Paul Leon, RN, BSN, PHN, FAAN
Board Member
Paul Leon is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of National Healthcare & Housing Advisors, LLC (NHHA) and co-Founder and Board Member of The Leon Institute. Throughout his career, Paul has led teams to create sustainable, systemic change to address the myriad issues facing vulnerable populations with the hope of one day ending the homelessness crisis.
Paul is revered as one of the early pioneers of Street Medicine and recuperative care in Orange County and Los Angeles. Paul’s decades of experience have culminated in his current endeavor with NHHA. NHHA was founded in 2021 to offer innovative solutions that address the needs of vulnerable populations through proprietary integrated systems of care, pilot program implementation, and advisory services.
Prior to NHHA, Paul served as the CEO and President of Illumination Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Southern California. In 2008, Paul founded Illumination Foundation with the mission to disrupt the cycle of homelessness. Paul led the team in pioneering its Recuperative Care/Medical Respite Program to manage the discharge of homeless patients from hospitals, making it the largest provider of recuperative care in the United States. Under Paul’s leadership, Illumination Foundation became one of the most successful nonprofits in Southern California.
In addition to leading the team at NHHA, Paul currently serves on several advisory committees including the UC Irvine School of Nursing and the Mental Health Association of Orange County. He conducts classes for leading institutions such as the USC School of Social Work, and UCI’s School of Medicine. He consults with CHOC’s Residency Program and the Kaiser Family Resident Program and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC). Recently, Paul has been named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (Academy), a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career in which their accomplishments are honored by their colleagues within and outside the profession. Paul has also been named a Senior Fellow of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, an initiative of the AARP Foundation, AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Paul’s innovative work has been recognized by the PIMCO Leadership Circle Award and the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. Most recently, Paul was named one of ten AARP Well-Being Champions to “recognize those championing change across America in the areas of health and well-being.” In 2019, Paul won the AARP Purpose Prize Award which honors “extraordinary people ages 50 and older who’ve dedicated their lives to serving others in creative and innovative ways.” Through NHHA, Paul will continue to lead his team to advise, research and publicize public health models in an effort to end homelessness. He remains a tireless champion for the ever-growing issues of poverty, homelessness, and healthcare.
