Zamawa Arenas, Dr. Kiame Mahaniah and Reena Singh
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation appointed two new members to its board of directors and also welcomed a new senior staff member of the grantmaking team. The new board members are Zamawa Arenas, Founder and CEO of marketing consultancy Flowetik, and Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, CEO of Lynn Community Health Center.
Ms. Arenas is a skillful marketing strategist and entrepreneur who guides public health and health care organizations to engage with stakeholders and consumers for greater impact. In leading Flowetik, she actively collaborates in the Greater Boston business and nonprofit communities, partnering with clients to advance equity and drive change in health care, education, and economic development. Her work has connected her with the Public Health Commission, Hunger to Health Collaboratory, Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, and RIZE Massachusetts.
Ms. Arenas is a five-time Emmy award winner who has been inducted into the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers and recognized as a “Hispanic on the Move” by a leading business publication. She is the recipient of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Pinnacle Award honoring women for their outstanding contributions in the workplace and to enhancing the region’s quality of life.
Dr. Mahaniah is an experienced family physician and health care leader. He has served as CEO of Lynn Community Health Center since 2017, rising from the role of Chief Medical Officer focused on quality care and the patient experience in the community health setting. He began his career as a staff physician at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, before becoming the Chief Medical Officer of North Shore Community Health.
Dr. Mahaniah draws inspiration from his childhood divided between the conflict-challenged African country of Congo and his education in Switzerland. He is passionate about ending health disparities and his clinical interests include teaching and integrating opioid addiction treatment into primary care. Among other honors, he was named the Massachusetts Academy of Family Medicine Physician of the Year in 2012-13.
Reena Singh recently joined the foundation as Senior Program Officer. Ms. Singh oversees grant programs designed to expand access to health care for racially, ethnically, economically, and socially marginalized communities in Massachusetts. In 2021, the foundation’s grantmaking activity totaled nearly $4 million and included the launch of the Racial Justice in Health program to support grassroots nonprofit community organizations led by people of color.
Prior to joining the foundation, Ms. Singh served as the Director of Campaign Planning and Communications at Voices for Healthy Kids, an initiative of the American Heart Association. She previously provided coaching and technical assistance while working for Community Catalyst, a national nonprofit advocacy organization based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Contact: Greg Turner at 617.243.9950 or greg@ballcg.com.
John Buckley, Jose Fernandez, Dr. Win Somboonsong, and Dr. William Taddonio
Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation
The Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation welcomed four new members to the board of directors last year, each of whom bring a wealth of experience and insight to the organization.
John Buckley served as President and CEO of Pottstown Healthcare Corporation from 1995 to 2003. In that role, he was responsible for what was then Pottstown Memorial Medical Center as well as a network of primary care practices. Mr. Buckley’s health care experience also includes administrative roles at Temple University Health System and Geisinger Health System. Noting his role in the origins of the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation when it was created from the sale of the hospital back in 2003, Mr. Buckley returns with an interest in seeing the foundation’s continued success as it enters its second decade of community grantmaking.
Jose Fernandez currently serves as Vice President, Operations at Savage Services . He brings a practical perspective with his experience in operations management and logistics. Now a resident of Reading, Pennsylvania, Mr. Fernandez grew up in Florida and worked at Savage Services locations across the country before coming to Savage’s Pottstown office in 2001. Mr. Fernandez is a founding member of the DEI effort at Savage Services.
Dr. Win Somboonsong comes to the board with decades of experience establishing and growing local businesses to the benefit of communities across the area. Dr. Somboonsong was born in Thailand and came to the United States to attend college. A structural engineer by training, Dr. Somboonsong served six years in the United States Navy, retiring as a lieutenant before establishing a successful chain of restaurants across Montgomery County, Pennsylvania including The Blue Elephant, located on Pottstown’s High Street. Dr. Somboonsong is optimistic about the prospects for Pottstown, and sees a bright future for a town with so many assets and areas for investment.
Dr. William Taddonio, a family medicine provider based at Douglassville’s Berks Family Care for over three decades, adds his experience in patient care to the foundation’s perspective. A testament to the care he has for his patients, Dr. Taddonio was named Family Physician of the Year in 2019 by Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians in Harrisburg. Dr. Taddonio has deep ties across the foundation’s service area, with experience as the Director of the Southeastern Veterans Center in Spring City, Pennsylvania and school physician in Pottsgrove School District.
Brian Byrd, MPA
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) welcomed Brian Byrd, MPA, as a new Senior Program Officer. Mr. Byrd brings nearly two decades of experience in health care and grantmaking. Before joining FORE, he managed the New York State Health Foundation’s Special Projects Fund, a $3 million grantmaking program that supports innovative projects addressing public health and community health needs. Before that, Mr. Byrd served as director for community partnerships for CARE, where he was responsible for building strategic partnerships with policymakers as well as business and nonprofit leaders. Mr. Byrd also served as Deputy Director for Membership Affairs at the Council on Foreign Relations; as Assistant Director with the Rockefeller Foundation, where he spearheaded an HIV/AIDS project in Southern Africa; and as Senior Government Relations Advisor for a law firm, where he worked on public health policies in New York.
In 2021, he was appointed to the Community Advisory Group (CAG) of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. CAG’s goal is to present views and perspectives on key economic and financial issues affecting individuals, households, and communities within the Second Federal Reserve District. He also serves on the board of directors for the New York Funders Alliance, a statewide association of foundations and philanthropic advisors. He is a member of the Overseas Press Club of America.
Jonathan Hook and David Gilmore
Weinberg Foundation
The Weinberg Foundation’s current CIO Jonathan Hook will retire effective August 31, 2022. He will be succeeded by David Gilmore, Deputy Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Gilmore will assume the role of Chief Investment Officer effective September 1, 2022.
Before joining the foundation nearly nine years ago, Mr. Hook served as Chief Investment Officer for two universities, Baylor University in Waco, Texas and The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. For each organization, Mr. Hook was the first Chief Investment Officer and established the investment office. Prior to moving to the institutional investment arena, Mr. Hook worked for 20 years in corporate and investment banking.
Since 2014, when Mr. Hook and Mr. Gilmore joined the foundation, total assets have grown from $2.1 billion and now exceed $3.3 billion—a nearly 60 percent increase. As a result, the foundation’s grantmaking has grown accordingly and substantially, and the foundation expects to award approximately $140 million in grants in 2022. The foundation has grown its investment in diverse managers to more than $500 million, and more than 30 percent of the foundation’s investment fund managers are led by either women or people of color.
Mr. Gilmore has served as Managing Director of Investments and, most recently, as Deputy Chief Investment Officer. Prior to joining the foundation, Mr. Gilmore worked with Mr. Hook, helping to create The Ohio State University investment office. Mr. Gilmore also was a partner at Gerber Taylor Capital Advisors, an independent investment advisory firm.
The work of the foundation’s investment team, based in both Baltimore and Hawaiʻi, is supported by four external investment advisors. The external advisers, together with Trustees Paula B. Pretlow and Nimrod Goor, comprise the foundation’s Investment Advisory Committee. Mr. Goor chairs the Investment Advisory Committee. The external advisors are Jonathan Havice, Founder, DGV Solutions; Denise Olsen, Senior Managing Director, GEM Realty Capital; Reginald G. Sanders, Director of Investments, Kellogg Foundation; and Sonali Wilson, Alternatives Director, Wellington Management Company.
To learn more about this transition, click here.
Contact: 410-654-8500.
Diane Kaplan
Rasmuson Foundation
President and CEO Diane Kaplan will end her 26-year tenure with Rasmuson Foundation in early 2023. The foundation board should identify a successor by the end of the year. Ms. Kaplan leaves an organization that bears little resemblance to the no-office, no-staff operation she joined in 1995 under the tutelage of bankers Elmer Rasmuson and son Ed. Elmer Rasmuson’s $400 million legacy gift in 2000 changed the foundation’s role in Alaska— and with it, Ms. Kaplan’s. Today, the foundation is one of the largest on the West Coast, with assets that have grown from $5 million when she began to an estimated $800 million today.
During her leadership as president and CEO, the foundation has become known for dependable support of projects that improve life in Alaska, donating $25 million to $30 million annually to nonprofits, tribes, local governments and individual artists. It is recognized nationally for innovations in health care, advocacy and the arts. Initiatives developed under Kaplan have changed Alaska in ways most people now take for granted:
- Click.Give.—allows Alaskans to earmark part of their PFD for charities of their choice.
- Dental Health Aide Therapist Program—supported training and development of the program that provides essential oral health care to individuals in communities without dentists. The program is spreading nationwide.
- Individual Artist Awards—created program to reward exceptional artists living and working in Alaska with grants ranging from $7,500 to $40,000.
- Homelessness Initiative—recruited other donors in a $40 million-effort to solve homelessness in Anchorage, Alaska.
- Alaska Coronavirus Nonprofit Relief Fund—spearheaded partnership between the State of Alaska and The Alaska Community Foundation to distribute $47 million in relief to nonprofits and hospitals.
- Local funds—supported creation of community foundations for local grantmaking in Fairbanks, Seward, Kodiak, Haines, Kenai, Ketchikan, Sitka, Alaska among others.
The list is endless: swimming pools, ice rinks, libraries, clinics, museums; from the Tanana Chiefs Conference health center in Fairbanks, Alaska to Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska. The foundation staff, now numbering 28, listens to locals, sizes up needs and figures out how to fix things.
One of Ms. Kaplan’s most important innovations is the foundation’s collaboration with large, national philanthropies. She developed a program that invites outside funders to visit Alaska and see first-hand the innovations and challenges. Grantmakers that have been on the foundation’s tour have invested more than $300 million in Alaska projects after attending, bringing needed capital. Grants from tour alumni have supported everything from sanitation improvements in rural communities to educational opportunities afforded through the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program.
Contact: Lisa Demer at 907.545.3555 or ldemer@rasmuson.org.
Lendri Purcell and John Jonas
Jonas Foundation
Jonas Philanthropies named Lendri Purcell and John Jonas as its Co-Presidents. Ms. Purcell and Mr. Jonas bring a legacy of advocating for education and health care funding for commonly overlooked groups and communities from their previous roles as Co-Vice Presidents of Jonas Philanthropies. Together they will bring their professional expertise and personal passions to lead and grow Jonas Philanthropies’ philanthropic portfolio to support a range of diverse initiatives that focus on the country’s most urgent health care needs.
Jonas Philanthropies’ philanthropic portfolio is designed to tackle the growing crisis in the nation’s health care system by focusing on nursing and veteran’s health, children’s environmental and climate health, and vision care, and to advocate for state and federal health policy improvements in these areas. Over the past 15 years under Ms. Purcell and Mr. Jonas’ leadership, Jonas Philanthropies’ Nursing and Veterans Healthcare initiative has invested more than $25 million in 1,400 nurse scholars in all 50 states and ensured that 50 percent of nurse scholars in its cohort were Black, Indigenous, or People of Color.
Ms. Purcell and Mr. Jonas took over from Donald Jonas, continuing the Jonas family’s philanthropic legacy of investing in new and innovative health care solutions rooted in equity and racial justice, and designed for scalable impact.
Ms. Purcell is the Founder of Families Advocating for Chemical and Toxics Safety and drives the work of the foundation’s Children’s Environmental Health program, tapping into her skills as a children’s rights advocate, community organizer, and seasoned funder. She also spearheaded and manages the new Trees for Climate Health Initiative. Prior to her work in environmental health, Ms. Purcell taught special education in Oakland California while creating several enrichment programs to address obstacles to student learning outside of the classroom, increase investments in East Bay youth, and to strengthen the youth development community. In addition, she spearheaded the Jonas Youth Development Initiative which provided over $5 million in funding and technical assistance to programs in the San Francisco East Bay for over 8,000 highly at-risk San Francisco East Bay youth. Ms. Purcell also established a youth advisory board reflective of the community to help recommend grants for this initiative.
Mr. Jonas is the Founder and CEO of The Jonas Group, a leading retained executive search firm that specializes in retail and wholesale fashion, and is the number-one search firm for the footwear industry. A prominent and active member of the Advisory Board of Jonas Philanthropies since its inception, Mr. Jonas has been a key player in the growth and development of the organization over the last 10 years and oversees the Jonas Vision Health initiatives. In addition, he is actively involved on the Board of Directors of Hands In For Youth / Vacamas Programs for Youth, a nonprofit camp for children from inner-city areas throughout the Greater New York and New Jersey areas.
Bob Ross
The California Endowment
Bob Ross will retire from his role as President and CEO of The California Endowment in the summer of 2024. The rationale for the two-year transition window is that as he approaches the 22-year mark as President and CEO, the time is right for fresh leadership and it gives the board of directors and staff ample opportunity to navigate the transition. In his remaining days, he will focus on finishing the job of Health for All in California, improving the diversity of the state’s health workforce; robustly investing in dedicated movement-building infrastructure and leadership support for organizers, advocates, activists who push the envelope for racial and health justice; and pushing further and harder on alternatives to incarceration: community-based services and supports and not jails.
Lindsey Spindle
Samueli Family Philanthropies
The Samueli Family Philanthropies’ board of directors has appointed a new President, Lindsey Spindle. With a career singularly motivated by achieving social impact, Ms. Spindle brings a depth and breadth of experience spanning philanthropy, business, nonprofits, impact investing, entertainment, brand management, government relations, and communications.
Ms. Spindle is currently the President of The Jeff Skoll Group, connecting and advising Mr. Skoll’s entrepreneurial portfolio of philanthropic and commercial organizations that include the impact entertainment company Participant, Capricorn Investment Group, and the Skoll Foundation. The Skoll Foundation’s mission is centered on social entrepreneurship and innovation, with a focus on five main, interrelated areas: climate change, inclusive economies, protection of democracy, pandemics prevention and health systems strengthening, and racial justice. Participant has produced more than 100 feature and documentary films that collectively have earned 85 Academy Award® nominations and 21 wins and have highlighted some of the most pressing issues of our time.
The common thread in Ms. Spindle’s career is her dedication to shaping organizations and campaigns that improve people’s lives, particularly women and children. She was the first Chief Communications and Brand Officer of Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit focused on ending childhood hunger in America through its groundbreaking No Kid Hungry campaign. Under her leadership, The No Kid Hungry campaign won PR Week’s prestigious Nonprofit Campaign of the Year in 2015, increased participation in federal meal programs by several million children year over year, and helped elevate childhood hunger to being a top 10 issue the public identified as “solvable.”
Before focusing on domestic hunger eradication, Ms. Spindle spent nearly 20 years in health care communications, policy, and government relations working for some of the nation’s most respected commercial and nonprofit organizations. These include Georgetown University, Brookings, Avalere Health, and Porter Novelli. Throughout her career, Ms. Spindle has shaped major national campaigns such as the groundbreaking ‘truth’ campaign that curbed youth smoking by 30 percent in one year; increased patient safety through reduced medical errors; and secured bipartisan Congressional funding for improving health care safety and quality. Ms. Spindle currently serves on the boards of directors for the Skoll Foundation, World Central Kitchen, and advises the Shoah Foundation.
Contact: info@samueli.org.
Elsa Tullos
RRF Foundation
Elsa Tullos has joined RRF Foundation as Communications Officer. Ms. Tullos has 20 years of communications management, nonprofit leadership, and public service accomplishments. She brings experience in content development, digital communications, and media relations to the foundation. In addition, Ms. Tullos has established strategic partnerships and collaborated with community organizations and government agencies.
Her background includes work in the higher education, corporate, and government sectors. She recently served as Director of Communications and Development for the Columbia College Chicago School of Media Arts. Before that, Ms. Tullos was the Chief Communications Officer at City Colleges of Chicago. She previously served as a Public Information Officer in the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Special Events. In her new role, she will focus on communication strategies that raise awareness of and advance topics of interest to the foundation and highlight the important work of its grantee partners.
Deanna Van Hersh
Williamsburg Health Foundation
Deanna Van Hersh joined the Williamsburg Health Foundation as Director of Health and Wellness. Ms. Van Hersh comes to the foundation with a wealth of health foundation experience having served a variety of roles at the Kansas Health Foundation for several years. She has a passion to help meet the needs of vulnerable populations and direct experience in grantmaking, health-focused community engagement and collaboration with various stakeholders. Ms. Van Hersh will lead grantmaking efforts for Advanced Primary Care, Integrated Care and the foundation’s increasing focus on the needs of Older Adults.
Contact: Carol Sale at 757.345.0912.