Vanessa L. Whiting elected Chair of MetroHealth Board of Trustees
Whiting will succeed Thomas McDonald, who served as board chair since 2013
Cleveland- Vanessa L. Whiting has been elected Chair of the MetroHealth Board of Trustees. She is the first African American to lead the board, which is comprised of 10 voluntary members appointed by Cuyahoga County Council. She succeeds Thomas McDonald, who has served as Board Chair since 2013. Whiting chairs the Board’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, which she established to emphasize and support the System’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Under her leadership, MetroHealth has increased its spend with diverse vendors and contractors, and has enacted policies resulting in an increase in diversity in management.
Whiting, who was appointed to the board in 2011, is president of A.E.S Management Corp, the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchisee in Northeast Ohio. She is an attorney who has been recognized as one of this area’s top 100 lawyers by Northern Ohio Live, and whose work in economic and community development has helped many.“Vanessa Whiting has provided invaluable service to our health system for eight years and her endless commitment to inclusion and diversity has impacted every employee and every patient,” said President and CEO Dr. Akram Boutros. “Her continued leadership will spur us to achieve more for our patients and the community during this time of Transformation.”
“I am grateful for the trust the board has placed in me to lead during this exciting time of transformation. MetroHealth has a dedicated, hardworking board, an inspiring and dedicated staff, and an exemplary and visionary management team led by Dr. Akram Boutros. Together, we will meet the ever-changing challenges in health care and continue to live out the mission and values of MetroHealth.”
She serves on the boards of the Tri-C Foundation, the Fairmount Presbyterian Church and the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Whiting co-chairs the Karamu House Capital and Sustaining Campaign, is a Life Member of the NAACP, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She was named the Black Professional of the Year for 2019 by the Black Professional Association Charitable Foundation.Whiting’s term as Chair runs through 2023.
Founded in 1837, MetroHealth is leading the way to a healthier you and a healthier community through service, teaching, discovery, and teamwork. Cuyahoga County’s public, safety-net hospital system, MetroHealth meets people where they are, providing care through five hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 20 health centers. Each day, our nearly 9,000 employees focus on providing our community with equitable healthcare — through patient-focused research, access to care, and support services — that seeks to eradicate health disparities rooted in systematic barriers. For more information, visit metrohealth.org.
