Hilda Shirk

Hilda Shirk, Ph.D. retired from a career of service and leadership within nonprofit organizations, most recently as the President & CEO of Lancaster Health Center, a federally qualified health center delivering comprehensive primary care and dental services to 22,000 residents in Lancaster. She currently serves as a consultant to the Lancaster Chamber and Economic Development Company, leading a team of professionals providing expertise and resources to mitigate the public health impact of covid-19 on businesses.

Dr. Shirk lives with her husband Dr. Wes Farmer in Lancaster City and is a Lancaster County native. She began her professional career in the southeast section of Lancaster City, where her fluency in Spanish took her into the homes of city residents and brought her face-to-face with the realities of poverty and limited resources. Over the years, she has worked with a range of nonprofit organizations, including leading a coalition to address local public health needs in Lancaster, serving as the CEO of a behavioral health and child welfare agency in York, and managing a national self-funded health plan.

She has served on the boards of numerous local, state, and national nonprofit organizations, and currently is a member of the Landis Communities board in addition to the WellSpan system board. She received her B.A. in Spanish from Goshen College, Master’s in Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and Ph.D. in Business Administration from Northcentral University.