International Community Health Services (ICHS) CEO Teresita Batayola was recently appointed to the Seattle College District Board of Trustees by Governor Jay Inslee.
Trustees serve a five-year terms and are responsible for overall policy and leadership of the colleges and must be confirmed by the State Senate.
“We are pleased to welcome Teresita to our board,” Chancellor Jill Wakefield said in a statement. “She understands the health care industry, has valuable insight on our local community, and is very articulate about the challenges we face in this global economy.”
Prior to entering the health care field, Batayola had worked and practiced in economic development, community and international development, and strategic planning. She now leads ICHS—the state’s largest Asian and Pacific Islander non-profit organization providing primary health care services.
She is also president of the Washington Association of Community and Migrant Health Centers and serves on the boards of the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, the Community Health Plan, Community Health Network, and the Community Clinic Contracting Network.
An active spokesperson and public speaker on affordable health care, Batayola was named by Seattle Business Magazine as an outstanding leader in health care in 2010. She has also received the 2012 Betsey K. Cooke Grassroots MVP Award from the National Association of Community Health Centers, and was recognized in 2014 as a White House Champion of Change for increasing access to health care coverage.
Batayola holds a BA in Public Affairs from Seattle University and an MS in Urban Administration from Bucknell University.
Batayola replaces Albert Shen, who was appointed National Deputy Director of the Minority Business Development Agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
