Natalie Levkovich, longtime Health Federation of Philadelphia (HFP) CEO, recently announced that she will step down from her position in spring 2025. Ms. Levkovich, who celebrated her 40th year of service to HFP in 2024, has served in an executive leadership capacity with the agency since 1987. Throughout her storied career, which spans the AIDS and crack epidemics of the 1980s to the opioid epidemic and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2024, she has remained an unwavering champion for promoting health equity for marginalized communities. Her work has touched the lives of generations of Philadelphians, and her impact is woven into the fabric of the city’s public health landscape. She has expanded the reach of the organization to reduce health disparities across the United States, led a movement to embed behavioral health services in the primary care setting, and is recognized as a leader in her field both nationally and internationally.
Staying true to her brand of thoughtful leadership, which has guided the organization through the decades, her decision to announce her retirement comes after “years of planning and careful consideration.”
“This is a bittersweet choice for me personally but one that I believe is the right decision at the right time for HFP,” said Ms. Levkovich. “HFP is ready. Our Board, our financial base, our structure and our reputation are all strong; each area of our work has an internal leader and a team of experts and champions; and our relationships, both internal and external, are resilient and reliable. I am proud of the accomplishments of the last 40 years and have great confidence in the momentum of our strategic impact and growth to take HFP well into the future,” she shared.
The organization’s Board of Directors, composed of healthcare professionals, community advocates, and public health leaders – many of whom oversee Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) – thanked Ms. Levkovich for all she has done to support their work over the last 40 years.
“It is with mixed emotion that we prepare to say goodbye to Natalie,” said Mary Kargbo, CEO of Berks Community Health Center and Chair, HFP Board of Directors. “As a friend, I am so very happy for her. She has dedicated much of her adult life to improving access to and quality of healthcare in Philadelphia and beyond, and she deserves to reflect with pride on the impact of her work. Natalie is truly one of a kind, and we will miss her wisdom, her ability to identify threads that connect our work, and the meaningful connections she has made with so many of us. We’re so proud of all the important work she has done with HFP over the last 40 years, and we look forward to honoring her legacy by continuing to build on the great foundation she is leaving behind for us and for her successor. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we wish her the best in all that she may choose to do next.”
The list of Ms Levkovich’s accomplishments of the last four decades is too long to enumerate; however, her tenure has been characterized by innovation – new solutions to address persistent needs of populations and providers alike – and by enduring relationships. Investments in organizational capacity and a person-centered workplace culture have resulted in staff loyalty and national awards for HFP as an employer that supports the wellbeing of employees. Authentic collaboration and reliable performance have solidified HFP’s reputation as a strong partner and a critical contributor to the public health system. And, most importantly, innumerable individuals have benefited as participants in more coordinated, accessible care and as professionals for whom mentorship and supportive work experiences have helped to advance their careers and shape their work ethic.
In advance of Ms. Levkovich’s departure, HFP has contracted with Bridge Partners – Executive Search to conduct a national search for her successor. Bridge Partners is a woman- and minority-owned executive search firm with offices across the United States. A full position description can be found here, and interested individuals should contact Toya Lawson or Neeta Mehta for more information.
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