President

A passion for helping improve community health drives Ann in her role as president of the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York. Her leadership guides our organization as we work to balance the best practices of healthcare philanthropy with the local interests and needs of our targeted communities. With 30 years' experience in health and human service programs, Ann has held leadership positions in the public and private sector, with intensive experience in mental health, community health, managed care and philanthropy.  She holds both a BA and MA from the University of Illinois.

Former roles:

·         Director, Quality Initiative, California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), an independent philanthropy committed to improving California's healthcare delivery and financing systems. Under Ann's leadership the initiative built extensive collaboration among consumers, advocacy organizations, the health care industry, purchasers and policy makers to achieve its goals of improved overall quality outcomes and greater public accountability of health care in California.

·         Director, Health Insurance Initiative, CHCF

·         President, MonroeCo Consulting, assisting established and emerging foundations in health and human services. Ann continues to work with health foundations through her role as lead facilitator with Grantmakers in Health's Art and Science of Grantmaking, an interactive training program for health philanthropies.

·         Senior vice president, Public Benefit Programs, Blue Cross of California

·         Senior vice president, Human Resources, Blue Cross of California

Affiliations:

·         Board member: The Leapfrog Project, Grantmakers in Health, Western New York Grantmakers Association, Health Care Access Trust

Program Officers

, based in Syracuse

, based in Buffalo

 

A Community Health Foundation Program Officer develops and implements strategic foundation initiatives; identifies potential partners and grantees and sustains relationships with them; evaluates grant applications and monitors the progress and outcomes of funded projects and programs; and convenes work groups of community leaders, experts, practitioners, and consumers for selected projects.

 spent his entire professional career in Syracuse after attaining a Master’s degree in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa and after serving three years as a Lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital.  He served on the senior management staff of Community General Hospital in Syracuse and became its President and CEO in 1994.  Before retiring in 2001, he also served as President of Crouse Hospital.  During his career, he served on various health related boards including The Healthcare Association of NYS (HANYS), The Iroquois Healthcare Alliance and the Ronald McDonald House.  From 2004 until 2006 he served as a Trustee of the Community Health Foundation.

 was formerly executive director of HealthforAll of WNY, Inc.  She also has served as project manager in the Office of Research and Development at University of Buffalo’s Department of Family Medicine, and communications manager and organ services coordinator of Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc.  A registered nurse, she has held positions in critical care and medical-surgical nursing.  She received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Canisius College and an associate’s degree in applied science/nursing from Trocaire College.  She holds a Master of Science degree in health services administration from D’Youville College.

Grants & Office Manager

Sharon has extensive experience in office management in complex organizations.

As the foundation’s grants manager, she handles the administration of the foundation’s gifts computer system, grant agreements and database. In her role as office manager, Sharon is responsible for the overall function of the foundation office including purchasing, IT and other administrative functions. In addition, she serves as executive assistant to the President.

Sharon is board chair for a major human services non-profit organization in Western New York.

Administrative Assistant

Carol has diverse experience in all phases of executive and administrative support functions. As administrative assistant, she handles all aspects of the foundation’s administrative functions. Carol formerly served as executive assistant to the VP of research and development at Rich Products Corporation, executive secretary to the senior VP at Metromedia, Inc., and district secretary for Pizza Hut, Inc., all in the Buffalo region.

Carol is active in community service activities with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Christmas Adopt-a-Family Program, United Way Day of Caring and American Red Cross Blood Drives.

, MHA

Advisor, Programs for the Frail Elderly

Chris brings a practical perspective to her role from her background as a healthcare executive.  She has extensive experience in program development including the start-up of two PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) organizations. As the foundation’s program advisor, she provides counsel on issues related to one of its two funding priorities: frail elders. She is responsible for projects to help community coalitions as they implement community engagement around health decisions and advance-care planning and to support a quality-improvement collaborative. 

Former positions include:

·         President and CEO of Senior Health Partners, a New York State managed long-term care plan for the frail elderly in Manhattan;

·         Administrator of managed care services, ViaHealth Continuing Care Network, Rochester, N.Y.; and

·         Administrative director of Sutter Senior Services, Sutter Health, Sacramento, Calif.

Chris is a member of the executive board of the State Society on Aging of New York.  She has given numerous presentations to professional associations and organizations on a range of issues related to care of the aging.  She serves on the Advisory Board and Long-Term Care Committee for the Tompkins County Health Planning Council.

, MS

Advisor, CHF Health Leadership Fellows Program

Ginny brings extensive experience in the healthcare field to her role as program coordinator for the foundation’s Health Leadership Fellows Program. She currently is principal of VCPurcell and Associates, a consulting firm specializing in organizational assessment, collaboration and alliance creation, evaluation and sustainability, board development, and staff and executive coaching.

Among previous roles, she has served as:

·         Executive director, Care Management Coalition of Western New York, coordinating the collaborative efforts and operations of a coalition of five child-caring institutions serving 8,000 children and their families in the nine counties of Western New York;

·         Executive director, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Western New York, leading and overseeing an agency that served 2,000 peoples with disabilities daily at more than 42 sites; and

·         Chief administrative officer of Our Lady of Victory Infant Home, leading and overseeing a multi-service agency serving the needs of children and their families from eight counties of Western New York. 

Ginny is extensively involved in community service work, including a position on the board of Leadership Buffalo, and has received numerous honors for her professional achievements.