GARY RINGER

Director of Community and Economic Development
Joy Southfield CDC

Gary serves his community as a Detroit Firefighter. That experience and exposure led to local and national recognition for his leadership in addressing environmental health disparities and environmental justice within neglected communities. As a Culture of Health Leader, with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, he collaborates with residents to advance health equity. Gary is currently the Director of Community and Economic Development at Joy Southfield CDC.

He recently partnered with the Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. (ABPsi) to assess mental health needs within the African American community regarding the effects of the pandemic. The ABPsi COVID-19 Needs Assessment Project was part of a national initiative sponsored by The Alliance of Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations (funded by the Congressional Tri-Caucus [Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, and Asian Caucus]). Early this year, Gary was selected by the National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW) as one of twelve leaders from across the country to represent community health workers (CHW) as National CHW Leaders in The NACHW Advance CHW Project, sponsored by Johnson and Johnson.