STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The board of directors of Northwest Colorado Health, headquartered in Steamboat Springs, announced Thursday hat it has promoted from within and selected Stephanie Einfeld to be the agency's new chief executive officer, replacing Lisa Brown who has served in that role for seven years and is moving to Denver.

Einfeld came to Northwest Colorado Health  as its revenue cycle manager and quickly moved up to join its leadership team as director of performance improvement. She said her new role will require her to become more of a public person.

"My role with the agency has been very much internal, working with different teams to maximize how effective we are working with patients," she said. "In my new role, I'll be taking that to the next level and building connections, being much more visible and listening to what's needed in the community."

Northwest Colorado Health offers a variety of services in Routt, Moffat, Jackson and Grand counties.

Laurie Good, president of the Northwest Colorado Health board of directors, said Einfeld is highly competent with the systems that make the public health organization effective in delivering health care and also has the right personality for the public side of the job, describing her as being very professional but also very personable and easy to connect with.

"She understands the nuances of the organization," Good said. "With nonprofits, it's very important to have the financial acumen she has and be able to understand the tradeoffs you have to make to provide those services. She's on the forefront of the regulations and legislation (that have implications for public health agencies) and where they are going."

Einfeld earned a bachelor's degree in statistical mathematics from Colorado State University in 2004. In 2010, she received a professional certification in lean healthcare management — simplifying the healthcare process for patients — from the University of Michigan, and in 2011, a master's of business administration degree from Regis University.

Einfeld said addressing "health inequities" in the community is increasingly important.

"That's really our goal to fill those gaps," she said. "I think we're really trying to build those channels and make connections to reach people who can use our services. We need to build unity amongst our community, that's going to be a pillar for us going forward."

To reach Tom Ross, call 970-871-4205, email tross@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @ThomasSRoss1.