Greater Milwaukee Foundation honors Bevan K. Baker, FACHE

By Steve Waring

Special to The Milwaukee Times

 

Milwaukee Commissioner of Public Health Bevan K. Baker, FACHE, received the Doug Jansson Leadership Award from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation during a lunch at the Pfister Hotel on November 12. The Doug Jansson Leadership Award was created in honor of the longtime Greater Milwaukee Foundation president. It recognizes local nonprofit leaders, especially those engaging underserved communities. Baker was raised on a farm. He received his master’s degree in health administration from the Medical College of Virginia and his bachelor’s degree in medical technology from Winston-Salem State University. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to relocating to Milwaukee in 2001 to serve as the Chief Operating Officer for the City of Milwaukee Health Department, Baker served as Chief Operating Officer for Health Choice of Miami and the Associate Director for Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation in Brooklyn. He is the father of a son and a daughter. Baker was appointed Commissioner of Public Health by Mayor Tom Barrett in 2004. In February 2005 Baker was appointed to serve as the Milwaukee County Emergency Public Health Preparedness Director by Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. And in January 2006, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle appointed Mr. Baker to serve on the Governor’s e-Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Board which helped develop a strategic plan for statewide adoption and exchange of electronic health records. Baker has been the recipient of many outstanding awards, including the 2002 Wisconsin Hospital Association’s Young Healthcare Executive of the Year. In his position as Public Health Commissioner, Baker told The Milwaukee Times that he considered himself “an ambassador for the city’s health.” He said the next big issues to be tackled are the ongoing disparities in public health. “That’s the money ball,” he said. “If we don’t get this right it will be like a herd of elephants in a room, but behavior is always the toughest thing to change.”