Elisa Orona has worked across multiple sectors, including non-profit healthcare, local government, and the arts, with a focus on community empowerment and collaboration. Since 2015, Elisa has lead HIP as its Executive Director. Elisa began her career in healthcare at a San Jose-based Federally Qualified Health Center where she managed clinic quality improvement, as well as a federally funded Patient Navigation Center. Prior to her jump to healthcare, Elisa worked on behalf of the City of San Jose to catalyze a struggling cultural center into a thriving multicultural arts education non-profit. Elisa holds a B.A. in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley and an M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Elisa’s masters concentration in Geographic Information Systems served her well in Peace Corps Guatemala, where she trained fellow volunteers and their Guatemalan counterparts in the creation and analysis of digital maps.

Elisa serves on the boards of FoodWhat?!, Ventures, Santa Cruz Health Information Organization, Housing Santa Cruz County and Dignity Health Dominican Hospital Community Board. In 2019, Elisa was appointed to the Santa Cruz County Workforce Development Board.