Chief Diversity Officer joins Executive Leadership Team
August 11, 2022 (Smithfield, RI) – Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood), a not-for-profit health plan founded to serve Rhode Island’s at-risk populations, today announced the appointment of Talia Brookshire as its first-ever chief diversity officer (CDO) and a member of its executive leadership team. Brookshire was identified for this role after an extensive national search. She reports directly to Neighborhood President and CEO Peter Marino.
Talia Brookshire
Chief Diversity Officer
In this newly created leadership position, Brookshire will apply nearly two decades of strategy development and program execution experience in diversity initiatives, multicultural marketing campaigns, and community-building outreach to serve as the champion and thought leader to help strengthen Neighborhood’s ongoing investment in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She will also lead the strategic and day-to-day operational advancement of Neighborhood’s DEI culture and practices.
“Talia’s impressive body of work in the diversity, equity and inclusion space and the energy and passion she exhibits for this important work quickly made her a favorite during our national search,” said Marino. “Now that she has joined our executive leadership team, it is clear that our instincts were spot on. Talia’s expertise in creating and implementing solutions to help improve inclusivity is advancing our focus on equity for our employees and the communities we serve.”
As Neighborhood’s chief diversity officer, Brookshire engages all levels and departments to ensure business systems, processes, and relationships related to the mission and business operations reflect Neighborhood’s commitment to DEI.
“I am incredibly excited to represent our employees, members and providers,” said Brookshire. “From the moment I arrived at Neighborhood, I could tell there was a spirit of community and genuine passion for the work we do and the people we serve. I look forward to working with others, both inside and outside of Neighborhood, to identify the most effective strategies to support each other as Neighborhood continues to provide high-quality, cost-effective healthcare for Rhode Island’s at-risk populations.”
Prior to joining Neighborhood, Brookshire executed many grassroots programs to grow awareness and participation within a variety of industries, including professional and Olympic sports governing bodies, universities, manufacturing and non-profit agencies. Brookshire joined Neighborhood from Western Governors University where she worked with senior leaders to develop its DEI strategy and pathway. Previously, she held senior positions at USA Track & Field, USA Swimming and NASCAR, with responsibilities in community outreach, multicultural marketing campaigns, and fundraising to build membership and/or participation of underserved communities.
Brookshire earned her bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and her Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University. She resides with her family in Cumberland, Rhode Island.
ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD:
Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood) is a not-for-profit health maintenance organization (HMO) founded in December 1993 in partnership with Rhode Island’s Community Health Centers and the state to ensure everyone in Rhode Island has access to high quality, cost-effective health care. Neighborhood serves over 221,000 members in the state with 82 percent of its membership Medicaid eligible through its ACCESS and TRUST plans and 6 percent of its membership utilizing Neighborhood’s INTEGRITY Medicare-Medicaid Plan (MMP). About 12 percent of Neighborhood’s members are individuals, families and small businesses who select one of eight Neighborhood commercial plans available through the health exchange, HealthSourceRI. Of these members, about 85 percent qualify for federal subsidies to cover a portion of their costs. Today, Neighborhood—with over 600 employees and $1.5 billion in revenue—serves one out of every five Rhode Islanders. Learn more at nhpri.org.
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