Donn Weinberg
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation announced the retirement of its long-time executive and trustee, Donn Weinberg, from both of his roles at the foundation. Mr. Weinberg has served as a full-time executive and in-house counsel with the foundation since March 1, 1993 and as a trustee of the foundation since August 1, 2002. He also served as the its Chairman of the Board for three years, from 2010-2013. He specialized in local commercial real estate matters and in grant contracts during most of his tenure. Before joining the foundation, he was in the private practice of law for 15 years, specializing in medical malpractice litigation.
During his tenure, Mr. Weinberg was best known for his introduction of and advocacy for the field of workforce development—funding the training, placement, and ongoing support of lower-income individuals for gainful employment, as the most practical and sustainable way to eliminate or reduce their economic disadvantage. Mr. Weinberg was the foundation’s lead person in supporting the initiation and continuation in Israel of the “TEVET” Initiative (an initiative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee), which focuses on developing employment opportunities for the most disadvantaged Jewish and non-Jewish populations there. He also was instrumental in establishing the first elder abuse prevention and treatment center in the United States—the Weinberg Elder Abuse Center at the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Riverdale, New York.
Phone: 410.654.8500
Jennifer Vanore, PhD
For nearly 20 years, UniHealth Foundation has been deeply committed to supporting nonprofit, community-based hospitals and health organizations in Southern California. With this commitment in mind it appointed a new President and Chief Operating Officer, Jennifer Vanore, PhD.
Since joining UniHealth Foundation in 2015, Dr. Vanore has demonstrated tremendous leadership, knowledge, and passion for its work in health philanthropy. She possesses a keen understanding of where hospitals, clinics, and other health-related organizations have been and where they are headed.
In her new role, Dr. Vanore will oversee all grantmaking and the day-to-day functions of the foundation. She will also work closely with the board as we support innovative new programs and services to improve population and community health outcomes throughout Southern California.
Dr. Vanore most recently served as UniHealth Foundation’s Vice President of Programs, overseeing nearly $15 million in grants in Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California. She previously served as Program Manager for The California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities, and has also worked in clinic, hospital, and social service settings.
Phone: 213.630.6500
Email: communications@unihealthfoundation.org
Mica Short
The Paso del Norte Foundation (PDN Foundation) appointed Mica Short as Vice President of Development. Ms. Short brings experience in managing charitable giving, community outreach, public affairs, and governmental relations. She served as the Community Relations Manager for Texas Gas Services and as the Executive Vice President at the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce on advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels in the areas of health care, transportation, education, infrastructure and development, and border issues.
She was named Outstanding Academic Graduate Student by the Institute for Policy and Economic Development, and she is a member of Pi Alpha Alpha, the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. In 2017, Ms. Short was honored by El Paso Inc. as a Woman of Impact and by the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce with the Breakthrough Leader Award.
Contact: Ida Ortegon
Phone: 915.218.2613
Email: iortegon@pdnfoundation.org
Sheel Patel and Alexandra Chung Rouse
Houston Endowment announced that Sheel Patel has joined as Vice President for Finance and Alexandra Chung Rouse, as Program Officer for Education. Ms. Rouse fills the role recently vacated by Russell Ramsey, who is now Director of Learning and Evaluation at Houston Endowment.
Ms. Patel is an experienced executive with a record of leading strong finance and accounting operations and collaborating with clients and cross-functional teams. At Houston Endowment, she will oversee key internal business functions including finance, planning, legal, and information management and technology. Ms. Patel will be the top financial leader at the foundation and a member of the executive leadership team.
Ms. Rouse brings a deep understanding of the intentional coordination and cultivation of partners required to achieve strategic impact in education. Most recently having served as the chief of staff for New Schools for Baton Rouge, she worked to improve the quality of the K-12 public school system in which she herself was educated. The foundation is excited to have Ms. Rouse bring her experiences and expertise to Houston Endowment as it seeks to promote school systems that effectively educate all students, increase the number of highly effective teachers and school leaders, and strengthen the systems that increase college completion.
Contact: Lisa Hall
Email: lhall@houstonendowment.org
Rahn Porter
The Colorado Health Foundation announced the retirement of Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Rahn Porter. An accomplished financial executive with more than 30 years of experience, Mr. Porter has led multiple departments at the foundation: Finance and Investments, Graduate Medical Education, Grantmaking Operations, Human Resources, as well as Technology and Facilities Services. Since starting with the foundation in 2013, Mr. Porter has served as an integral executive and organizational leader to the foundation, its board and staff. His understanding of and attention to organizational culture, systems, stewardship and supporting and developing staff have left a tremendous mark on the foundation and its legacy – far beyond his official duties. Among his many valued accomplishments, Mr. Porter achieved the following key efforts:
- Served as Interim President and CEO from 2014 to 2015 where his change management approach ensured steady leadership for the foundation staff, board and its core stewardship responsibilities as a grantmaker.
- Led the successful transition of the foundation’s Graduate Medical Education programs.
- Championed the foundation’s efforts to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into its investment function. In this spirit, he has also ensured a continuous focus on ensuring staff experience fair, equitable, and inclusive policies, benefits, and culture.
- Supervised building the foundation’s headquarters in Denver, Colorado. The building is the first United States project to be awarded both WELL and LEEDv4 certifications at the gold level.
Phone: 877.225.0839
Email: info@coloradohealth.org
HNH Foundation
The HNH Foundation is changing its name to the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation. The foundation, headquartered in Concord, New Hampshire was formed in 1997 as the result of the merger between Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Matthew Thornton Health Plan and was originally called the Healthy New Hampshire Foundation. It later shortened its name to HNH Foundation, which has been in use since 2005.
It chose a new identity that is more descriptive of what we are about and better communicates who the foundation is and what it does. Though it are updated its name and logo, its mission remains the same, to improve the health and wellness of New Hampshire’s population, with a focus on its most vulnerable children.
As a leading funder for children’s health in the state, the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation’s grant making will continue to focus on prevention and early intervention for children up to age five.
Contact: Gail Garceau
Phone: 603.229.3260
Email: gg@nhchildrenshealthfoundation.org
More information: https://nhchildrenshealthfoundation.org/
Lisa Hamilton
The Annie E. Casey Foundation announced that Lisa Hamilton will become its next President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2019. She will succeed Patrick McCarthy, who will retire after 25 years at the foundation, nearly nine as its top leader.
Ms. Hamilton joined the foundation in 2011 as Vice President of External Affairs. She transformed the unit into a powerhouse for data, policy advocacy, communications, and leadership development. She led the creation of Casey’s first Race for Results report in 2014, which measured how children from different racial and ethnic backgrounds were faring on key milestones from birth to adulthood and served as a springboard for efforts to promote equity and inclusion for children, families, and communities of color.
Last year, Ms. Hamilton was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer, which gave her broad oversight of Casey’s program investments, including efforts to strengthen the social sector and encourage the take-up of effective strategies through policy and data advocacy, leadership development, and research.
Prior to joining the foundation, Ms. Hamilton spent 14 years at UPS. She held positions in corporate tax and public affairs before advancing to President of the UPS Foundation, where she directed global philanthropic and volunteer programs. She ultimately served as Vice President of Corporate Public Relations, overseeing global media relations, reputation management, and executive communications for the company. Ms. Hamilton serves on the boards of the Baltimore Community Foundation, Casebook PBC, and StriveTogether. She served as a trustee of the Casey Foundation from 2008 to 2011.
Ms. Hamilton’s predecessor, Mr. McCarthy, focused the foundation’s work and strategies on three primary areas of family, opportunity, and community, bringing more unity and clarity to Casey’s wide-ranging investments. During his tenure, he declared racial and ethnic equity and inclusion were foundation priorities and central to advancing Casey’s mission to ensure all children are able to realize their potential. Over the past several years, he has guided the foundation through a number of changes in its work and as an organization, including greater investments in proven programs and practices and the expansion of efforts focused on public system reform and community development.
Contact: Norris West
Phone: 410.223.2971
Email: nwest@aecf.org
Matthew A. Kuhlenbeck
Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) announced the resignation of Program Director Matthew A. Kuhlenbeck, who has accepted the position of President and CEO at Greater Rochester Health Foundation in Rochester, New York, effective January 14, 2019.
In his 16-year tenure at MFH, Mr. Kuhlenbeck has served in various capacities and played a pivotal role in improving the health and well-being of residents in 84 counties and the city of St. Louis, Missouri. In partnership with foundation staff and community partners, he strategically led a variety of program- and policy-related efforts, including the foundation’s tobacco cessation initiative, which contributed to a significant decline in tobacco use across the state. Mr. Kuhlenbeck also worked in the areas of healthy housing access, childhood obesity reduction, behavioral health, and rural health access. For five years, he was an adjunct faculty member at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice.
Mr. Kuhlenbeck serves as Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Violence Prevention, Board Vice Chair of Gateway Center for Giving, Founding Member of the Funders Alliance for State-Based Tobacco Control, and a Program Steering Committee Member for the National Conference on Tobacco or Health. In 2014, he received a Grantmakers in Health Terrance Kennan Institute Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy.
Contact: Courtney Z. Stewart
Phone: 314.345.5505
Email: cstewart@mffh.org
Mae Douglas, Ursula B. Robinson, and Kristen Wither Yntema
Cone Health Foundation has added three new board of directors members: Mae Douglas, Ursula B. Robinson, and Kristen Wither Yntema.
Ms. Douglas is a retired corporate executive, community leader, and philanthropist. She enjoyed a well-decorated career as a Human Resources executive that spanned two industries and culminated with her tenure as a C-suite executive for Cox Communications, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. Under her leadership, Cox received recognition for its people practices from Women in Cable Telecommunications and Working Mother Media as Best Operator for Women seven consecutive years; Training Magazine’s Top 125 for workforce training and development; DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity and Inclusion; and Cable World’s Best Company in Cable. Ms. Douglas also serves on the boards of directors of United Way of Greater Greensboro, Gateway University Research Park, and Guilford Child Development.
Ms. Robinson is Executive Director of PACE of Guilford and Rockingham Counties in North Carolina. PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) provides community-based services to individuals who need medical care and support to continue living at home. Under her leadership, PACE has grown from a start-up operation of one employee to 82 employees and over 200 acute, long-term care and medical specialist providers, and is now the third largest PACE program in North Carolina. The annual budget has grown from just under $1 million to $17 million in 2017. In addition, Ms. Robinson is a member of the Operating Committee of Triad HealthCare Network and serves on the boards of directors of Greensboro Urban Ministry, North Carolina LeadingAge, and North Carolina PACE Association.
Ms. Yntema is the President and CEO of Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro, one of the largest nonprofit hospice and palliative care organizations in central North Carolina. As a proven leader in the health care field, Ms Yntema has held roles as Vice President of Regional Development and Innovation at Advanced Home Care and as Executive Director of Health Services at Cone Health. In 2011, she was named one of Triad Business Journal’s 40 Leaders Under 40 and in 2016 she was named one of the Outstanding Women in Business. Ms. Yntema is a 2010 Leadership Greensboro graduate, serves on various professional boards, and remains very active in the community.
Cone Health Foundation also elected the following board officers:
- Chair: Margaret Arbuckle, PhD, retired Executive Director, Guilford Education Alliance
- Vice-Chair: John Cross, Attorney, Brooks Pierce
- Secretary: Kelly Leggett, MD, Clinical Transformation Officer, Cone Health
- Treasurer: Cindy Thompson, Executive Director, Boundless Impact
Contact: Susan Shumaker
Phone: 336.832.9555
Email: susan.shumaker@conehealth.com