Onward

Friends - 

I want to share an important update about both my personal journey that I spoke about last fall, and exciting news about Cityblock. I am resigning from my role as CEO to focus on being an active director on Cityblock’s board. My co-founder, business partner, and long-time friend Dr. Toyin Ajayi will become our new CEO. I want to share just a bit about how I came to this decision and how tremendously excited I am about Cityblock’s next chapter, and my own.  

Since Toyin and I met 10 years ago, in many ways, much of my life’s work has been to bring to life the vision Toyin and I shared of how care delivery for marginalized communities can fundamentally redefine equity in our country. As day-to-day partners for nearly a decade, we’ve accomplished so much together, and I’m excited to see her lead Cityblock forward as CEO. While stepping from the CEO role to the board is not something I contemplated prior to this winter, the notion of Toyin carrying this mission forward couldn't be more right.

Building Cityblock over the last five years has been undoubtedly the most rewarding and challenging professional experience of my life. When we first launched Cityblock, people laughed at the notion of innovating in the entrenched, behemoth structures of Medicaid. Most people assumed that we would fail. We were turned away at the door by many investors who didn’t think a company focused on Medicaid could be sustainable. And by others who were put off by our fierce focus on anti-racism and social justice. 

We set out to revolutionize healthcare, and today we are well on our way as Cityfolx work daily to attack structural bias and the divide between the haves and have nots. 

What started as a simple idea now has the potential to stretch nationwide, as more than 1,000 Cityfolx strive every day to achieve our goal of serving millions, centered in trust, rooted in social justice. And as importantly, dozens of companies are emerging. They’re following our path and striving to join our crusade in transforming care for marginalized and underserved communities. With Cityblock leading the charge, we have fundamentally changed the way people view the ‘market’ that is Medicaid. Cityblock has always been about more than building a business…it’s about building a movement. 

So why now? 

I chose to be very public about my experiences of trauma and depression when I stepped away from the CEO role this past fall. I did this because I was acutely aware of my privilege and felt that it was an important signal to the world. Working in a place in which it was safe to speak my truth saved my life. And I'm proud to have created that space at Cityblock. Today, I am doing better than ever – loving this family and healing time – and am excited both by my next chapter and Cityblock’s next chapter. This experience and focus, and the support I’ve received has been inspiring and it’s compelled me to dig deeper into understanding how to democratize access to supporting those who have experienced all forms of trauma. 

As I shared in October, as a community, we should redouble our efforts and, much like Cityblock does every day, focus on building systems and ways of being that enable vulnerability, empathy and equity in treating mental illness within our society. I intend to focus on doing just that. More to come here soon.

And in parallel, I've coached innumerable Cityblock leaders to put the company and our members before themselves. To seek every day to be of utmost use in driving positive impact in the world. And to be never afraid to give away their legos. I've been proud to see so many Cityfolx embody this and put our mission first time after time over the last five years. And to that end, I believe the time is right for me to pass the baton. 

Working alongside Cityfolx, our board, and our partners for the last five years has been an experience that will forever shape my life.

I'm excited by what's next for Cityblock, and excited to help continue to shape this movement from the board room, as we work to achieve our wildly ambitious goals for how healthcare should be delivered in communities across the nation. 

Thank you for being on this journey with me, and for allowing me to be on it with you. Onward.