Daniel Fulwiler, President and CEO, Esperanza Health Centers, has dedicated his career of over 25 years to improving health care for the underserved.  Through unstinting focus on changing systems to meet the needs of patients, he has pushed forward an agenda of delivering the highest quality care to those who struggle with the greatest inequities of the American healthcare system.  Dan is passionate about public health and community health, and works hard to make sure his organization is deeply involved in the communities it serves.   

 

Dan became the CEO of Esperanza Health Centers in May of 2008, and has since grown the organization from a single site with a budget of $3.7 million a year, to six sites investing over $50 million each year in improving the health of Chicago’s Southwest Side communities.  Under Dan’s leadership, Esperanza has become one of the highest quality community health centers in the United States, earning the Bureau of Primary Health Care’s National Quality Leader award for four of the past five years. 

 

Dan is active in civic affairs.  He has served on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Transition Committee for Health and Human Services, and currently serves on the Chicago Council for Mental Health Equity.  In addition, he has served on the boards of several non-profits, including the Illinois Primary Health Care Association, Deep Springs College, the Advisory Board of Raza Development Fund, the Medical Home Network ACO, AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, and Bella Voce.  Dan holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University, and a Master’s in English from the University of Toronto.  He speaks fluent Spanish.