Renée L. Espinoza
Metta Fund
Metta Fund appointed Renée L. Espinoza as Director of Program Strategy. Ms. Espinoza will guide all aspects of the foundation’s grantmaking and programmatic investments, learning and evaluation efforts, and partnerships. Her appointment comes at a pivotal time as the foundation deepens its commitment and strategic focus on older adults.
Ms. Espinoza brings over 25 years of experience leading and developing community-based nonprofits with an emphasis on strategic planning, program development, and volunteer engagement. She comes to Metta Fund from San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates (SFCASA), where she served as Executive Director for seven years. Under her leadership, the organization increased the total number of foster youth served by 40 percent, launched new programing, and built a strong base of support by tripling annual revenue. Prior to her tenure at SFCASA, she served as the Interim Executive Director of the San Francisco Education Fund and Executive Director of SFPAL.
Contact: Anna Karrer Manley at 415.660.7359 or akarrer@mettafund.org.
Adam Linker and Madison Allen
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust announced Adam Linker, currently a Senior Program Officer at the Trust, has been promoted to Director of Programs and that Madison Allen, Senior Policy Attorney at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), will join the Trust team in November as Health Improvement Senior Program Officer.
As Director of Programs, Mr. Linker will serve as a key strategist and oversee and coordinate the program team as they work to improve the health and quality of life for residents with low incomes. He will serve on the leadership team and work across departments to support the overall mission and vision of the foundation and achieve strategic goals. He will also oversee and manage the grantmaking process and lead the program team as it works to invest in systems change work that increases equitable access to health, education, and economic opportunity.
As Senior Program Officer, Ms. Allen will work deeply in community, build relationships across sectors, and participate in grantmaking that focuses on improving the health and well-being of residents with low incomes, communities of color, and areas that have been marginalized. She will also support the Trust’s work around Healthy Places NC, a 10-year, $100 million effort to improve health in some of the state’s most vibrant yet under-resourced rural counties.
Mr. Linker joined the Trust in 2016 as Health Improvement Program Officer. Over the past four years, he has played a leadership role in developing grantmaking strategies, building the capacity of rural leaders, and growing the Trust’s portfolio of grantees led by people of color and rural residents. He is an expert on the Affordable Care Act and the Medicaid coverage gap and has spent years advocating for health care policies that benefit residents who lack health insurance and access to quality, affordable health care. Prior to joining the Trust, Mr. Linker served as the Co-Director of the North Carolina Justice Center’s Health Care Access Coalition.
Ms. Allen is an attorney who has spent her career advocating for improving access to health care at the local, state, and federal levels through direct client representation, community outreach, and policy advocacy efforts. At CLASP, Ms. Allen is the co-lead for the Protecting Immigrant Families, Advancing Our Future Campaign with the National Immigration Law Center. She coordinates advocacy efforts to fight policy proposals that harm immigrant families and is a national speaker on legal, child, immigrant, and anti-poverty issues. Before joining CLASP in 2018, Ms. Allen, who is bilingual, was a Staff Attorney at the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, where she represented English and Spanish-speaking clients in public benefits and health care access cases. She negotiated changes to the Medicaid eligibility manual that resulted in increased access for thousands of immigrant children and pregnant women with low incomes.
Contact: Nora Ferrell at 336.705.3955 or nora@kbr.org.
Tina Markanda
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point announced the departure of its inaugural Executive Director Tina Markanda. Ms. Markanda moved to a role as Executive Director of The Cannon Foundation, a statewide private independent foundation based in Concord, North Carolina.
The foundation board of directors has engaged the firm of Armstrong McGuire to conduct the search for a new Executive Director. The search process began in September with candidate selection concluding by the end of the year.
As a transition, the Board of Directors has engaged Allen J. Smart as Interim Executive Director. Mr. Smart is the former Interim Chief Executive Officer and Vice President of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, as well as a national consultant working with funders, funder groups, and nonprofits. He will guide the board through the transition.
Contact: Allen Smart at 336.971.5201 or Asmart@healthyhighpoint.org.
Kent Olden
Health Foundation for Western & Central New York
The Health Foundation for Western & Central New York hired Kent A. H. Olden as Communications Content Manager. In this role, Mr. Olden will manage the creation of relevant, meaningful communications content while ensuring the proper execution of public relations initiatives that align with and support the Health Foundation’s strategic plan. Through traditional, digital, and social media relations, Mr. Olden will develop content for the foundation’s website and social media platforms, curate and implement promotional content strategy, and provide editorial leadership for the Health Foundation’s quarterly digital newsletter.
In addition to his new role at the foundation, Mr. Olden also serves as public relations coordinator for the Buffalo-Niagara Chapter of the National Action Network, contributing editor for Bleu Magazine, and staff writer for the Kappa Alpha Psi Journal, the international publication for Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Mr. Olden was also previously selected as a 2019 Modern Man of Distinction for Black Enterprise Magazine for his work in public relations and communications, and served as the January Spotlight for the 2019 Buffalo-Niagara Partnership BN360 Spotlight Professionals.
Monica Valdes Lupi, JD, MPH
The Kresge Foundation
Monica Valdes Lupi, JD, MPH has been named the new Managing Director of The Kresge Foundation’s Health Program.
Dr. Valdes Lupi brings more than 20 years of experience in public health to her new role. She most recently served as Senior Fellow at the de Beaumont Foundation, where she advised and led its efforts to amplify and accelerate policy initiatives aimed at developing and advancing a health agenda on critical public health issues such as tobacco control, racial justice, and health equity.
Dr. Valdes Lupi was also a Senior Adviser to the CDC Foundation in its COVID-19 efforts. In this role, she guided activities aimed at quickly identifying and supporting critical gaps and needs among state and local health departments in their response and recovery activities. She also helped build and manage a team of regional advisors to expand the capacity of the foundation in its efforts to support health departments.
Previously, she served as the Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission, the local health department for Boston, Massachusetts. Her portfolio included Boston Emergency Medical Services, the largest homeless services program in New England, school-based health centers and other critical public health services. Prior to her tenure at the Boston Public Health Commission, Dr. Valdes Lupi served as the deputy commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, where she led the day-to-day operations for an agency that included public health hospitals, several regulatory bodies, and numerous public health programs.
She also has experience working at the national level as the first Chief Program Officer for Health Systems Transformation at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). Dr. Valdes Lupi led ASTHO’s work on health equity, Medicaid and public health partnerships, government relations, state health policy, and public health informatics.
She replaced David Fukuzawa, who is retiring from the Managing Director position and will transition to a new role at Kresge as Senior Adviser to the President.
Contact: Kate McLaughlin at 248.502.0636 or kmmclaughlin@kresge.org.
Serena Worthington
RRF Foundation for Aging
RRF Foundation for Aging announced that Serena Worthington has joined the foundation as Program Officer. Ms. Worthington has significant experience in aging services and advocacy at the national level, but also has strong ties to local communities. In her most recent role as Director of U.S. and Global Collaborations at SAGE, Ms. Worthington oversaw a broad network of affiliate organizations, forged coalitions, and launched successful collaborative efforts to catalyze policies and programs in support of LGBTQ older people. Prior to joining SAGE, Ms. Worthington was the Senior Director of Public Programs of Chicago’s Center on Halsted. She frequently presents at national conferences and forums, sharing her passion and expertise on aging issues.
Contact: Christine Gherst at 484.410.9243 or cgherst@aboutscp.com.