Ricardo Guzman has more than 45 years of experience working in health and human service programs targeting the southwest Detroit Hispanic community. He has graduate degrees from Wayne State University School of Social Work and The University of Michigan School of Public Health. From 1983-2016, Mr. Guzman served as Chief Executive Officer for the Community Health and Social Services Center (CHASS), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) organization in Detroit. The Center provides a full range of culturally competent primary health care and social services to the residents of Detroit with special emphasis on underserved African-American and Hispanic populations.  During his tenure as CEO, Mr. Guzman was successful in obtaining federal, state, and local governmental, as well as foundation grant funding to plan and implement several major community-level interventions addressing Diabetes, Intimate Partner Violence and Chronic Disease Care Services in Detroit. Mr. Guzman has testified before Congress in Washington DC as well as the Michigan Legislature. Through his involvement with the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center based at the U of M School of Public Health, Mr. Guzman serves as a leading advocate for Community-Based Participatory Research focused on community participation in the planning and implementation of health programs. Mr. Guzman’s publications include co-authoring articles in The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, Health Education and Behavior, Ethnicity & Disease and the American Journal of Public Health.  Mr. Guzman is a present/past member in several local and national organizations including the National Association of Community Health Centers in Washington DC, where he served as Chair of the Board of Directors from 2014-2016, the Michigan Primary Care Association, National Association of Social Workers and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. He has received numerous awards including the National Hispanic Health Leadership Award in Washington, DC. from the Alliance for Hispanic Health, the Michigan Chapter of the National Association Of Social Workers-Social Worker of the Year; the Zenobia Payne-Drake Humanitarian Award from the Detroit Black Family Development Inc. In May 2012 Mr. Guzman completed the development and construction of a new 17 million dollar, 48,000sq. Ft. award winning health and wellness center to serve the residents in Southwest Detroit.

Mr. Guzman currently serves as CEO Emeritus of CHASS Center.