FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cathy Harding Appointed as Interim Executive Director of Community Health Council of Wyandotte County
Kansas City, KS – 05/16/2024 – The Community Health Council of Wyandotte County (CHC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Cathy Harding as the Interim Executive Director, effective immediately.
Cathy Harding brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to improving community health. Harding served as President and CEO of the Wyandotte Health Foundation from July 1, 2014, until her retirement on December 31, 2023. Under her leadership, the foundation launched significant initiatives such as the “Alive and Thrive” program, aimed at reducing the impact of adverse childhood experiences and promoting trauma-informed care within the community. Prior to her role at the Wyandotte Health Foundation, Harding was the Executive Director of the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved (now Community Care Network of Kansas), where she advocated for nonprofit clinics serving underserved populations across Kansas. Her extensive experience in healthcare leadership and her active participation on various boards and committees, including the Governor’s Council on Education and the Medicaid Expansion working group, make her exceptionally well-qualified to lead CHC during this transitional period.
“We are thrilled to have Cathy step into this role,” said Jason Grundstrom, CHC Board Chair, “Her proven leadership and dedication to community health will be invaluable as we continue our mission to improve health outcomes in Wyandotte County.”
Harding’s appointment follows the departure of Donna Young, who served the organization for eight years. During her tenure, CHC implemented human centered design, community organizing principles, and created a greater health equity and community-led lens to this work. She expanded the staff team from just a few to almost 30, took innovative solutions to scale during a global pandemic to meet community need, renovated CHC’s offices and community space in the heart of Wyandotte County, and increased and diversified organizational revenue.
Please join us in welcoming Cathy Harding as she begins her tenure as Interim Executive Director. We look forward to her leadership in guiding the Community Health Council of Wyandotte County towards continued success and growth.
For more information, please contact:
Cathy Harding
Interim Executive Director
Community Health Council of Wyandotte County
About Community Health Council of Wyandotte County
The Community Health Council of Wyandotte County (CHC) is committed to community and creating space for residents to lead efforts in the issues that matter most to them. We believe that residents have the ability, and an inherent right, to provide leadership in the shaping of physical spaces and public policies which impact their health. Our mission is to enhance health outcomes through informing, collaborating, aligning, mobilizing, and activating organizations, government entities and community members. We serve as a community convener, organizer, and intermediary between decision-makers, providers, and those in need through our collective health improvement efforts. CHC amplifies community voices to increase health care equity, quality, and access by addressing structural/political influencers of health, including racism and redlining, in Wyandotte County and the Greater Kansas City metro area.