A Commitment to Relationship Building
Koren Iskra brings 30 years of experience in the healthcare and social service industries to FriendshipWorks. Most recently she was Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Community Relationships at UnitedHealth Group, supporting patients who are dual-eligible (eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid). She specializes in government healthcare policy, financing, strategy, and program development. With a focus on operations, she has had proven impact on stakeholder experience through analytics, relationship building, process improvement, and innovation.
She first learned of FriendshipWorks through an invitation to the 30th anniversary gala. She met with the executive director and board chair and has been involved with the organization for the last 10 years.
She was drawn to the cause, especially the creation of social connections. “It’s been well proven that feelings of loneliness and isolation are associated with poorer health outcomes. There is incredible value in meaningful relationships,” she said. “I believe that we each have the responsibility to try to help others live a self-defined and fulfilling life.”
As a board member, Koren has made valuable contributions to strategy development, program evaluation and design, the hiring committee, and development. She says, “It has been gratifying to see FriendshipWorks expand to new communities and continue to increase the number of people it serves.”
A resident of Greater Boston for more than 20 years, she enjoys spending time with her two kids in high school, as well as traveling, learning, gardening, art, or anything outdoors.
Koren says, “As the conversations about social isolation become more mainstream, I’m eager to think of ways FriendshipWorks can evolve its programs to make an even greater impact. A piece of this is likely partnerships with like-minded organizations that are doing incredible work.”
