Ventura County Medi-Cal plan seeks chief diversity officer, again

Oct. 02--The man hired to serve as chief diversity officer for the Gold Coast Health Plan in a search process that took more than a year resigned after five months on the job.

Announced in March, Douglas C. Freeman's hiring filled a position mandated in an ordinance passed in 2015 by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. The ordinance was triggered by allegations involving the health plan's workplace environment, including allegedly racist posters displayed at Gold Coast's main offices.

The chief diversity officer position was designed as a cornerstone of the health plan's diversity program that also includes a complaint hotline.

Gold Coast is a publicly funded agency that administers Medi-Cal health insurance to more than 200,000 low-income Ventura County residents.

Freeman, hired on an annual salary of $184,239, left the plan voluntarily in early September, according to a report presented last week to the Ventura County Medi-Cal Managed Care Commission that governs Gold Coast.

"Mr. Freeman left to pursue other opportunities," confirmed Scott Campbell, a lawyer for Gold Coast, in an email. He said there was no severance or separation pay.

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* Medi-Cal plan hires chief diversity officer

Freeman did not immediately respond to messages by phone or email.

Shawn Atin, commissioner and former chair of a subcommittee involved in efforts to find a chief diversity officer, said a pool of candidates is being contacted in an effort to find an interim chief diversity officer.

Once a person is hired, the commission "will evaluate next steps," Atin said in response to a question about whether the interim leader would fill the position permanently.

Campbell said Joseph Ortiz, Gold Coast's diversity lawyer, will temporarily take on chief diversity officer duties until a hire is made. Campbell said he expects to update the commission on the search at an Oct. 23 meeting.

The search that ended with Freeman's hire involved other twists, including a finalist who rejected the position. Atin, who works as human resources director for Ventura County, expressed confidence a talented leader would be found but noted hiring top-quality executives is difficult.

"I'm disappointed that we're back again looking for another chief diversity officer," Atin said, emphasizing the need to fill the position.

"I think every organization of significance should have some kind of initiative regarding diversity and inclusion," he said.

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