Michelle Linares Joins SVL Advisory Board

May 13, 2024

We are excited to share and welcome Michelle Linares to our SVL Advisory Board. Join us in welcoming her!

Michelle Linares is the Director of National Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity at Kaiser Permanente with 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She leads and manages national level strategic projects and consultations to improve workplace fairness, empowerment, and belonging to deliver value-based care. Additionally, Michelle leads the Business Resource Group (BRG) program strategy, activating thousands of employees and clinicians to serve as cultural influencers and multipliers across all Kaiser Permanente markets. Michelle's combined experience in the healthcare industry includes serving as a bilingual health educator, program manager, and implementing various strategic initiatives in health promotion, digital health, quality improvement, culturally responsive care, and workforce development. She is enthusiastic about empowering people and redesigning systems to achieve best health outcomes for all.

Notable Impacts

Co-led a transformative effort to enhance digital health literacy for monolingual and bilingual Spanish speaking population. Her innovative and strategic approaches involved re-engineering patient resources, launch a bilingual text campaign, interactive training for physicians and staff, and improving the exam room experience through educational videos.
Played a critical role in Kaiser Permanente’s COVID-19 response. Her contributions led to the development of the COVID-19 Social Health Playbook and an internal Equitable Care Toolkit, ensuring that healthcare services remained accessible and fair during the pandemic.
Spearheaded a comprehensive transformation of Kaiser Permanente’s Business Resource Group (BRG) program. Her strategic initiatives optimized and integrated cultural advisors into business leadership functions, empowering the next generation of inclusive leaders within the organization.
Founded Latinos in Healthcare Giving Circle, a philanthropy network within the Latino Community Foundation, awarding over $80,000 in grants to Latino led nonprofit organizations advancing workforce representation in healthcare and addressing healthcare disparities.

Michelle holds an undergraduate degree in health sciences with a minor in Spanish from San José State University. Additionally, she earned a master’s in business administration from National University. Her dedication to promoting a learning culture has not gone unnoticed—she received Kaiser Permanente’s 2024 Apple Award for Best Learning Culture Influencer due to her impact in leading the BRG program. Furthermore, she was recognized as a Rising Star by Latino Leaders Magazine in 2023 and received Silicon Valley Latino’s Creo En Ti Champion award in 2019 for her outstanding contributions at Kaiser Permanente.

As a first-generation Salvadorian American, college graduate, and healthcare professional, Michelle has been committed to improve healthcare outcomes and workforce representation through stretch leadership roles as a business resource group leader for the Latinx@KP BRG (2016-2020), and now a board of director to the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives (NALHE).

Michelle is excited to serve as an advisor to the Silicon Valley Latino Familia. She believes in Silicon Valley Latino’s mission and is dedicated to using her personal and professional experience to catapult the celebration of our collective heritage and impact as successful leaders and heroes.