With more than 30 years of health care and public health experience, Richard Veloz has served on the frontlines of providing care to the leadership of organizations organizing and delivering health care.  Along the way, he has demonstrated a deep commitment to health care that is affordable, accessible and relevant to underserved communities.

As chief executive officer of the South Central Family Health Center, he oversees a $5 million budget and staff of 70 in addition to providing administrative and management leadership.  The Center, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) annually serves thousands of children and families, many new immigrants, in the greater South Los Angeles area. In 2003, staff saw more than 8,200 patients and provided for more than 30,000 encounters. These numbers continue to grow as the Center responds to the needs of the neighborhood it serves.

Prior to assuming the leadership at SCFHC, he stepped in as the chief executive officer of Community Health Foundation of East Los Angeles, an FQHC, during its bankruptcy re-organization. At the time, CHFELA had a $10 million budget and staff of 140.  The re-organization of management, governance and operational processes included extensive negotiations with government and private funding sources, including community partners, union and senior staff, and elected officials. In an effort to assure stakeholders of continuity of services, he served as spokesperson to news media, business and public/private groups. As a consultant, he worked with clinics and health care organizations on matters relating to strategic and operational planning, legislation, grant and proposal writing and event planning.

He served the first director of government relations and public affairs at L.A. Care Health Plan, an HMO/public entity created initially to serve Medicaid beneficiaries – mostly women and children in Los Angeles County. He lobbied local, state and federal policy makers behalf of more than half a million members and maintained relations with regulatory agencies at all levels. He provided leadership on L.A. Care-sponsored legislation to the board of governors, executives, staff and contracted lobbyists.

Richard has substantial experience in health care and related issues at the federal level. He was appointed by President Clinton as a special assistant to the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration where he managed, identified and resolved issues in the areas of traffic safety, public health, injury control and prevention.

He was also appointed by the President to the Task Force on Health Care Reform as a senior health policy advisor. He counseled the White House, Health and Human Services and other federal agencies on issues related to long term care and vulnerable and hard to reach populations. In addition to his role as advisor, he served liaison to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, prepared and provided testimony to Congress and served as a spokesperson for the President’s National Health Security Act of 1993.

As the staff director of the House of Representatives Select Committee on Aging, he directed all legislative activity for the 68-member committee and its four sub-committees of Health, Housing, Human Services, and Transportation. In addition to supervising a staff of 40, he served as spokesperson for the committee chair and liaison with Congressional Research Services, the U.S. Senate and national aging organizations. 

He began his extensive career in health care as a respiratory therapist and, later, a health educator with the County of Los Angeles before becoming administrative director of the Family Practice Residency Program at White Memorial Medical Center.

Complementing his professional endeavors, Richard has contributed his leadership, skills and experience to various civil and community organizations. He serves as chair of the Southside Coalition of Community Clinics, and is a member of the board of the California Primary Care Association, and the Edward R. Roybal Gerontology Institute at California State University, Los Angeles. He previously served as vice president of the board of the Arroyo Vista Family Health Center and was a member of the Executive Action Board of the American Public Health Association.  He currently serves as a member of the UCLA Alumni Government Relations Committee.

He received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law and his master of public health from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health.  He was graduated from California State University, Los Angeles with a bachelor of arts.  He received his associate of arts degree from East Los Angeles College.