The inaugural award recognizes Dr. Bruton’s strength and impact in the community. 

SILVER SPRING, MD, SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 – Dr. Sonya Bruton, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of CCI Health Services, has been awarded the inaugural Dr. Sheila C. Johnson Game Changer Award from the WNBA Washington Mystics.  

“I am humbled and deeply honored to be the first person to receive the Dr. Sheila C. Johnson Game Changer Award from the Mystics,” said Dr. Bruton. “Dr. Johnson has a legacy of modeling what right looks like.  She has done it in television, self-care, healthcare and the arts.  Her business strategies and community contributions have populated my playbook, so her recognition adds fuel to my commitment to advance health equity.” 

The Washington Mystics are recognizing women who have blazed trails in their community through their Legacy campaign, dedicated to strong women who have always made the unthinkable possible, showing us that dreams that become reality require bravery.  

The Dr. Sheila C. Johnson Game Changer is named after Dr. Sheila Johnson, Vice Chairman of Monumental Sports, and the only African American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams: the Washington Mystics, Washington Wizards, and Washington Capitals. She is also the Founder & CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, a company that operates luxury resorts around the world. In 2016, she spearheaded the formation of WE Capital, a venture capital consortium to support and invest in female-led enterprises with a goal of promoting social impact while generating financial returns. 

Read more about the award: Sheila C. Johnson Game Changer Award Winner – Washington Mystics (wnba.com) 

Dr. Sonya Bruton 

For nearly 30 years, Dr. Bruton has served in leadership positions with community health centers working to increase access and improve health outcomes among underserved populations. She maintains a successful track record in philanthropy, strategic innovation, and community economic development and is a former adjunct professor in graduate-level nonprofit management. 

She is also an executive coach and mentor with a two-decade-strong record of empowering emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector. Her expertise is in identifying and activating the drivers that transform people, ideas, initiatives, and organizations to the next level. 

Dr. Bruton sits on numerous boards, advisory councils, and governor-appointed task forces, including the Priority Partners MCO Board of Directors, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) Board of Directors and Innovation Advisory Council, the Maryland Association of Community Health Centers, and the Montgomery County Workforce Development Board of Directors. 

She holds a Doctorate of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, an M.A. in Public Administration from NC State University, and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was named the 2022 NACHC John A. Gilbert awardee, a 2022 Women Making History (Herstory) awardee, and a 2021 Health Care Hero by the Daily Record. 

In February 2023, Dr. Bruton published her first book, Finding Your Way: Your Portable Mentor for Avoiding Pitfalls and Seizing Opportunities. Learn more about Dr. Bruton and her new book in her interview with the Principal Post. 

About CCI Health Services: Founded in 1972, CCI is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides quality and affordable health care to patients in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. In addition, CCI empowers historically underserved populations with resources and advocates for a more equitable health care system.