Ann Kitchen is Central Health Board of Managers’ new chair

The Central Health Board of Managers has elected a new chair to succeed its retiring leader. Ann Kitchen will follow Dr. Charles Bell as the board chair of Travis County’s hospital district, which provides health care and coverage to people with low income. After eight years as a City Council member representing South Austin, Kitchen was appointed by the Travis County Commissioners Court to the board of managers earlier this year. She is also a board trustee for Integral Care, Travis County’s local mental health authority. Kitchen is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives, the Capital Metro board of directors and the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization policy board. The board of managers also reelected Dr. Cynthia Brinson as vice chair of the board and Maram Museitif as treasurer and chair of the board’s budget and finance committee. Brinson is a practicing family medicine physician, a coordinator of clinical trials and the co-founder of KIND Clinic. Museitif holds a doctorate in public health and chairs the Texas Public Health Association’s Legislative, Policy and Advocacy Committee. Her primary focus as a public health professional is on cancer research tailored for underserved and vulnerable communities. Dr. Manuel Martin, a family medicine doctor practicing in Austin and focusing on the Hispanic community, was named secretary of the board, succeeding Cynthia Valadez, who continues to serve on the board.