Positive Deviance: Monthly messages from Michelle Burton

Michelle Burton, PhD, Deputy CEO of Community Health Councils, Inc.

On December 14, 2022, we lost a valued team member, Felipe Cholico. Felipe was not just our Senior Accountant, he was a beloved father, husband, brother, son, uncle and friend. In our offices, Felipe was a man of many talents. He had a magic tool bag that he would bring out whenever something fell apart in the office. One of my last memories of him was seeing him under the sink fixing the garbage disposal for the umpteenth time. Other staff have shared happy moments they had of Felipe sharing food, drinks and most of all his smile. He golfed most every weekend and I’d like to think that he has gone to that great golf course in the sky. Felipe, you are deeply missed, and your kindness and
laughter will be remembered by us all.

CHC is pleased to announce that we have adopted a new sabbatical policy for all team members! To kick off this awesome new practice, Verónica Flores, CEO of CHC for the last seven years is currently enjoying her well-earned sabbatical which began on January 3rd and will continue through the end of March. All team members at CHC are eligible for 12 weeks of sabbatical time after 5 or more years of service. We look forward to supporting other team members in taking advantage of this benefit in the coming months and years ahead. CHC strives to implement practices that further support the health and well-being of all its team members and are happy to share our new policy with any colleagues interested in learning more about how to replicate a similar program at their own organizations.

Over the past seven years, CHC has prospered greatly under Veronica’s tireless leadership. I have been honored to participate in facilitating and co-leading that growth as a member of her executive management team for the last several years. I joined CHC in June of 2018 and quickly moved into the Chief Strategy Officer role in 2019. In 2021, Veronica and I discussed how to best support the exponential growth of the organization and I was promoted to the position of Deputy CEO last January. I deeply value Veronica’s mentorship and am thrilled that her commitment is being recognized through this gift of time. I am excited to steward the organization in her stead as we continue to develop and provide innovative programs and services in communities of South LA, LA County and all across California!

In 2022, we spent many months and many meetings considering how to visually and verbally communicate CHC’s new brand and identity. We launched the What’s Good South LA initiative to garner input from our fellow South LA community members about what health and wellness in South LA looked like for them. We received responses in the form of artwork, poems and other mediums, all representing South LA today and in the future. CHC has always worked to impact families and communities locally and across California, but South LA is our home. Many of us at CHC either grew up in South LA, currently live in South LA and/or have friends and family that do or did. I, myself, was born in South LA, right in the West Adams corridor that our new offices are located in.As we talked to staff and community members (sometimes one in the same) we gathered tons of ideas and input around how CHC might evolve to embody the bright and hopeful future we are working so hard to create together. And guess what? We did it!! We are all absolutely
giddy with anticipation and invite you to join us at the Kingdom Day Parade on January 16th, where we will march in honor of Dr. King’s vision of freedom and love while holding a banner with our newly minted name and brand!!! Stay tuned, in the coming days and weeks we will share more details on our What’s Good South LA Gallery Show where we will share many of the pieces community members submitted. We will also provide more insight on our branding journey and what each element of our new brand identity means to us and to our collectively bright and hopeful future.

To join us at the Kingdom Day Parade, please contact fani@risingcommunities.org for more details on where to meet up!!