Sylvia Drew Ivie
*Sylvia Drew Ivie was born on this date in 1944. She is a Black Mental Health Advocate, Lawyer, and activist.
From Washington, DC. She is the youngest daughter of Dr. Charles Richard Drew and Minnie Lenora Robbins Drew. She has two sisters and a younger brother. She graduated from the Oakwood School in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. From there, Drew gained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History at Vassar College and obtained her Jurist Doctorate from Howard University School of Law.
After leaving Howard, she began working at the Citizen Advocacy Ctr. in Washington D.C., the Native American Legal Defense Fund, and was Assistant Counsel to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund from 1969 to 1974. In 1974, she married Artie Ivie, and the couple had two children, Leslie and Drew. She became executive director of the National Health Law Program and director of the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Drew Ivie is the former Senior Deputy for Human Services for Mark Ridley-Thomas of the LA County Board of Supervisors, 2nd District. Before this, she was a consultant to the California Endowment, Disparities in Health in South LA, on the faculty of the Community Health Leadership Training Program, and was the Chief Executive Director of the T.H.E. (To Help Everyone) Clinic, Inc. T.H.E. Clinic is a primary health care clinic serving largely minority and immigrant women and children in South Central and Southwest Los Angeles, California.
Her last position was as Mental Health Deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. Drew Ivie was also formerly Senior Deputy for Human Services for Mark Ridley-Thomas of the LA County Board of Supervisors, 2nd District. Her professional career includes serving as Executive Liaison to Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families at the LA County Board of Supervisors.
Her interest is to progressively influence educational areas like family consumer service (FCDS). Drew Ivie was also the Founder and Project Director of the South Los Angeles Community Kitchen, which taught healthy cooking skills to youth, seniors, and patients with chronic diseases. Before this, she was a consultant to The California Endowment, Disparities in Health in South LA, on the faculty of the Community Health Leadership Training Program, and was the Chief Executive Officer for 16 years of the T.H.E. (To Help Everyone) Clinic, Inc. T.H.E. Clinic is a primary health care clinic serving minority and immigrant women and children in South Central and Southwest Los Angeles, California largely.
She is the recipient of many awards, including the 1993 United Way’s Agency Excellence Award for the Most Innovative Approach to Service Delivery, the 1994 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation’s Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights, the 1995 Center for Women’s Policy Studies’ Wise Women Award, and the 2002 California Black Caucus’s Community Asset Award. Drew Ivie is the Executive Liaison to Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families at the LA County Board of Supervisors. The Commission is dedicated to a vision of a child welfare system where family, community, and a county continuum of care work seamlessly together for the benefit of children and youth.
Drew Ivie is also the Founder and Project Director of the South Los Angeles Community Kitchen, which teaches healthy cooking skills to youth, seniors, and patients with chronic diseases. Drew-Ivie is a member of the Advisory Committee to RAND Corporation, a member of the Board of Directors for the Angell Foundation, and serves on the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Ms. Drew Ivie is a recipient of many awards, including the 1993 United Way’s Agency Excellence Award for the Most Innovative Approach to Service Delivery, the 1994 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation’s Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights, the 1995 Center for Women’s Policy Studies’ Wise Women Award, and the 2002 California Black Caucus’s Community Asset Award.
In 2016 Sylvia Drew Ivie, JD, accepted the position of Special Assistant to the President of Charles Drew University of Medicine and Research. She will serve as an advisor on community relations/affairs. In her role, she will work with health centers, community-based organizations, and community coalitions to develop and implement programs that promote the University and its strategic plan. In addition, she will assist with establishing and promoting positive external relationships with various community-based organizations, individuals, and businesses that support the University’s strategic outreach efforts.
