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To celebrate the life, legacy and service of Cheryl A. Boyce, the Executive Director Emeritus of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health and to extend our deepest condolences to her family on her passing; Tuesday August 25, 2020.
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WHEREAS, the members of Columbus City Council extend this resolution of expression to honor the life, legacy, and service of Mrs. Cheryl A. Boyce who passed-away on Tuesday, August 25, 2020; and
WHEREAS, Cheryl A. Boyce was born on June 17, 1949 to Mr. and Mrs. John and Alberta Bobbitt and raised in East St. Louis, Illinois - she was a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale - and received her master’s degree in Health Planning and Administration from the University of Cincinnati and was a 2004 ELPH Kellogg Fellow at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health at Chapel Hill; and
WHEREAS, Cheryl began her work in the health and human services field as the result of the premature death of her father - she served as the founding Executive Director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health which started in 1987 - the Commission focuses on improving the health status of African Americans, Latino/Hispanics, Asians and Native American Indians - Cheryl served as the Executive Director of the Commission for more than 24 years and helped 30+ states replicate this model - she was a pioneer in the Minority Health Month movement and organized the first celebration in Ohio in 1989; and
WHEREAS, Cheryl served as a member of the Board of Directors, for the Ohio Division of the American Cancer Society, the Anthem Foundation of Ohio, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, the Children's Defense Fund, Ohio, the President of the National Association of State Offices of Minority Health; the Coordinator of the Governor's Task Force on Black and Minority Health-Ohio, the Program Director and Associate Program Director for Advocacy and Protective Services, Inc. and she also had employment service with the Ohio Departments of Health, the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission; and
WHEREAS, Cheryl’s work included hours of committed service to a number of professional and civic organizations to include: the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Health Disparities, the American Public Health Association, the Commonwealth Fund National Advisory Panel for Reducing and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and the National Cancer Institute PRG for Health Disparities; and
WHEREAS, Cheryl earned numerous awards and recognition for her outstanding career in health and human services. She was awarded the YWCA Women of Achievement Award for Racial Justice; the 2009 Director's Award presented by the U S Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health; the 2009 Champion of Public Health Award presented by The Ohio State University College of Public Health; the ONI award presented by the International Black Women's Congress; the Health Hero Award presented by the University of Illinois Chicago, Midwest Latino Health Research, Training and Policy Center; the Outstanding Service Award presented by the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at the Great Lakes Regional Conference and the National Sojourner Truth Award presented by the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Incorporated; she was also an active member of St. Paul A.M.E. Church; and
WHEREAS, Cheryl leaves a legacy of leadership and service that this community will cherish and a void which will be missed - She is survived by her devoted husband, Russell Elliott Boyce; daughter, Ebony (Dedric) Carter, St. Louis, MO; three granddaughters, Azaria, Aniah, and Akenzia Carter; siblings, Charles (Anna) Bobbitt, Florissant, MO, and Mary E. Bobbitt, Lee Summit, MO; mother-in-Law, Dorothy Boyce, Yellow Springs, OH; sisters-in-law, Clarenda (Chris) Jordan, McKinney, TX,and Elaine Boyce, Beaver Creek, OH; and a host of nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, cousins relatives and friends; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby honor and celebrate the life, legacy and service of Cheryl A. Boyce, the Executive Director Emeritus of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health and extend our deepest condolences to her family on her passing; Tuesday August 25, 2020.