Today, Migrant Clinicians Network enthusiastically welcomed Kim M. Nolte, MPH, MCHES to our team as MCN’s Chief Executive Officer. Nolte brings to MCN extensive experience working at the global, national, state, and community levels focusing on changing systems, policies, and programs to improve the health and well-being of communities.

“Kim’s strong leadership experience and demonstrated commitment to health justice and equity are a perfect fit for MCN,” said Robert Shelly, MD, FAAP, Chair of MCN’s Board of Directors and a member of the CEO hiring committee. “I am confident that Kim will guide us to strengthen our work to achieve health equity for the most marginalized in our communities.”

“MCN is a strong, vibrant organization – it’s a jewel. I’m excited to see what the future holds for MCN under Kim’s leadership,” said Karen Mountain, MBA, MSN, RN, Founding Executive Officer.

“I am very excited to join the MCN team and follow in the footsteps of Karen Mountain. She and the team built an incredible organization, fighting for social justice and health equity for people during their most vulnerable times in life and providing training and resources to the clinics that serve them,” Nolte said. “Together, we will continue to innovate and expand MCN’s work to improve the health and well-being of migrants, immigrants, and asylum seekers.”

Nolte began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala working with Maya Indians. She saw firsthand how civil war, poverty, lack of education, chronic malnutrition, and limited access to health care adversely affected children, families, communities, and an entire country. It was that two-year experience that transformed her life and ignited her passion for social justice and public health.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Hispanic Language and Literature from Boston University and her Master of Public Health in International Health and Maternal Child Healthcare from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. 

Nolte has served as CEO of the state-level nonprofit, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential, founded by actor, philanthropist, and activist Jane Fonda. Nolte was the impetus and leader behind the first state-level collective impact initiative in the US to tackle teen pregnancy through policy and systems change resulting in Georgia’s teen birth rate decreasing by one-third in five years. She also has worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leading a national teen pregnancy prevention initiative. Lessons learned and successes from that initiative were the foundation for President Obama’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. 

Nolte is fluent in Spanish and has studied Latin, Italian, Portuguese, and Mam, a Maya Indian language. She has lived in Spain and Guatemala. Nolte continues to visit her Peace Corps village to spend time with the Maya families who profoundly influenced and forever changed her life.

Nolte’s first day ends an exhaustive multiyear process, aided by executive search firm Brakeley Search, to continue the legacy of Karen Mountain, MBA, MSN, RN, who joined MCN as its inaugural CEO in 1987. Mountain will continue with MCN as Founding Executive Officer in a transitional role before retiring later this year.

Stay tuned to MCN’s social media to learn about Nolte’s vision for MCN and to get to know her more.  MCN will host virtual Meet and Greets in the coming weeks, in English and Spanish. We will also be celebrating Mountain and her exceptional tenure as she approaches retirement. Be sure to follow MCN on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to stay up to date and celebrate these momentous occasions with us!