The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) announced the election of Melvin Lindsey and Louie Nguyen to its board of directors. Lindsey, who lives in Los Angeles, is the founder and managing partner of Nile Capital Group, LLC, a private equity firm that provides capital and services to innovative, diverse, and emerging asset management firms. Nguyen, who lives in San Diego, is chief investment officer for Mission Driven Finance, an impact investment firm that ensures community-oriented businesses have access to sufficient, affordable capital.

“We are honored to have both Mel and Louie joining the CHCF board,” said Carolina Reyes, MD, chair of the CHCF board of directors. “Both bring extraordinary experience — professionally and personally — working to make systems more equitable and more connected to the communities they serve.”

Building a More Equitable Marketplace

Melvin Lindsey, CFA, comes to CHCF having spent most of his career in finance with a focus on bringing emerging talent and greater diversity to the sector. He started Nile Capital Group in 2014 to give women, small firms, and minority-owned businesses the opportunity to participate in the field of asset management.

Prior to founding Nile, he was director of Institutional Investments North America at Investec Asset Management. Before that, he held executive management committee and senior vice president positions at Julius Baer Investment Management. He also worked at leading investment firms including Wells Capital Management and Shearson Lehman Brothers. He earned his MBA in finance from the Anderson School at the University of California Los Angeles.

“What excites me most about working with Mel is his deep desire to make markets and systems work for people who are traditionally overlooked,” said Sandra R. Hernández, MD, CHCF’s president and CEO. “He also brings tremendously valuable experience working to remove barriers to opportunity at the community level in LA.”

Lindsey has always made a point of giving back to his community, especially in his hometown of Los Angeles. He has served on the boards of the California Community Foundation, Toigo Foundation, South-Central Scholar Fund, and the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. He is currently on the board of trustees of Saint John’s Health Center Foundation, UCLA Foundation, and board of advisors at the UCLA Anderson Business School.

“I have seen what happens when people are denied access to high-quality medical care and other basic needs because of their race or income,” said Lindsey. “I am deeply inspired by the work that CHCF does and excited to be part of an organization that is doing so much to make health care in California more just.”

Impact Investor for Social Determinants of Health
Louie Nguyen, CFA, is a social impact investor who mobilizes capital and human resources to make access to education, health, and wealth more inclusive and equitable. In his role at Mission Driven Finance, he identifies entrepreneurs and innovators who are focused on solving community pain points and helps them to obtain financing and investment capital.

Before joining Mission Driven Finance, Nguyen founded Soledad Investment Management in 2008, focusing on global investments. Earlier in his career, he worked directly with company founder Charles Brandes as an institutional portfolio manager for North American and Asian institutional clients at Brandes Investment Partners. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and an international MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. He was also a Mombusho Scholar at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan.

“Louie brings a ‘whole person’ lens that will serve us well as we look to make stronger connections between health care and other community supports,” said Hernández. “He also offers our board an important geographic perspective from his many years nurturing social innovation and community well-being in his hometown of San Diego.”

In 2021, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria appointed Nguyen to serve on the board of directors and investment committee for the San Diego City Employees’ Retirement System. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Jacobs Center of Neighborhood Innovation, working alongside the Jacobs family on its mission of innovative community empowerment.

“Growing up health insecure, I strongly believe health is fundamental to reaching a person’s fullest potential,” said Nguyen. “I am honored to join the CHCF board and to help build on its great track record for fostering innovation and improvement throughout California’s health safety net.”

Photos: Karen Santos

About the California Health Care Foundation