Loreen Chant and Melida Akiti
Health Foundation of South Florida
The South Florida Health Foundation has named Loreen Chant as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Chant comes to the foundation from Easterseals South Florida. She is the first woman to lead the foundation since it started 28 years ago. The foundation’s board also has its first Black and Latina chairperson, Melida Akiti, Vice President of Ambulatory and Community Services at Memorial Healthcare System in Broward. The foundation has about a $162 million endowment to help fund its decades-long work to make health care more equal and accessible to low income people.
Arlene Cox
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation promoted Arlene Cox to Chief Operating Officer. Since joining the foundation in 2005, Ms. Cox has served as Executive Assistant, Operations Manager and Chief of Staff.
In her new role, Ms. Cox will assume additional leadership responsibilities while maintaining focus on various staff and operational issues, as well as serving as an adviser to Rachel Garbow Monroe, President and CEO. Ms. Cox serves on the senior leadership team in support of the president and board.
Ms. Cox began her career as a manager for a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-area firm within the international death care industry. She was promoted to an administrative management role in southern California, where she worked for three years before being promoted to an executive role in the Baltimore, Maryland region.
Contact: 410.654.8500.
Lisa Davis
Blue Shield of California Foundation
Lisa Davis, Senior Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at Blue Shield of California, has been appointed to serve on the Blue Shield of California Foundation board of trustees. As part of the nine-person board, she will help to ensure that the foundation continues to fulfill its mission and vision. Ms. Davis replaces current board member Michael Mathias, an Executive Vice President at Blue Shield of California, whose term is ending.
Ms. Davis is a proven IT leader with 30 years of experience in technology. Her innovative and forward-thinking leadership contributes to Blue Shield of California’s bold mission to build a health care system worthy of friends and family. With her far-reaching experience and passion for building strong, collaborative partnerships, Ms. Davis has leveraged Blue Shield of California’s existing state-of-the-art technology foundation to improve the member, provider, and employee experience. Ms. Davis has served on several boards, including the board of directors of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the IT Advisory Board for the National Academy Foundation.
A creative strategist and connected leader who is an influencer in the media and on social media, Ms. Davis is a highly sought after thought leader and keynote speaker. Throughout her career, she has championed women in technology and leadership. She led professional development initiatives for women. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her contributions to the technology field, including the CIO 100 Award from CIO Magazine, Top 100 Social CIO Award, and the Digital Edge 25 Award for innovative use of technology to deliver business value.
To learn more, click here.
Contact: Lauren Musiol at 336.692.4238 or lmusiol@thereisgroup.com.
Rear Admiral (ret.) Richard Houck, Mr. Fred Jones, and Bishop José McLoughlin
Dogwood Health Trust
Dogwood Health Trust added three members to its board of directors: Rear Admiral (ret.) Richard Houck, Mr. Fred Jones, and Bishop José McLoughlin. John Ball, MD, JD, rotated off the board, as his term ended in 2020.
Read Admiral (ret.) Houck, who previously served on the Covenant Compliance Committee for Dogwood Health Trust, was one of only 30 officers at the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard. In his time with the Coast Guard, his responsibilities have included defending and executing an $8 billion budget to support all Coast Guard missions, working as the Executive Director of the Coast Guard’s Transition Team to move the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security, commanding Coast Guard forces in the Pacific Northwest, and coordinating ground-breaking joint exercises between military, federal, state, and local law enforcement forces following September 11, 2001.
Mr. Jones is an attorney with Jones, Key, Melvin & Patton, P.A. in Franklin, North Carolina. His practice areas include civil litigation, mediation, real estate transactions, corporate law, and estate planning. Jones was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice.
Bishop José McLoughlin, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, previously served on the Nominating Committee for Dogwood Health Trust. He was consecrated as the seventh bishop, and first Hispanic, of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina on Oct. 1, 2016. Prior to his call to the priesthood, Bishop McLoughlin worked in the criminal justice field serving as a police officer in Florida and in the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Bishop McLoughlin is committed to being fully engaged in the church’s ministry with youth, minorities, and underserved populations and is passionate about raising up a new kind of leadership for the church.
Dr. Ball’s retirement and the new board appointments are in keeping with Dogwood’s commitment to the North Carolina Attorney General to ensure broad geographic representation on its board.
Karen Koenemann
Mat-Su Health Foundation
The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) hired Karen Koenemann as its new Vice President of Programs. Ms. Koenemann began her new position on January 11, 2021. She reports to Elizabeth Ripley, MSHF President and Chief Executive Officer.
Ms. Koenemann leads the foundation’s program team and is responsible for grantmaking, strategic planning, the convening of local and statewide partners, and supporting the policy and systems change that will lead to lasting impact in the community. She will help the foundation innovate and grow so that it can better serve the community, resulting in measurable improvement in the health of Mat-Su residents. Ms. Koenemann leads a growing, high-performing program team and will help deepen a culture that aligns with the core values, team principles and commitments of the MSHF. In addition, she will help redefine what change and success mean for the foundation by better connecting the strategic vision, focus area goals, and programmatic strategy.
Ms. Koenemann was previously the public health director for Pitkin County Public Health in Colorado, where she served as the COVID-19 Response and Recovery chief health strategist and provided crisis leadership through strategic and tactical methods in the face of the pandemic. Prior to that she worked for Eagle County Public Health as the Healthy Communities Manager and as the Executive Director for the Red Ribbon Project.
Contact: Robin Minard at 907.250.6445 or rminard@healthymatsu.org.
Hanh Le
Consumer Health Foundation
Hanh Le joined Consumer Health Foundation (CHF) as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships after serving as the Executive Director of the Weissberg Foundation for the past four years.
During her tenure at Weissberg, Ms. Hanh led efforts to prioritize and effectively advocate for funding to Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led organizations working to advance systems change for racial justice; develop more equitable co-creation and decision-making by the board, staff, and grant review teams; and operationalize trust-based philanthropy.
To read excerpts from an interview with Hanh, click here.
Contact: chf@consumerhealthfdn.org.
Gayle Ober
George Family Foundation
After overseeing 11 years of growth and impact at the George Family Foundation, President Gayle Ober will retire at the end of 2021.
During her tenure, Ms. Ober oversaw the distribution of nearly $40 million in grants to nonprofit organizations nationwide, from innovative integrative health and healing initiatives to groundbreaking leadership programs reflecting the foundation’s interests. Under her leadership, the foundation’s assets increased from $52 million to nearly $63 million, and giving grew by 42 percent.
Highlights of Ms. Ober’s tenure include the creation of the Penny George Institute Foundation at Allina Health, where she serves as chair; the leadership pillar at 1440 Multiversity, where she teaches; the George Wellbeing Center at the YMCA of the North; the Penny Pilgram George Women’s Leadership Initiative at Duke University; and the Catalyst Initiative, now part of the Minneapolis Foundation.
In addition to her work at the George Family Foundation, Ms. Ober chaired the board of Chorus America for three years. She has taught in the master’s program in arts and cultural leadership at the University of Minnesota and teaches leadership at 1440 Multiversity. Recently, Ms. Ober completed 25 years of service (six as board chair) with the Mardag Foundation in St. Paul.
Ms. Ober says she plans to continue teaching authentic leadership at 1440 Multiversity, as well as volunteering and consulting on a range of topics. She also said she plans to pursue some interests that she has had to set aside during her all-consuming time at the foundation, such as studying the piano and skiing in the mountains of Colorado.
For more information about the executive search for the next president of the George Family Foundation, click here.
Contact: Kate Lilja Lohnes at 952.893.7140 or kate@lilja.com.
Dr. Gerald O’Connor
Quantum Foundation
Quantum Foundation elected Dr. Gerald O’Connor its new chair. Dr. O’Connor will serve in the role for the next two years. The West Palm Beach, Florida resident has been a board member for the private health foundation since 2013.
Quantum Foundation was formed from $135 million in proceeds from the sale of JFK Medical Center. Now in its third decade of community investment, the foundation has assets of approximately $170 million. Since its inception, Quantum Foundation has awarded $150 million to hundreds of Palm Beach County, Florida nonprofit grantees. The foundation has evolved to become a valued strategic partner in grantmaking to Palm Beach County, Florida initiatives that improve access to health services, improve health systems, expand health education, and focus on whole-health initiatives.
In addition to his new role with Quantum Foundation, Dr. O’Connor is a retired physician, having practised as an Internist/Nephrologist. His professional services included Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Board at Saint Mary’s Hospital. He has also served on the boards of the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, the Palm Beach County Heart Association and Cardinal Newman High School. Since retiring, he has volunteered at the Community Center of the Palm Beaches’ Free Clinic.
For more information about the Quantum Foundation, click here.
Contact: 561.832.7497.
Lisa Saenz, Charles de Wetter, and Amy Marcus
Paso del Norte Health Foundation
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation elected Lisa Saenz as Chair and Charles de Wetter as Vice-Chair for the 2021 board of directors. Ms. Saenz has served on the board since 2015, serving as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Finance, Audit and IT Committee. Ms. Saenz is Executive Vice President-CFO for WestStar Bank. Mr. de Wetter joined the board in 2015. He served as the Chair of the Allocations Committee. Mr. de Wetter is a broker for Coldwell Banker Legacy.
The foundation also welcomed Amy Marcus, community advocate, to the board of directors for a first-term, along with Ruben Guerra, Guerra Investment Advisors, and Susan Melendez, community advocate, for second terms.
For a complete list of board members, click here.
Anna Silvera, Irfan Hasan, Fernando Bohorquez, Jr., Dr. Jane Salmon, Jane Wilton, Carrie Trowbridge, Mary Greenebaum, andTatiana Pohotsky
New York Community Trust
The New York Community Trust promoted Anna Silvera to Assistant Controller and Irfan Hasan from Program Director to Deputy Vice President for Grants. Both have taken on increasing responsibility in their departments, demonstrating their commitment to The New York Community Trust and its operations.
In addition to continuing to manage the complex tax preparation and filing requirements for The Trust, Ms. Silvera helps maintain and improve internal controls, assist with the development and evaluation of accounting policies, and support the controller with the general ledger.
Mr. Hasan will retain responsibility for grants made from The Trust’s program for health, behavioral health, and biomedical research, as well as oversee more than $10 million of grants to organizations designated as grantees through donor bequests. He also will serve on The Trust’s leadership team.
The Trust also welcomed Fernando Bohorquez, Jr., and Dr. Jane Salmon to the board. They take the places of Dr. Anne Moore and Roger Maldonado who, after years of dedicated service, will become consulting members as their board tenures expire.
Mr. Bohorquez is a Partner at BakerHostetler, where he focuses on commercial litigation, intellectual property, and privacy and technology law. He serves as a member of the Conflicts of Interest Board of the City of New York, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and the Council of Urban Professionals.
Dr. Jane Salmon is the Collette Kean Research Chair and Director of the Lupus and APS Center of Excellence at the Hospital for Special Surgery. She is also the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and a Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Salmon serves as a member of the National Academy of Medicine, Scientific Advisory Board, and the Alliance for Lupus Research. She is also the Associate Editor of Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.
Finally, The Trust announced two retirements. General counsel, Jane Wilton, is retiring. She helped charitable New Yorkers and their professional advisors create philanthropic legacies that withstand the test of time. She is passing the baton to Carrie Trowbridge, who most recently served as NYU’s Associate General Counsel. Ms. Trowbridge was a Law Clerk to the Honorable Charles S. Haight, Jr., in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and was also an associate at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.
Chief Investment Officer, Mary Greenebaum, also retired this year. During her tenure, she has provided steadfast oversight of The New York Community Trust’s assets, now close to $3 billion. The Trust welcomed Tatiana Pohotsky as its new Chief Investment Officer. Ms. Pohotsky comes to The Trust from the Bureau of Asset Management in the NYC Comptroller’s Office, where she was the Senior Investment Officer & Group Leader for global active management of the city’s $30-billion, long-only equity strategies for the municipal pensions. She has also worked at Deutsche Bank, Independence Investments, and Schroders PLC.
Contact: Amy Wolf at 646.214.1004 or aw@nyct-cfi.org.