The board and CEO of The Center at Sierra Health Foundation are excited to announce that effective Oct. 11, Ms. Kaying Hang will serve as President.
Kaying joined the organization in 2013 as a Senior Program Officer and has served on the Executive Management Team since 2018, most recently as Senior Vice President of Programs and Partnerships for both The Center and Sierra Health Foundation. Kaying will now assume authority over The Center’s operations and strategy to position the organization for continued success.
“Over the past several years, Kaying’s leadership has been instrumental in growing The Center’s portfolio, deepening our impact in communities, and building and managing our growing team. In truth, in her outsized contributions to our team she fulfilled several aspects of a president’s role and is extremely well prepared for her new position,” said Chet P. Hewitt, CEO of The Center.
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, Kaying led The Center in ensuring Californians disproportionately impacted by the virus received equitable resources and attention. Additionally, she helped The Center manage one of the largest opioid use disorder medication assisted treatment programs in the country and the Elevate Youth Program, primarily funded through Proposition 64, which aimed to prevent the onset of substance use disorders among young people in the state. She also directed the implementation of a community engagement model that addresses health and racial inequities in the San Joaquin Valley.
“Social justice and racial equity are central to my life’s work. It’s a privilege to advance these goals at the intersection of health here at The Center. It’s an honor to accept this new role and continue to work alongside our CEO, Chet P. Hewitt, and our talented staff,” Kaying said. “I look forward to serving the people and communities most in need across Sacramento and across California.”
Before her work at The Center, Kaying served as associate director for Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, where she worked closely with foundations, affinity groups, public policy groups and immigrant rights organizations across the country. Previously, she served as senior program officer at the Otto Bremer Foundation in Minnesota and a program officer and senior consultant with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation.
A native Hmong speaker, Kaying received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University and a Master’s in Public Health from Boston University. Originally from Minnesota’s Twin Cities, she is the oldest of seven children and comes from a refugee family dedicated to social justice and racial equity. She and her family are proud to call Sacramento home.
We congratulate Kaying on this new milestone in her professional career and look forward to her continued leadership here at The Center.