WASHINGTON, D.C., August 26, 2021—The National Human Services Assembly (National Assembly) welcomed over 50 national leaders in the health and human service sector to its virtual 2021 Annual Meeting on Monday, August 23, 2021. The event, featuring guest remarks from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, was hosted by National Assembly Board Chair Jeff Fleischer and new Executive Director Victor Valentine. Among the other featured guests were Darlyne Bailey (Social Justice Initiative at Bryn Mawr College), Monisha Kapila (ProInspire), John Maki (Alliance for Safety and Justice) and Ruth Sigei (PurchasingPoint®).

In his remarks, Secretary Becerra thanked the National Assembly and other sector leaders while addressing gaps in community-level services the pandemic has exposed. The Secretary called upon human service organizations to lead as both experts and nimble responders in positively influencing communities.

In his comments, Secretary Becerra said, “We obviously are not done… We saw through COVID where we need to go. The gaps in our system were fully exposed… In the richest, most dynamic country in the world, we still were not reaching everyone in America. That we still were leaving people behind.”

Other speakers provided remarks to outline National Assembly’s ongoing commitment to addressing these service gaps specifically by promoting racial-equity among human service leaders, best practices for youth justice and strengthening the sector via public policy and resource development.

Watch the full livestreamed meeting on YouTube.

About the National Human Services Assembly

National Human Services Assembly is a collection of national leaders in the health and human services sector that seeks to leverage its collective voice to promote sector-wide and systems-level strategies positively impacting the health and well-being of American communities.