Executive Staff

WILLIAM YORK, Chief Operating Officer

As the Chief Operating Officer of 2-1-1 San Diego, Mr. York brings a wealth of knowledge and successful expertise in the field of program vision, design, implementation and evaluation. Mr. York joined 2-1-1 as a disaster volunteer during Firestorm 2007, helping 2-1-1 staff connect San Diegans to critical response and recovery information. In December following the disaster, he was brought on board as an Information & Referral Specialist (known today as a Client Service Representative). Mr. York was quickly promoted to Director of Programs, and today is 2-1-1’s Chief Operating Officer (COO).

In his first year serving as COO, Mr. York developed a strong team of staff and partners to successfully redesign and oversee the service delivery component of 2-1-1 San Diego. This includes the 2-1-1 Contact Center, 211SD/Access Contact Center, the Courage to Call Veterans Peer-to-Peer program, the Benefits & Enrollment Department comprising of six dedicated staff responsible for helping clients complete CalFresh and Medi-Cal applications over the phone, Health Navigation Program, Resource Center and the Quality Assurance & Training Departments. As a result more than 280,000 San Diegans have been able to connect to the critical help they need to build and sustain healthy lives.

Known for his collaborative style and exuberant ability to foresee community need, Mr. York has been invaluable and instrumental in building relationships and partnerships on a local, state and national level to collectively better serve the client and those entities that serve the community. Through 2-1-1 San Diego’s leadership participation on 211 California and 211 US, Mr. York is the key 2-1-1 staff person responsible for building and implementing the CalFresh Outreach Contract for 2-1-1, and 2-1-1s throughout California, providing not only critical access to thousands who need food assistance but also providing the financial platform for 2-1-1s’ sustainability. As a result Mr. York received the California statewide FRESHY award for his dedication and endless outreach efforts to increase awareness and use of this critical program.

Locally, Mr. York built from the ground up the seamless service design of the 2-1-1/ACCESS center in partnership with the County of San Diego ensuring that San Diego County residents are receiving the public benefits they are eligible for. In the past year, Mr. York has successfully restructured the Programs and Service Delivery Team in order to better meet 2-1-1’s mission, contract deliverables and standards, while building the infrastructure for future programs around issues impacting our community such as public benefits, military and veteran’s affairs and navigation of the current complex healthcare system.

Due to his extensive experience and community service expertise, Mr. York is a valued member of multiple boards, committees and task groups. Mr. York currently serves as the Co-Vice Chair as well as the Chair of the Access and Outreach Committee of the San Diego Veterans Coalition Board of Directors working with the 75-member group to enhance the support of veterans across the area. Mr. York is also a member of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) Board of Directors, working with the members, agencies and community to ensure that efficient support is being leant to San Diego County’s most vulnerable populations. In addition, Mr. York participates as an active member of the San Diego Food System Technical Advisory Committee and Working Group, the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) Disaster Response Team (DRT), Veterans and Families Regional Forum (Vet/Fam), the Veterans Employment Task Force and the San Diegans for Healthcare Coverage Coalition.

Mr. York has a degree in business from the University of Georgia. His past experience includes Management and Supervision of American Express Centurion Card Contact Center. He was also an active member of the US Army from 1983 to 1987 as a Specialist, serving in the 24th Combat Infantry Division in Fort Stewart, Georgia, and leaving with Honorable Discharge on January 24, 1987. During this time, Mr. York was awarded the Army and Joint Service Achievement Medal. He is a member of Vistage and the Metropolitan Community Church of Clairemont.
 

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