Dear Community,
I hope this letter finds you well. Because you have been an important supporter of Community Health Council of Wyandotte County, Inc. (CHC), I wanted you to be among the first to know about an upcoming leadership transition. Effective May 15, 2024, Donna Young will be stepping down as Executive Director.
Eight years ago, Donna came on staff with CHC in conjunction with the publication of the Health Equity Action Transformation (HEAT) Report, which has served as a launching pad for raising community awareness of the ongoing ramifications of racism and redlining in Wyandotte County and the Greater Kansas City metro area. With Donna’s leadership, it also brought a community focus and lens to the work, creating a health equity movement utilizing human-centered design and community organizing principles.
This work continued at a greater scale when Donna took the helm as Executive Director five years ago. During her tenure she expanded the organization and scaled the work: expanding the staff team from just a few to almost 30, taking innovative solutions to scale during a global pandemic, renovating CHC’s offices and community space in the heart of Wyandotte County, and diversifying organizational revenue.
Because of her immense achievements and legacy of greatness, CHC has achieved a foundation of excellence that will serve it well in future endeavors. The CHC Board of Directors will begin searching for a new Executive Director by April 2024. Donna will be fully remote during the months of April and May, and will be transitioning her duties to the CHC Leadership Team until a new Executive Director is selected.
Your partnership and support of CHC is invaluable and we want to keep you informed of this transition and hiring progress as they occur. An official press release and social media updates will be released regarding this transition. For any questions or concerns related to grants, please contact Heather Simmons, hsimmons@wycohealth.com. For program-related questions or concerns, please contact Mariah Chrans (mchrans@wycohealth.com) or Molly Gotobed (mgotobed@wycohealth.com).
Best,
The Community Health Council Team