With much excitement, we are proud to announce that Sonja Bjork, Partnership’s deputy CEO/chief operating officer, has been selected to become the third CEO in Partnership’s history. Bjork will replace Elizabeth Gibboney, who is set to retire on July 1, 2023, after serving eight years as CEO. The board made the announcement to Partnership staff on Wednesday, May 3.

Liz Gibboney: “I have enjoyed a fulfilling and personally meaningful 29-year career at Partnership. It has been an honor to serve as the organization’s leader, a job which has taught me so much about health and health care, leadership, resilience, and the healing power of humor. I am thrilled that Sonja will head our extremely strong and deep leadership in collaborating with our Board of Commissioners to position Partnership to flourish and experience continued success for many years.”

Prior to becoming CEO in July 2015, Liz served as deputy CEO and spent eight years as chief operating officer at Partnership. She started just prior to Partnership’s launch in 1994 and was integral in each of our five (soon to be sixth) expansions – from one county (Solano) in 1994 to the 14 served by Partnership today, and soon to be 24 counties in 2024.

Partnership Board Chair Alicia Hardy, CEO of OLE Health: “We are grateful for Liz’s vision and leadership to ensure our most vulnerable populations receive the care they need and deserve. It was clear that Sonja’s considerable history with Partnership, her operational experience, legal training, and leadership abilities made her an exceptional candidate.”

Sonja takes the helm as we are poised for our sixth geographic expansion (to 10 additional Northern California counties) in 2024, and our continued implementation of the state’s ambitious CalAIM transformation of the Medi-Cal program.

Sonja Bjork: “This is an exciting time to be engaged in health care, especially serving our communities most vulnerable populations. The state has dedicated more resources than ever before to support the Medi-Cal population; additionally, we have a heightened awareness of the social challenges that impact the health of our members. I am grateful to Liz for her leadership and guidance, and I look forward to continued collaboration with our board, staff, providers, and the community.” 

Sonja has worked at Partnership for nearly 19 years. She previously worked as an attorney representing youth in the child welfare system and advocated for low-income Solano County residents. Sonja received a juris doctorate from UC Berkeley School of Law. She has a bachelor of arts degree in sociology with a concentration in analysis and research from University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The Partnership board worked with Morgan Consulting, a national recruitment firm, for the CEO selection process.

Please join us in congratulating Sonja on her new role as CEO.