As the President and CEO of 2-1-1 San Diego, William York operates one the most successful 2-1-1 providers in the nation. With his diverse expertise and knowledge in business management, care coordination service, and funding models, coupled with his spirit of collaboration and partnership, William has successfully secured 94% the organization’s $11million budget in fee-for-service contracts and business partnerships.
Joining 2-1-1 in 2007, William dedicated his focus to developing strong teams of staff to manage the many operational hubs of 2-1-1 San Diego. Overseeing 130 staff, Bill guides and directs seven teams to meet the organization’s mission and goals, including the 2-1-1 contact center, the ACCESS center in partnership with the County of San Diego, Enrollment Services department, Courage to Call and Health Navigation centers, Quality Assurance department, Finance and Human Resources, Information Technology and Data, and Business and Partnership Development. Together, under William’s leadership and vision, these teams have built a state-of-the-art 2-1-1 Connections Center that has welcomed 10,000 visitors since opening its doors in February 2016, and provides a space for the community to gather to incubate ideas to improve service barriers with partners.
Committed to improving access to services for the active duty military, Veteran, and their families, William is a strong local and national advocate for this community. In 2011, he worked with the County of San Diego, Mental Health Systems, Veterans Village, and the San Diego Veterans Coalition to launch Courage to Call, the first program sustainably funded by the County of San Diego through Mental Health Service Act funding. Leveraging 2-1-1’s infrastructure and best practices, today Courage to Call is the region’s premier specialty program assisting military, Veterans, and their families by providing peer support, access to resources, training and care coordination. William led the efforts to gain national attention for this collaborative work; securing $2million in federal funds to improve transportation and access formation for Veterans and their families, and being a model of best practice of service delivery.
William is the Co-chair of the Governing Council for the Military Transition Support Project that oversees Zero8Hundred, a transition program for our military and Veteran community. He also served as the Chair of the San Diego Veterans Coalition, building a 140-member group to enhance the support of Veteran community, and remains a dedicated member of the board. Most recently, he is the region’s lead in launching Vets’ Community Connections, working with national funders and local supporters to create this community-based initiative that involves a greater number of individuals and companies contributing to Veteran reintegration efforts. He has been appointed to serve on the Truman National Security Project Advisory Board, is a board member of Full Access to Coordinated Transportation (FACT), and Operation Engage America. In 2015, William was recognized as the San Diego Veteran of the Year by California State Assemblymember Toni Atkins.