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Krieg Celebrates Decade at Horizon

(The Business Monthly) -- Following a national search, Horizon Foundation President & CEO Richard Krieg was recruited for his position in July 1998. The former Chicago Health Commissioner and Peace Corps volunteer recently talked about the Foundation, its accomplishments during his decade at the helm and the challenges that lie ahead.

Q: What was the state of the Foundation when you started?

I began work in '98, commuting back and forth from Chicago. We had a two-room rented office back then with a temporary worker and some unpaid bills. I remember using my own laptop because there wasn't an office computer. We were a mom-'n-pop shop - with $68 million in the bank.

Q: How much of that $68 million is left?

More than $82 million, and that's after subtracting out 10 years of operating costs and providing more than $25 million in community funding. Our Finance Committee has done an outstanding job working with a team of external advisers.

Q: What kind of organization is the Foundation?

We're very strategic and intentional in how we operate. We see ourselves as a catalyst for change and a player at ground level in the community. Funding is certainly a tool, but it may not be the most important piece of the strategy. Our agenda is based on planning, and the board is where the action is in shaping Foundation priorities.

Q: How do you relate to the board?

In addition to serving as president, I'm also a Foundation trustee. Our board is second to none in terms of its depth and how well it represents the community. With the election of Dr. Bob Sheff as chair several years back, we gained a highly experienced board leader who's also a leader in the health arena.


Q: What are some of the projects the Foundation has been involved in?

Our initiatives have been the backbone of our work. They reflect our strategic goals and represent a lot of planning with community partners. Some examples are the HorizonHelp.org information and referral system; the path-breaking Connections initiative, which now operates in more than half of the county's schools; and the Foundation's Aging-in-Place initiative.


Q: Does the Foundation usually have partners in these projects?

Nine years ago, we engaged the county government as a partner to launch the DELTA Project, which is a substance abuse initiative. Jim Robey, then county executive, convened 75 community leaders to forge an agenda, and we hired Drug Strategies from Washington, D.C., to facilitate the process. Among the recommendations was establishment of a drug court that's still operating. In the access to care area, we spent five years building the capacity of the Health Alliance, a free clinic. We then worked to stand up a new Federally Qualified Health Center and financed their office. When they began operation, the [Chase Brexton organization] clinic assumed responsibility for Health Alliance patients.


Q: How have you been active in emergency preparedness?

That's been an ongoing priority. Like all of our cornerstone efforts, we've worked with many committed people to move the agenda. Working with first responders, the nonprofit community, business groups and others, the Foundation assembled a new organization, the Community Emergency Response Network (CERN). CERN now has more than 70 organizational members.


Q: Do you consider that effort ambitious?

In truth, it reflects the drive and professionalism of our first responders. We work very closely with the county's first responder chiefs, and I can tell you that folks like Bill McMahon (police), Joe Herr (fire and rescue), Susan Rosenbaum (citizen services) and Peter Beilenson (health) are as good as it gets.


Q: Speaking of Dr. Beilenson, what's been the relationship with the health department?

In total, we've provided more than $1.8 million in funding to that department. But when Peter arrived, we ramped up the relationship. He transformed the agency from an inwardly focused organization to one that's engaging the entire community.


Q: Has the county executive played a role?

Ken Ulman is the type of hands-on administrator that I gravitate towards. The Healthy Howard Access to Care Plan correlated perfectly with steps we'd taken beforehand. We believe that the county's public health agenda is nationally significant.


Q: As the Access to Care program signifies, Howard County is a changing community. Has your funding kept up with this?

We have one of the fastest growing senior populations in the state and we've provided about $2.8 million for projects aimed at older adult health. We've invested about $540,000 on Hispanic health needs and $296,000 on specific issues involving the county's African-American population. We've also made grants of more than $105,000 for the Korean community's health concerns. The Foundation has also supported nonprofit organizations' response to change. We've made more than $4.5 million in capacity building grants to various organizations, and as they've pointed to challenges, we've responded with another $10.5 million.


Q: Are the county's nonprofits a major Foundation focus?

Yes and the attention goes beyond grantmaking. We've entered into a strategic partnership with the Association of Community Services, which represents more than 100 nonprofits. The relationship now includes co-location, sharing our conference room and joint venturing a new Policy Analysis Center.


Q: What about the future? Where is the Foundation going?

The Foundation's vision is for Howard County to achieve the highest level of health and wellness possible for any community in the country.