Russell Booker, Karen Knuckles, and Ed Memmott
The Mary Black Foundation elected three new Trustees, Dr. Russell Booker, Karen Knuckles, and Ed Memmott, to a four-year term beginning January 1, 2020.
Currently serving as superintendent of School District Seven, Dr. Russell is a champion for education. He serves on the boards of the Spartanburg Academic Movement, Liberty Fellowship, and his alma mater, Wingate University. He has worked for 28 years in public education, becoming District Seven’s superintendent in 2010, and has led many innovations in an effort to identify and close gaps that result in inequities among students. He will retire from School District Seven in June 2020.
Ms. Knuckles is the owner of Express Employment Professionals and is passionate about helping people succeed through employment and economic mobility. Previously, she was the Senior Vice President and Human Resources Director at KeyBank and held positions in tax accounting and Human Resources at Eaton Corporation and a Johnson and Johnson affiliate. She is actively involved in Spartanburg, South Carolina through her volunteerism and serves on the Executive Board of the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Memmott, retired City Manager, began his career with the City of Spartanburg in 1997, when he was hired as a Community Development Director. He was promoted to City Manager in 2009 after serving as Assistant City Manager for five years. He has been instrumental in shaping many community efforts including the redevelopment of the Northside, the daylighting of Butterfly Creek, and Morgan Square redevelopment. He is also actively engaged in the community’s efforts to address affordable housing and homelessness.
At its annual meeting, the foundation’s board of trustees also voted to re-elect Ethan Burroughs and Gregg Wade to a second four-year term and selected its officers for 2020: Anna Converse (Chair), Hope Logan (Vice Chair/Chair-Elect), and Ethan Burroughs (Secretary/Treasurer).
Contact: 864.573.9500.
Charles Cain, Tony Collins, and Patrick Harman
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point recently welcomed Mr. Charles Cain, Mr. Tony Collins, and Dr. Patrick Harman as the three newest members to its Board of Directors. Terms began on January 1, 2020.
Mr. Cain is an attorney with expertise in the life sciences sector. Mr. Collins is Chief Development Officer for a global firm with North Carolina offices. Dr. Harman leads a local family foundation.
The foundation also elected its Board Officers for 2020, which include Leah Price, Chair; Dr. Sheri Lim, Vice-Chair; Matt Jobe, Secretary; and Dr. Elliott Williams, Treasurer.
For more information about the Foundation for a Healthy High Point, click here.
Contact: Tina Markanda at 336.822.7740 or tmarkanda@healthyhighpoint.org.
Debbie Chang
Blue Shield of California Foundation appointed Debbie I. Chang as President and Chief Executive Officer, overseeing its programs of more than $30 million in annual grantmaking to meet the diverse health needs of all Californians and to address the root causes of poor health and violence.
Ms. Chang, currently Senior Vice President and Chief Policy and Prevention Officer at Nemours Children’s Health System, has an extensive history of developing innovative national programs, leading ambitious health partnerships, and advocating policies to promote the health of children and families.
With more than 30 years’ experience, Ms. Chang has held key positions including Deputy Secretary of Health Care Financing for the state of Maryland, overseeing its Medicaid program, and was the first national director of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She was also Principal Investigator of a $20 million, five-year project with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to improve healthy eating and physical activity for children.
Ms. Chang has served on numerous national boards and steering committees, including at the National Academies of Science. She has an extensive record of developing innovative national partnerships that promote good health by spreading and encouraging on-the-ground adoption of evidence-based solutions.
Most notably, she spearheaded a national partnership to combat childhood obesity and promote public health with Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, and worked with other foundations to establish the Convergence Partnership and Partnership for a Healthier America, national collaboratives that brought together funders and private sector leaders, respectively, to address the obesity epidemic. At Nemours, she helped lead its transformation to focus on value-based care and health outcomes, and the expansion of its clinical model to work with communities to improve the social determinants of health.
Contact: Beth Casteel at 202.868.4007 or bacastel@thereisgroup.com.
Bruce Chernof
After 12 years as the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer, Bruce A. Chernof, MD, FACP, will retire from the SCAN Foundation by the end of 2020. Dr. Chernof has served as President of the foundation since its founding in 2008. He previously led the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
The SCAN Foundation has awarded more than $75 million in grant funding to hundreds of organizations focused on helping all older adults, and in particular older Californians, age with dignity, choice, and independence. The SCAN Foundation has stressed the need for the government to create new paradigms for how long-term care should be provided and financed. It has been a national leader in the development and scaling of person-centered care models for vulnerable adults with complex needs including those served by Medicare and Medicaid as well as those served by Medicare alone.
The foundation is at the forefront of policy discussions regarding health care for older adults and coordinating services both for older adults and their caregivers. In 2013, Dr. Chernof served as the Chair of the Federal Commission on Long-Term Care. That panel produced a bipartisan report to Congress recommending reforms for the nation’s long-term care financing, delivery system, and workforce needs. Last year the foundation helped lead the effort to secure Gov. Gavin Newsom’s commitment to develop and implement a statewide Master Plan for Aging.
The board will undertake a comprehensive search to find a successor for Dr. Chernof.
Contact: Rachel Griffith at 202.868.4824 or rgriffith@messagepartnerspr.com.
Storme Gray
Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) named Storme Gray its next Executive Director. Ms. Gray has held the position of Interim Executive Director since July 2019.
Ms. Gray, the first woman of color to lead EPIP since its founding, has been a change agent and advocate for justice throughout her career in the philanthropic sector. A member of the EPIP community since 2014, she was a Chapter Leader and Co-Chair of EPIP DC and member of EPIP’s Advisory Board prior to joining EPIP’s staff in 2017 as our Director of Programs. As Director of Programs, she brought her commitment to social justice and philanthropy to EPIP’s work, developing member programming that centers equity in philanthropy, managing EPIP’s successful bi-annual conference, and re-invigorating the EPIP People of Color Network, among other accomplishments.
Prior to joining EPIP’s staff, Ms. Gray was a Program Officer at the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, where she developed the foundation’s Young Women’s Initiative, a city-wide effort to improve life outcomes for cis and trans young women and girls of color that centered youth in the decision-making process. Her distinguished career in the philanthropic sector also includes roles with The Summit Foundation, the Bainum Family Foundation, and the Council on Foundations, where she created leadership development programming for philanthropic professionals with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In 2020 and beyond, EPIP will continue its commitment to racial equity by cultivating philanthropic leaders that authentically reflect the communities they serve. The board and staff at EPIP are energized to enter this next chapter in the life cycle of EPIP, proudly led by women of color.
Contact: Storme Gray at storme@epip.org.
Ruben Guerra and LIsa Saenz
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation elected Ruben Guerra to serve as Board Chair for 2020. Mr. Guerra has served on the board since 2016. He is President and CEO for Guerra Investment Advisors. Lisa Saenz was appointed as Board Vice-Chair. She has served on the board since 2015 and is Executive Vice President – CFO for WestStar Bank.
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation also welcomed three new members to the Board of Directors: Joseph Bocanegra with Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare, Carlos Fernandez with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, and Linda Lawson with The Hospitals of Providence – Transmountain Campus.
For a complete list of board members, click here.
Contact: Ida Ortegon at 915.218.2613 or iortegon@pdnhf.org.
Qiana Thomason
Health Forward Foundation announced Qiana Thomason as its new President/CEO.
Ms. Thomason, a life-long Kansas Citian, has dedicated her career to the improvement of health and wellness across the region, with a special focus on communities with significant health disparities. Ms. Thomason comes to Health Forward from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC), where she most recently served as Vice President, Community Health and Health Equity. During that time, she spearheaded development of new care delivery and payment models in partnership with health care providers throughout Kansas City and has been a champion for the inclusion of health equity and the social determinants of health in corporate strategy.
Prior to her tenure at Blue KC, Ms. Thomason spent eight years at Swope Health as the Director of Clinical Operations, Behavioral Health and Program Manager of the multi-municipality Mental Health Court. She also served as Deputy Director and Health and Human Services Liaison for United States Senator Jean Carnahan. Ms. Thomason currently serves on the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Health Commission, is a Board Trustee for William Jewel College, and is a Board Member of ArtsKC.
Contact: Ross Jensby at 816.241.7006 or rjensby@healthforward.org.