Current Employment
Karen Ochoa is the Director of Health Equity Programs and Operations at Communities Lifting Communities (CLC) is a Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC) division. In her current role, Karen leads and manages the development and implementation of health equity
initiatives and strategies with hospital health systems. She leads and supports hospital/health system members in supplier diversity, multi-stakeholder collaboratives, and birth equity to create a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and innovation to expand health equity best practices. Karen is passionate about advancing and transforming the health care sector by focusing on health equity, social justice, and sustainability issues.
Previous Experience
As an Affiliate Professor at Antioch University-Los Angeles, she has mentored students in the Urban Sustainability Fieldwork Program by applying academic and professional expertise to real-world projects and challenges. Before joining CLC, Karen served as the Education Manager at HASC for 15 years. Karen is also the co-founder of the L.A. Co-op Lab, a collective building L.A’s capacity for worker ownership as a pathway toward a more equitable and democratic economy.
Education
Karen holds a master’s degree in urban sustainability and is a National Diversity Council Certified Diversity
Professional (NDCCP).
Professional Affiliations
Karen serves on the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
WHA Participation
Karen has been a member of WHA since 2024. This will be her first year serving on the WHA Board.