Yvette Radford

Why do you do what you do?

Improving the health of our communities has been core to Kaiser Permanente’s mission for more than 70 years, which is why I chose to work for the organization and 24 years later, why I am still here. Kaiser Permanente has allowed me the flexibility to identify critical community needs and develop meaningful and innovative approaches to address them.

What drew you to serving on the board?

Joining the board was attractive to me because of the bold and unapologetic leadership that the foundation exhibits in addressing the needs of communities of color and other underserved populations. I have also been impressed with the foundation’s focus on policy, justice, and social and economic well-being. I believe that these areas are primary drivers of health for individuals and addressing these issues help position the entire community to reach their full potential.

How would you describe your role as a board member?

As a member of the board, my job is to help them deliver on their mission by bringing my professional expertise, my lived experience and my role as a community leader to help foster new ideas, new partnerships and new approaches to ensure the needs of the community remain central to our work. As Nelson Mandela said, “As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”