Hartford Healthcare. She became acquainted and impressed with the work of the council during a 20-year career as a writer for The Hartford Courant, covering health issues with a focus on underserved communities.
She has worked at Hartford Healthcare for sixteen years where she has held several leadership positions. She is currently the co-chair of the system Hispanic/Latinx Colleague Resource Group and Vice Chair for the Hispanic Health Council Foundation Board. She enjoys teaching, mentoring, and coaching and has a strong passion for advocacy.
Many would describe her as a compassionate and powerful force that uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and never settle. Jennifer’s personal mission is to be a trailblazer in driving sustainable change in bettering our communities and improving health inequality.
He is an enthusiastic volunteer in the community and currently serves the town of East Windsor as a member of the Board of Finance and Chairman of the Pension Board.
While at NYU Bellevue (faculty practice and resident training) she ran the Women’s Health portion of the NYU medical school student health program and directed the Bellevue Teen Pregnancy clinic. She also initiated her work in global health with medical missions in Central and Latin America. Most of her time has been spent in clinical work as well as a current board member with Grounds for Health; an NGO whose mission is to eradicate cervical cancer.
She’s now in private practice at Mansfield Ob GYN Associates for 13 years. She is also currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut Storrs through EL Instituto where she teaches her course in Women’s Health issues in the Latinx and African American communities.
As a resident, Dr. Muñoz concurrently attained her Master of Public Health (MPH) degree and a Certificate of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies through a UConn-HRSA Dual Degree Training Program with Advanced Standing. For outstanding achievement in the field of applied public health sciences, Dr. Muñoz was awarded the Mulvihill Medal for Academic and Research Excellence. She is also the president of the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (COHI) Board of Directors.
It has been her personal and professional goal to impact policy in promoting oral health and preventing disease for all children.
She recently served as the director of the BSW program and the Puerto Rican/Latin@ Studies Project at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. Her research and teaching interests include an examination of coloniality, white supremacy, implicit bias and their effects on intersectional identities, and the importance of critical consciousness on advocacy and allyship. She is the co-author of the 3rd edition of Racism in the United States: Implications for the Helping Professions (forthcoming 2021).
Her areas of expertise include Latina women’s health, intimate partner violence, and program evaluation among others. She is particularly invested in advancing research to benefit individuals in situations of vulnerability such as persons with irregular migratory status.
Prior to joining the City of Hartford, Karen was the Global Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Learning Advisor for Cigna corporate.
Mr. Kenneth Barela has more than 30 years of experience in the non-profit sector. He has worked in various capacities as an executive for national and regional healthcare and human service organizations. He has experience evaluating not only prospects but entire communities to determine their primary interests and motivations, and a demonstrable track record of applying those interests to successful community projects.
Ken’s entire adult life has been defined by service. He served our country as a United States Army Infantry Officer. He was deployed in support of Desert Storm. In addition, he was the Mayor of a city in Colorado. Ken has an MBA from the University of Denver and is a certified project manager.
