Leah Suarez

In 1990 I began my career in state government with the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, later moving to the Department of Revenue and then back to the Department of Children and Families. In 2002 I obtained employment in children's mental health and later moved to Florida Community Health Centers, Inc (FCHC), a federally qualified health center. In 2007, I developed the Health Benefits Navigator Program, which has been recognized as a model program for assisting patients with outreach and enrollment in public health programs as well as other needed social services. Then in 2013, as Director of Special Services, I developed the Care Coordination program at FCHC, to assist patients who are more chronically ill receive a more intensive level of services to be referred to specialty care and receive education about their health conditions, in an effort to improve their overall health. In late 2013, I joined the Health Council of Southeast Florida as the Director of Programs, assisting with the oversight of the ACA Navigator Project, Florida KidCare Regional Navigator Project, Ryan White Specialty Medical and CARE Council support programs, and Navigate PBC.

In May of 2015 I simultaneously opened Our Village Okeechobee and Innovative Nonprofit Consultants. Since that date, I have helped to start other nonprofit organizations - The Band Boosters of Okeechobee, InTown Home Health, Chaser's Foundation, and Thank You for Your Service.

In 2016, I joined the Okeechobee County School District (classroom teacher/ Children's Mental Health System of Care Site Coordinator) and have been pulling triple duty. June 15th, 2020 I will be full time consulting and operating Our Village.

Since June of 2020, I have been at Our Village continuing to grow our mission of giving a hand up, not a hand out, and providing comprehensive services to anyone who needs them. We have grown from all volunteers to a staff of nine!

In August of 2022, I started the nonprofit, Nuestro Pueblo Servicios de Inmigración, to begin assisting immigrants with the necessary paperwork to provide low-cost services for people trying to obtain legal status in the US.