WASHINGTON, DC — Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is pleased to announce that Antony Chiang, Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, Garth Graham, and Brenda Sharpe have been elected to its board of directors. Their terms begin immediately after the GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy in March.
Antony Chiang is President of the Empire Health Foundation (EHF) in Spokane, Washington. EHF is the largest private foundation in the region, and works to create impact via sustainable systems change in health areas as diverse as obesity prevention, health care access, and adverse childhood experiences. Prior to working at the foundation, Mr. Chiang was an executive at a leading philanthropic service provider and served as chief executive of several social enterprise start-ups.
Jacqueline Martinez Garcel is Vice President of the New York State Health Foundation and plays a central role in developing program areas and identifying emerging opportunities. She leads two priority areas: Improving Health Care for People with Diabetes and Integrating Mental Health and Substance Use Services. Previously Ms. Martinez Garcel served as Program Director for the Northern Manhattan Community Voices Collaborative at Columbia University’s Center for Community Health Partnerships.
Garth Graham is President of the Aetna Foundation, responsible for its philanthropic work, including grantmaking strategies to improve the health of people from underserved communities and increase their access to high-quality health care. Dr. Graham previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he also led the Office of Minority Health.
Brenda Sharpe is President and CEO of the REACH Healthcare Foundation in Merriam, Kansas. Since 2004 she has led the organization to create access to quality health care for the poor and underserved. Prior to joining REACH as its first CEO, Ms. Sharpe served 10 years as President and CEO of Sunflower House, a children’s advocacy center.
Additionally, the GIH board elected new officers whose terms also begin after the annual conference. Robin Mockenhaupt of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will serve as Chair, and Wendy Wolf of the Maine Health Access Foundation will serve as Vice Chair. Chet Hewitt of the Sierra Health Foundation will serve as Treasurer, David Fukuzawa of The Kresge Foundation will serve as Secretary, and Peter Long of the Blue Shield of California Foundation will serve as Member-at-Large. Reappointed to second board terms are Jandel Allen-Davis of Kaiser Permanente Colorado and Anthony Iton of The California Endowment.
Fatima Angeles of The California Wellness Foundation, Bruce Chernof of The SCAN Foundation, and Len McNally of The New York Community Trust complete their final board terms in March.