Chief Executive Officer
East Harlem Council for Human Services, Inc.
Boriken Neighborhood Health Center
1990-2019
Elizabeth (Ellie) Sanchez was born, raised and educated in New York City. She spent her
childhood and most of her professional life in East Harlem. Ellie has worked in the health care
field since 1970. In 1975, she began her career in East Harlem as Benefits Manager within
Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Human Resources Department. After six years, she was
promoted to Outpatient Supervisor, overseeing 78 clinics. Ellie moved to North General
Hospital as Manager of Outpatient Services in 1983, during the construction of the Hospital’s
new state-of-the-art facility.
In July 1990, Ellie accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer for the East Harlem Council
for Human Services, Inc. (Council), a large multi-service health and human services nonprofit
with services located throughout East Harlem, including: The Boriken Neighborhood Health
Center, Boriken School Health Program; WIC Program; Bilingual Head Start Program; Family
Day Care Network; and Senior Nutrition Program.
When Ellie arrived, the Council had amassed more than $4.7 million in debt (including payroll
taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service) and was providing minimal services. Thanks to her
efforts, hard work and dedication, today, the future of the Council and its member agencies is
bright. She was able to eliminate the outstanding debt, and many new services are being
provided, including comprehensive HIV-related services, prenatal care, additional Head Start
site, and other services. In 2000, the Council purchased an attractive vacant building on the
corner of 123 rd street and 3 rd avenue from the State. Ellie worked to obtain the capital needed for
its renovation as the new site of many of the Council’s services, including the new home of the
Boriken Neighborhood Health Center, which at the time was located withing Taino Towers. In
2014 this 38,000 square foot state of the art facility was opened and stands today serving over
12,500 patients per year with over 65,000 visits.
Ellie retired from her role as CEO in 2019 and left the organization with over $5M in reserves.