Horizon Foundation Names New Leader

The Horizon Foundation on Monday announced the appointment of Nicolette "Nikki" Highsmith Vernick as the organization's president and chief executive officer, according to a statement from Horizon.

Horizon's mission is to improve the health and wellness of people living and working in Howard County.

The organization grants money to other organizations and manages its own programs, such as a new initiative to curb childhood obesity in Howard County, according to Board of Trustees chair Shirley Collier.

Highsmith Vernick is a nationally recognized expert on publicly financed health care, according to the statement. She succeeds founding President and CEO Richard M. Krieg, who retired after 13 years at the helm of the philanthropic organization.

Krieg, whose last day was Monday, told the Board of Trustess last February that he planned to retire this winter, giving members nearly a year to find a replacement, according to Collier.

The board sat down to a "blank slate" and built a list of the characteristics sought in the next leader, and what skills set would be required to to lead the organization going forward, Collier said.

Given Columbia's richly diverse population, Horizon's new president would need to be able to work with all citizens, according to the board chair.

"We wanted someone with a passion for diversity, someone who really embraces diversity," Collier said Wednesday. "And we found that person in Nikki — she has a history of proven success in bringing together diverse groups.

"We found that she rolled up her sleeves and reached out to some communities that were disenfranchised and she brought them to the table."

Horizon has been celebrating the accomplishments of Krieg for nearly a year, Collier said, and now looks forward to working with the "absolute best candidate" to surface from "an exhaustive national search," Collier said.

Highsmith Vernick is currently the senior vice president of programs at the Center for Health Care Strategies in New Jersey, which she joined in 1999.

At the New Jersey organization, Highsmith Vernick guided states and communities across the country to develop innovative solutions for improving health  care quality and reducing disparities in publicly-financed care, according to the statement.

During her tenure at the center, she oversaw programs for major health care philanthropies, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Texas with a bachelor's degree in history, Highsmith Vernick also holds a master's degree in public administration from American University.

The new Horizon leader and her family are moving from Pennsylvania to Ellicott City.

She will assume her new duties March 1.