Better Health Partnership Appoints Aimee Budnik, PhD, RD/N, LD As Chief Operating Officer

Better Health Partnership is pleased to announce that Aimee H. Budnik, PhD, RD/N, LD, has been appointed as the organization’s next Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Budnik brings more than two decades of leadership experience in public health, community-based services, quality improvement, and health equity. She will officially join the organization on May 18, 2026.

"Aimee brings the exact combination of expertise and mission alignment that Better Health Partnership needs at this moment in our growth. Her deep experience leading HUB operations, managing complex community health programs, and driving quality improvement at scale makes her an exceptional fit for this role. We are fortunate to have someone of her caliber stepping into this position, and I look forward to building on the strong foundation our team and partners have established together," said Robert Eick, MD, MPH, President and CEO of Better Health Partnership.

Dr. Budnik joins Better Health Partnership with a distinguished career spanning public health systems, community action, higher education, and national quality improvement initiatives. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Community Service Programs at Community Action Akron Summit, where she oversaw community health and social service programs including Community Action Akron Summit’s Pathways Community HUB, Home Relief Rental and Utility Assistance, Home Energy Assistance Program, and Neighborhood Development. Her leadership spanned fiscal oversight, personnel management, compliance, Medicaid vendor risk assessments, contracting, and grant writing.

She previously served as HUB Director at Community Action Akron Summit, directing Pathways Community HUB operations to address infant mortality and chronic disease in Summit County. Her earlier roles include leadership and research positions at Summit County Public Health and Kent State University, where she contributed to statewide and national work on health department consolidation, maternal and child health, health equity, and community-based prevention.

Dr. Budnik is also the Founder of AHB Consulting, LLC, where she has supported national and regional quality improvement initiatives, providing expertise in data, evaluation, teaching, and coaching, with a focus on equity-driven solutions.

Dr. Budnik holds a PhD in Prevention Science from Kent State University, a Master of Science in Public Health Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut. She is also a Certified Improvement Advisor and Certified Improvement Coach through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

​​​"I have long admired Better Health Partnership's work and the collaborative model it represents — the belief that lasting improvements in health require bringing systems, data, and community together with purpose. I am honored to join this team and to contribute to work that I know, from experience, enables true partnership and makes a real difference in people's lives. I look forward to supporting our partners and helping drive BHP's mission forward,” said Aimee Budnik, PhD, RD/N, LD, incoming Chief Operating Officer of Better Health Partnership.

Her national leadership on health equity, community-based care models, and quality improvement is complemented by multiple publications focused on maternal health, public health systems, and community pathways models. Dr. Budnik joins Better Health Partnership as the organization continues to expand its reach and deepen its impact across Northeast Ohio.

About Better Health Partnership Founded in 2007, Better Health Partnership is a trusted convener and regional backbone, collaborating across Northeast Ohio to turn shared goals into coordinated action. Through data and evaluation, quality improvement, practical strategy, and implementation support, BHP partners with organizations to move from insight to execution in ways that improve health, address health-related social needs, and reduce disparities so everyone can thrive.

Media Contact:
Libbey Pelaia-Krumhansl
Project Coordinator
lpelaia@metrohealth.org