Former Milwaukee County Board Chairman Karen Ordinans has been named executive director of Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin (CHAW), a statewide organization headquartered in Milwaukee. Ordinans will be responsible for directing and managing all aspects of CHAW, including working to build partnerships with public and private child health systems, individuals and organizations to improve health services for children and their families. She begins her new role Monday, Feb. 24.
"Karen brings tremendous experience in improving health care, and her skills in developing collaborations will be invaluable to Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin," said Bill Bazan, chair of the Executive Council of CHAW, the board which made the hiring decision. "We know Karen will help the organization grow stronger, become more visible and have a greater impact on the health of children in our state. She is well-respected and highly regarded in the community."
CHAW works with government agencies, health care providers and nonprofit organizations throughout the state.
"Families, children and health care have been high priorities throughout my life and career," said Ordinans. "In fact, I started my career as an early childhood educator. My new role with Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin provides a perfect blend of the issues I believe are so important to the future of our children. I want CHAW to be a voice for children in the state, improving policies and the system of care for children. The alliance has been very successful, for example, in the areas of oral health and asthma. But there is so much more to be done, and I want to help lead the efforts."
Ordinans resides in Greenfield with her husband, Marty, and their two children. She was elected to the Milwaukee County Board in 1992 and selected as board chairman in 1996, serving in that post until losing to Peter Agnos in a pension scandal-related recall election last July.
Feb. 21, 2003 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
