Diane Oyler
The Health Foundation for Western and Central New York has named Diane Oyler as its next Vice President of Programs.
In this position, she will provide leadership, management, and oversight for all program-related activities of the foundation. Ms. Oyler will work to pursue the foundation’s mission of advocating for continuous improvement in health and health care for Western and Central New York. She will also build relationships and partnerships with policymakers, funders, and intermediaries to advance the foundation’s goal that all New Yorkers will have access to quality, affordable care by 2027.
Ms. Oyler joined the foundation in 2016 as Program Officer, where she was responsible for overall strategic direction and grantmaking for its older adult initiatives. She launched “Aging by Design”, a four-year initiative in which the foundation brings community-based organizations and older adults together to develop programs to improve the health of older adults through human-centered design. Ms. Oyler also led the initiative to partner with the New York State Office for the Aging to expand the Aging Mastery Program (AMP) throughout western New York.
Formerly Coordinator of Neighborhood Services for the Erie County Department of Senior Services, Ms. Oyler led the Department’s efforts to coordinate the delivery of Older American Act services through a network of public and nonprofit agencies. She oversaw departmental planning activities and service system development, identified new resources to improve and expand services to older adults, and contributed to advocacy efforts. Ms. Oyler brought several new programs forward, including Ready Set Home which puts needed services in place for frail elders and the disabled after a hospital stay.
Contact: Meredith Carswell-Sheline
Phone: 716.852.3030, ext. 112
Email: mcsheline@hfwcny.org
James Marks, MD, MPH
James Marks, MD, MPH, has been elected to the board of directors of the CDC Foundation.Dr. Marks recently retired from his role as executive vice president for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), where he oversaw all grantmaking, research, and communications activities for the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health.
During his time at RWJF, Dr. Marks led many major initiatives including efforts to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity, ranking the health of all United States’ counties and with the Federal Reserve bringing the fields of community development and public health together.
Before joining RWJF in 2004, Dr. Marks held important leadership roles in public health, including serving as assistant surgeon general and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Throughout his tenure at CDC, Dr. Marks developed and advanced systematic ways to detect and prevent chronic diseases, to monitor their major risk factors such as tobacco use and the obesity epidemic; and to improve reproductive and infant health.
A national leader in public health for more than 35 years, Dr. Marks has received numerous awards from organizations such as the American Cancer Society, National Arthritis Foundation, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, Association of State and Territorial Chronic Disease Directors, and U.S. Public Health Service. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2004 in recognition of his accomplishments in epidemiology and public health. He has served on many governmental and nonprofit committees, including the executive board of the American Public Health Association. Dr. Marks has published extensively in the areas of maternal and child health, health promotion, chronic disease prevention, and health policy.
Contact: Amy Tolchinsky
Email: atolchinsky@cdcfoundation.org
Sabrina Greig
The Fry Foundation welcomed Sabrina Greig as the new Arts Learning Program Officer. She brings experience in the arts and nonprofit communications to the foundation. Ms. Greig has worked in museum management as a Program Director of the Haitian American Museum of Chicago and served as an intern at the Chicago Community Trust. She is currently a curator in residence at the Chicago Artist Coalition and is an art critic who focuses on representations of the Black diaspora in popular culture, fine art, and gentrified urban spaces and has been featured in Hyperallergic, the Chicago Tribune, Newcity Arts, and The Observer. She comes to the foundation from the Chicago Urban League where she worked on digital communication strategies.
Contact: Unmi Song
Phone: 312.580.0310
Email: usong@fryfoundation.org
Darius Graham
The Weinberg Foundation welcomes Darius Graham as the foundation’s newest Program Director. Mr. Graham will be responsible for refining and communicating the foundation’s place-based philanthropic strategy for Baltimore, Maryland, working across sectors to effectively implement that strategy, and developing metrics for measuring the foundation’s impact. He will also work with other program team members (representing the foundation’s specific areas of giving) to collaborate with the Baltimore philanthropic, government, and business sectors, as well as neighborhoods and community groups.
Prior to joining the Weinberg Foundation, Mr. Graham served as Director of Student Ventures at Johns Hopkins University, where he led entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives, including FastForward U and the Social Innovation Lab, which helped transform new technologies and novel ideas into viable ventures.
Phone: 410.654.8500
Haley Denny, Keisha Gray, Kim Stravolo, and Natalia Valenzuela Swanson
The Mary Black Foundation has announced several internal staff promotions. The following changes are effective immediately:
Haley Denny has been promoted to Manager of Communications and Organizational Learning. Ms. Denny joined the foundation in 2015 as a Project Assistant working on its adolescent health initiative, Connect. In her new role, she will be responsible for the development and production of internal and external communications and will support evaluation efforts and continuous quality improvement.
Keisha Gray has been promoted to Program Director, Early Childhood Development (ECD). Ms. Gray joined the foundation in 2015 as a Program Specialist. In her new role, she will manage all grantmaking and foundation-led initiatives related to the ECD focus area. She will also play a key leadership role in related community efforts.
Kim Stravolo has been promoted to Vice President/Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Stravolo joined the foundation in 2014 as its Director of Finance. In her new role, she will play a significant leadership role in the organization’s daily activities, including, but not limited to, investments, finances and accounting, and facilities management.
Natalia Valenzuela Swanson has been promoted to Program Director, Healthy Eating | Active Living (HE|AL). Ms. Swanson joined the foundation in 2015 as a Program Specialist. In her new role, she will manage all grantmaking and foundation-led initiatives related to the HE|AL focus area. She will also play a key leadership role in related community efforts.
Contact: Amy Page
Email: apage@maryblackfoundation.org
Jonathan Walker and Sara Yancey
Local residents Jonathan Walker and Sara Yancey have joined the Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) board of directors.
Mr. Walker is lead pastor at Church On the Rock, which has multiple sites in the Mat-Su. He has served the church since 2014. He previously co-founded Church On the Rock Homer. Mr. Walker has spent the bulk of his adult life living and working in Alaska and brings to the MSHF board skills in leadership development and nonprofit organizational vision and strategy.
Ms. Yancey is a public health nurse at Mat-Su Public Health Center focusing on preventative care in order to help people improve their quality of life. Previously she was employed in nursing positions with the Anchorage Correctional Center, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, and Alaska Native Medical Center.
Contact: Robin Minard
Phone: 907.352.2892
Email: rminard@healthymatsu.org
Dr. Lawrence Prybil
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky added Lawrence Prybil, PhD, LFACHE, former Associate Dean of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, to its board of directors. Dr. Prybil was appointed to complete a term that ends in December 2019; he will be eligible for two three-year terms thereafter.
Dr. Prybil is a Community Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health. He also has held senior executive positions at two of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems, including 10 years as CEO for a six-state division of the Daughters of Charity National Health System (now Ascension Health). In addition, Dr. Prybil is a professor emeritus at the University of Iowa, where he served as Associate Dean and Senior Adviser to the Dean in the College of Public Health.
Dr. Prybil is a recognized expert in governance and executive leadership, having directed national studies on the topic. He has served on the governing boards of hospitals, health systems, state hospital associations, the American Hospital Association, and other organizations. He has authored publications on community and public health, community engagement, multi-sector partnerships, accountability and evaluation, nonprofit governance structures, processes and cultures in nonprofit health systems, and hospitals.
Contact: Bonnie J. Hackbarth
Phone: 877.326.2583
Email: bhackbarth@healthy-ky.org