AID Atlanta announced today it has named Dr. Jose Rodriguez-Diaz its new CEO, replacing Cathy Woolard who has served as interim CEO for more than a year.
A total of 130 candidates were reviewed for the job by an AID Atlanta search committee as well as its board of directors. AID Atlanta has an annual budget of $7.6 million and provides services to more than 50,000 individuals per year.
“We are enthusiastic about Dr. Diaz taking the helm and leading AID Atlanta’s current transformation,” said Chip Newton, chairperson of the CEO Search Committee and secretary of the board of directors, in a prepared statement. “We have exciting things planned for the Atlanta region’s response to HIV and we are confident that Dr. Diaz is the right person to lead us into the future.”
Rodriguez-Diaz has relocated to Atlanta from New York City with his partner and 4-year-old daughter and began his job at AID Atlanta today.
“I am thrilled to become part of this great organization,” said Dr. Diaz in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with the board, the staff and the community in taking AID Atlanta to the next level of its more than 30 year history. This year will be exciting and transformative for the organization and I am excited to be part of it.”
Rodriguez-Diaz received his medical degree at the University of Buenos Aires, has a Master’s Degree in Public Health from a joint degree program at the University of Buenos Aires and UC-Berkley and a second master’s degree from the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Medicine in Evaluation and Quality Management, according to a press release from AID Atlanta.
Before coming to AID Atlanta, Rodriguez-Diaz worked at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System and was responsible for a multi-year, multimillion dollar federal and state grant used to implement an electronic medical records system.
Before this job, he was “senior medical consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources Services Administration — Office of Performance Review where he was responsible for evaluating national and global programs funded by the HRSA, USAID and other DHHS agencies that increase access to healthcare and prevention services,” according to AID Atlanta.
He was also program director for the Department of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center and was responsible for conducting HIV clinical trials for women and children.
While Woolard served as interim CEO at AID Atlanta, she managed an in-depth analysis by the board and staff on the implications of the Affordable Care Act for people with HIV/AIDS.
This led the adoption of a corresponding strategic plan to prepare AID Atlanta for the changing medical care landscape, said Mark B. Rinder, chairperson of the AID Atlanta board, in a statement.
“Woolard also initiated operational changes including implementing action items from the new strategic plan, such as strengthening the Resource Development team, increasing investment in data and quality management infrastructure for the agency and a reorganization of several programs to align staff with future goals. Under her leadership, AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run met the goal of raising over $1 million by Walk Day for the first time in more than 10 years,” Rinder added.
“Taking the helm from Cathy Woolard is a big job and sets a high bar but we’re confident that Dr. Diaz is the right leader for the next phase of our growth as an organization,” Rinder said. “He stood out among the 130 candidates we reviewed and clearly has the skills and expertise we were seeking for our next CEO.”