Howard Brown Health names interim president and CEO

Howard Brown Health, the largest LGBTQ+ health center in the Midwest, has named Dr. Robin Gay as its new interim president and CEO.

Gay most recently served as the organization’s chief dental officer and takes over the top role from President and CEO David Munar, who plans to step down at the end of the month, Howard Brown Health said in a statement.

“Howard Brown has been a pillar of care for Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community for nearly 50 years,” Gay said. “As we continue to define sustainability, access to affirming, high-quality care, and our institutional culture, I will work closely with the Executive Leadership Team to focus on providing outstanding service for the patients that have entrusted us with their care.”

Gay launched oral health care services in 2017 when she became chief dental officer, improving access to full-service dental care in Englewood and expanded oral care to Lake View in 2023, the organization said.

She is also a current faculty member with the Department of Oral Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Dentistry.

Gay served in private group practice before joining Howard Brown. She received her doctor of dental medicine degree from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine and her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Over the past year Howard Brown and the union representing hundreds of its workers have been working on a new contract.

In November, about 200 Howard Brown workers walked off the job for two days; they were seeking better pay and working conditions.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Since Munar took charge at Howard Brown in 2014, the nonprofit health center has expanded from three locations serving about 8,000 patients to 10 locations caring for over 38,000 patients.

After Munar announced his departure this month, Howard Brown Health Workers United said in a post on Instagram that it hopes the new CEO “can now forge a new, more collaborative path” toward a contract.

Howard Brown’s board of directors has begun the early stages of a nationwide search for a permanent president and CEO, the organization said.