Flinn Foundation press release
Two Flinn Foundation senior administrators have received new titles reflecting heightened levels of responsibility and achievement in guiding the Foundation and its programs.
Saundra E. Johnson, MPA, FACHE, has been promoted to Executive Vice President, and William A. Read, Ph.D., to Senior Vice President, Research and Special Projects.
“Since committing to helping Arizona become a national competitor in the biosciences five years ago, the Flinn Foundation has undergone a major transformation,” said President and CEO John W. Murphy. “The leadership and commitment of Saundra Johnson and Bill Read have been critical to the Foundation’s progress in this area. I have asked each to assume additional responsibilities.”
Johnson has been responsible for increasing public awareness of the Foundation and Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, the long-term plan developed by Battelle to advance Arizona’s bioscience sector. She has represented the Foundation as primary liaison to the economic development community, helping to guide regional roadmap developments in Tucson and Flagstaff.
As Executive Vice President, she will be responsible for implementing all Foundation activities and strategic plans, as well as providing administrative oversight to the Flinn Scholars program.
Prior to joining the Foundation in 2000, Johnson served as President and CEO of the Arizona Healthcare Federation, the state’s first rural/urban health network, and President of the Arizona Affordable Health Care Foundation. She has more than 30 years of experience in health policy planning and implementation, hospital administration, legislative and regulatory affairs, and program development and planning.
Dr. Read has been responsible for guiding Foundation programming in biomedical research, medical and graduate medical education, health services research, and health policy studies. In his new role, he will oversee the Foundation’s basic and translational research programs, and serve as the Foundation’s lead official in interfacing with the scientific research community. He will also guide the Foundation’s interest in emerging grant opportunities in the biomedical research sector and measures to assess the impact of Arizona’s investments in the bioscience sector.
Dr. Read joined the Foundation in 1989 after serving as president of the Hospital Research and Education Trust of the American Hospital Association in Chicago. He also was a faculty member of the schools of medicine, dentistry, and public health at the University of Washington-Seattle, and a faculty member of the Graduate School at Washington University-St. Louis. Dr. Read was nationally known for his program development and research in the areas of gerontology and geriatrics.
In additional staff promotions, Michael Cochise Young, Ph.D., has been named Assistant Vice President, Scholarship Programs, and Lisa Baker as Assistant Vice President, Operations.
The Flinn Foundation is an independent grant-making charity established by a Phoenix physician and his wife (Robert S. and Irene P. Flinn) in 1965. It is dedicated to improving the quality of life in Arizona principally by advancing the medical sciences. It fulfills this mission through its support of various scientific and educational programs and activities, including the Flinn Scholars program.