Leeba lessin biography children

Leeba was born on November 20, in Boyle Heights to her parents Joseph & Carol (Mangler) Lessin.

A longtime Westmont volunteer and donor, she served on the Westmont Board of Advisors and supported diversity scholarships and opportunities at the college. Westmont honored her as the Alumna of the Year. Beginning in when she started a health maintenance organization HMO in Santa Barbara, Leeba played a leading role in a managed care company.

After graduating from Westmont with a degree in history, she worked as associate executive director of the Santa Barbara Medical Society. Despite her lack of medical experience, Leeba agreed, and she became president of Freedom Plan in The organization combined a health plan and a delivery system, but it struggled to compete, and PacifiCare bought the HMO in The physician group, renamed Monarch Health Systems, continued as a delivery system for PacifiCare, and Leeba headed the company until But when PacifiCare asked her to take a national position based in Orange County, she became vice president for provider delivery systems.

She traveled around the country helping management teams develop good relationships with physician groups. Meanwhile, she increased her involvement at Whittier Plymouth Congregational Church. PacifiCare subsequently offered her a position as president of Northern California operations in San Francisco. She accepted but returned to Los Angeles every weekend to stay active in her church.

Leeba Lessin ’79, who built a successful career in healthcare, died January 25, , at the age of 62 from leukemia.

During her four years with the organization, she created a highly regarded medical management and care model for chronically ill patients. She retired in and spent the last five years of her life in Whittier, her hometown, where she owned three restaurants and started the nonprofit ArtForms Whittier, an art school for youth. Paradoxically, Westmont was both a challenging and a safe place to think.