Brooks Bell
CDC Foundation
Brooks Bell, Founder and Executive Chairman of Brooks Bell, Inc., has been elected to a five-year term on the board of directors of the CDC Foundation. In this role, Ms. Bell will join other board members to provide guidance and oversight to the CDC Foundation, which is the independent nonprofit created by Congress to mobilize philanthropic and private-sector resources to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) critical health protection work.
Brooks Bell, Inc., the company Ms. Bell founded, is a technology-enabled agency focused exclusively on solving complex business problems through experimentation for enterprise brands where Ms. Bell drives the vision and core values at the organization. She is a recognized thought leader in analytics and entrepreneurship, and she has been featured in publications including Inc. Magazine, Forbes, Washington Post, and Techonomy.
In addition to her business role, Ms. Bell is dedicated to educating the public about young-onset colon cancer and elevating the conversation about colonoscopies. Ms. Bell was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer at the age of 38. Through her experience, Ms. Bell realized that colon cancer is more common and deadlier than many people realize, but is rarely discussed due to stigma. So, she started an advocacy campaign, 50 Colonoscopies Under 50, which seeks to celebrate young people who publicly share their colonoscopy experiences, helping to destigmatize the screening process.
As an entrepreneur and health advocate, Ms. Bell is active on several boards of directors including serving as a board member for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, Raleigh Founded, and the Research Triangle Foundation. In addition, she is a member of the board of advisors for the Duke Raleigh Hospital. Previously, she served as the president of the Raleigh-Durham Entrepreneurs Organization chapter, as a board member of the Digital Analytics Association, Freedom United, and the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.
Contact: Amy Tolchinsky at 404.523.3486.
Teressa Miller
Kansas Health Foundation
Teresa Miller has been named President and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation (KHF), a statewide philanthropy based in Wichita, Kansas. Her appointment is effective on or before June 1. Ms. Miller currently serves as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
A native of Oregon, Ms. Miller has served as Secretary of Human Services for Pennsylvania since 2017, working to increase access to important physical and behavioral health services through Medicaid, improving food access by simplifying Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program requirements, expanding child care and pre-K programs, and enhancing community health care quality. She leads the largest state agency, with approximately 16,000 staff and a total budget of over $45 billion.
Before becoming secretary of Human Services, Ms. Miller served as Pennsylvania insurance commissioner, held leadership roles in the federal government’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and was administrator of the insurance division at the State of Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services. Currently, Ms. Miller is serving on the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Health Advisers, providing feedback on federal policies and legislation that affect health care consumers.
The Kansas Health Foundation conducted a nationwide search following the death of CEO Reginald L. Robinson in September 2020.
Contact: Kristi Zukovich at 316.491.8419 or kzukovich@khf.org.
Dr. Dwayne Proctor
Missouri Foundation for Health
Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) announced Dr. Dwayne Proctor as its new President and CEO, effective May 3, 2021. Dr. Proctor, a well-respected philanthropic leader, comes to MFH from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in New Jersey, where he held the position of Senior Adviser to the President. Positioned for the next phase in its evolution, MFH is pleased to welcome Dr. Proctor during a time when the role of philanthropy is expanding and shifting and is looking forward to his leadership advancing the foundation into even greater impact.
Dr. Proctor will work closely with MFH Board and Community Advisory Council members on foundation governance responsibilities, while leading an executive team of experts in health policy, learning and research, strategic communications, program administration, and strategic initiatives. His vision to achieve health equity in 10 years aligns well with MFH’s mission of eliminating the underlying causes of health inequities, transforming systems, and enabling individuals and communities to thrive. Dr. Proctor’s understanding of the value of building and relying on partnerships – both local and national – to generate positive changes in health will help MFH accomplish its goal of contributing toward an enabling environment for improving health equity in the state.
During his nearly 20 years in philanthropy, Dr. Proctor has always worked to ensure various communities were healthy and thriving. He arrived at RWJF in 2002 as a Senior Communications and Program Officer, providing strategic guidance and resources for several child health and risk-prevention initiatives such as Nurse-Family Partnership, Free to Grow, Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol-Free, Partnership for a Drug-Free America, and the National Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy.
In 2005, Dr. Proctor was tapped to lead RWJF’s national strategies to reverse the rise in childhood obesity rates. In this role, he worked with his colleagues to promote effective changes to public policies and industry practices; test and demonstrate innovative community and school-based environmental changes; and use both “grassroots” and “treetops” advocacy approaches to educate leaders on their roles in preventing childhood obesity. His work at RWJF has been varied and extensive, preparing him for his new role as a Missouri changemaker.
Before RWJF, Dr. Proctor was an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine where he taught courses on health communication and marketing to multicultural populations. During his Fulbright Fellowship in Senegal, West Africa, his research team investigated how HIV/AIDS prevention messages raised awareness of AIDS as a national health problem. He is the former Chairman of the board of directors for the Association of Black Foundation Executives and currently is the Chairman of the board of trustees for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Foundation.
To read more, click here.
Contact: Courtney Stewart at 314.339.3097 or cstewart@mffh.org.
Evie Shields and Vandana Ingle
Mat-Su Health Foundation
The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) welcomed Evie Shields to its team in the role of Assistant Controller. Ms. Shields is responsible for all day-to-day accounting operations including functional responsibility over accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll. With nearly 27 years in her field, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the foundation. Most recently she worked at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium where she spent more than 10 years as both the Accounting Manager and Operations Manager.
In addition, Vandana Ingle was promoted to Senior Program Officer. Ms. Ingle oversees the foundation’s Healthy Futures focus area, leading workforce development efforts to ensure that Mat-Su residents are served by a trained and qualified healthcare workforce. She also manages the foundation’s academic and vocational scholarship programs. Ms. Ingle was hired by the foundation in 2016 as a Program Associate and promoted to Program Officer in 2018. Prior to joining the MSHF team, she served as Director of Development and Communication at Frontline Mission.
Contact: Robin Minard at 907.250.6445 or rminard@healthymatsu.org.
Chris Wierzbowski
Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation
The newest addition to the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation’s staff, Chris Wierzbowski, is looking to use his skills and experience to serve the Pottstown, Pennsylvania area community. He joined the team in January as the foundation’s Grant Writer and has started by reviewing studies and reports while sitting in on listening sessions and presentations with local leaders.
Mr. Wierzbowski previously served as Director of Government Relations for Best Buddies International, a global organization devoted to creating opportunities for friendships, jobs, leadership development, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mr. Wierzbowski brings a wealth of experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.This experience combined with his long history of serving people with disabilities provides a unique perspective will help him as he works to make a difference for the Tri-County area.