Hennepin Healthcare System has appointed Mohamed Omar as its first Somali Board of Directors chairman since the system began operating as Minneapolis City Hospital in 1887.
Mr. Omar is the chief administrative officer for the 141-year-old Minneapolis-based Washburn Center for Children, and was previously the controller and chief accountant at the Metropolitan Council.
Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS), is a public corporation established by state statute. That statue says HHS as a public corporation will operate “as a subsidiary of the county of Hennepin.” It is governed by a corporate board, of which two members are Hennepin County commissioners. It also oversees Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), and other county clinics in cities like Brooklyn Park and Golden Valley.
HCMC is the state’s largest and busiest Level 1 Trauma Center and also serves as a teaching hospital. Among the duties the Legislature has given it is that of operating the state’s poison control hotline. In addition to serving the general public’s healthcare needs, the specific statue that setup HHS says that the public includes “the indigent as defined by state and federal law and as determined by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners.”
An HHS board member’s term is three years and they are eligible to serve up to three successive three-year terms.
“Three years ago, I chose to serve on the Hennepin Healthcare board because I share this organization’s commitment to deliver high-quality, equitable care to all our patients,” Mohamed said in a statement. “We can do this by building a board and leadership team that reflects the diversity of our patients and our community. My commitment is to deepen our community engagement, build more authentic connections between patients and team members, and build a confident future together.”
Minnesota is home to the largest community of Somali immigrants in the United States, with a population of nearly 90,000 who trace their origins to the East African country, according to a Minnesota Compass analysis of 2021 U.S. Census Bureau data.
Omar said the fact that the state is home to the largest number of Somali Americans in the nation is what makes his new role a great honor.
Omar has been serving as interim chair of the board since September 14 after the previous chair, Babette Apland, stepped down after making racist comments about Somali immigrants during an August 8 closed door joint meeting with the Hennepin County Board and Hennepin Healthcare leaders.
The Hennepin County Board declared racism a public health crisis in 2020.
Prior to his short tenure as interim chair last month, Mohamed served on the HHS board’s finance, investment, audit and compliance committees, according to the news release announcing his ascension to permanent status.
A George Mason University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in accounting, Omar, upon graduation started his career as an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving on to Goldman Sachs in London, as well as Marriott International.
He has an MBA in finance and entrepreneurship and an MS in information systems, both from The Johns Hopkins University.
Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando made history of her own in 2023 when she became the first person of color to be chair of the County Board. In a statement congratulating Omar on his new role, Fernando said “As the first Hennepin County Board Chair of color, I know how impactful it is for our communities to see themselves represented in public leadership.”
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About Tom Gitaa Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the boards of New Vision Foundation and the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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