Author: Angela Cox

Wasilla, Alaska — The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) has hired Karen Koenemann as its new vice president of programs. Koenemann began her new position on January 11, 2021. She reports to Elizabeth Ripley, MSHF president and chief executive officer.

“After a nationwide search, we are confident we made the right choice in welcoming Karen Koenemann to the Mat-Su Health Foundation team,” said Ripley. “We are especially grateful to tap into her extensive experience with the public health framework on which we operate and are excited about her commitment to ensuring health equity for everyone in the community. She comes from the front lines of Colorado’s COVID-19 response and will inform our work in that arena as well.”

Koenemann leads the foundation’s program team and is responsible for grant making, strategic planning, the convening of local and statewide partners, and supporting the policy and systems change that will lead to lasting impact in the community. She will help the foundation innovate and grow so that it can better serve the community, resulting in measurable improvement in the health of Mat-Su residents. Koenemann leads a growing, high-performing program team and will help deepen a culture that aligns with the core values, team principles and commitments of the MSHF. In addition, she will help redefine what change and success mean for the foundation by better connecting the strategic vision, focus area goals and programmatic strategy.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to Alaska and to becoming part of the Mat-Su community,” said Koenemann. “As they say, you can leave Alaska, but it never really leaves you. An opportunity like this comes along only once in a career, and I am ready to go all-in supporting our mission of improving the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and our vision of a community where all persons have the opportunity for a healthy life.”

Koenemann was previously the public health director for Pitkin County Public Health in Colorado, where she served as the COVID-19 Response and Recovery chief health strategist and provided crisis leadership through strategic and tactical methods in the face of the pandemic. Prior to that she worked for Eagle County Public Health as the healthy communities manager and as the executive director for the Red Ribbon Project. She holds a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Alaska, a master’s degree in geography from the University of Wyoming and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Alaska.

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About Mat-Su health Foundation: Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org.

Wasilla, Alaska – The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) has welcomed two new employees. Shirley Kelly was hired as director of operations and Kelsey Shields as program assistant.

As director of operations, Kelly oversees office management, human resources and contract management for the foundation. Her responsibilities include ensuring a high level of coordination between the foundation’s programmatic work and hospital ownership, and she assists in the design of organizational structures, workflows, and processes. Kelly brings a wealth of experience in human resources to the foundation. She holds Master of Arts degree in management with a specialization in human resources from Wayland Baptist University.

In her new role as program assistant, Shields serves as the primary contact for MSHF scholarship inquiries from prospective and returning applicants, training providers, universities, colleges, and the general public. She also provides support to the other members of the foundation’s program team by assisting with planning, scheduling, and implementation of convenings and other program-related events. Prior to joining MSHF, Shields worked in a variety of industries providing administrative and customer relations management support. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in film and media studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

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About Mat-Su health Foundation: Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org.

Wasilla, Alaska – Local community resource center Connect Mat-Su has launched a new website at www.connectmatsu.org. The new site gives residents easy access to the largest known database of support services available in the Mat-Su.

Connect Mat-Su was developed by the Mat-Su Health Foundation and community partners to be a comprehensive and innovative health and social services information and referral resource center. It links residents with access to the information, referrals, and direct assistance they need to thrive physically, mentally, socially and emotionally.

“Connect Mat-Su was designed to support the vision that every person in the Mat-Su has access to all that is needed to live a healthy and fulfilling life,” said Mat-Su Health Foundation CEO Elizabeth Ripley. “The service offers many kinds of assistance, including information about how to access food, housing, healthcare, elder care, childcare, and even the social connections that are such an important part of good health.”

Connect Mat-Su Director Ashley Peltier stated, “One of the things that sets Connect Mat-Su apart from other resource centers is the tailored experience we provide. Clients have the option to search hundreds of local resources on the Connect Mat-Su website, or they can call us for a more personalized experience that includes taking time to understand their individual needs, offering options, helping to navigate the options, and providing warm handoffs for further assistance.”

Connect Mat-Su has been in operation since April 2018, offering service by phone and in-person at the Mat-Su Health Foundation offices until the building was temporarily closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The new Connect Mat-Su website comes when it is needed most, making it easier for residents to access resources,” said Ripley.

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About Mat-Su health Foundation: Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org.

Wasilla, Alaska – The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) has announced that Jessie Burbank has joined the Connect Mat-Su team in the role of community resource specialist and Tracy Kalytiak has been promoted to the position of program officer.

In her role as community resource specialist, Burbank is the first point of contact for Connect Mat-Su, a social services information and referral resource center operated by the Mat-Su Health Foundation. Burbank provides social service navigation and referrals and works to develop and maintain an extensive database of resources available in the community. She brings a wealth of experience advocating for those in need. Most recently, Burbank worked at The Children’s Place where she assisted children and families impacted by child abuse. She graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a minor in women’s studies.

Kalytiak was promoted to program officer after having served as program associate for three years. She will continue her work on the foundation’s Target Wellness and Coronavirus Prevention and Response (CPR) grant programs. Kalytiak also oversees MSHF sponsorships and its technical assistance pool for grantees. Prior to being hired by the foundation, she worked as a writer and editor at the University of Alaska Anchorage and at several publications, including Alaska Magazine, Alaska Business Monthly and the Frontiersman. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Central Arkansas.

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About Mat-Su Health Foundation: Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org.

About Connect Mat-Su: Connect Mat-Su was developed by the Mat-Su Health Foundation and community partners to be a comprehensive and innovative health and social services information and referral resource center serving all residents of Mat-Su. It is a network that is both a physical and virtual resource center linking residents with immediate access to the information, referrals, and direct assistance needed to thrive physically, mentally, socially and emotionally.  More information is available at connectmatsu.org.

Wasilla, Alaska – The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) has announced that Megan Wilbur has joined the R.O.C.K. Mat-Su team in the position of systems coordinator. Along with this new hire, MSHF also announced the promotion of two employees, Jaye Salter and Brian Tiefenbrun.

As systems coordinator, Wilbur is responsible for helping to drive R.O.C.K. Mat-Su’s strategic work forward by supporting day-to-day communications and administration, community engagement, and data functions, as well as for building and maintaining strong relationships with community partners. R.O.C.K. Mat-Su is a collaborative of community members who have joined together to promote family resilience and reduce child maltreatment. Wilbur came to R.O.C.K. Mat-Su from the University of Alaska Anchorage where she was a student conduct and ethical development coordinator. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Tiefenbrun was promoted to operations coordinator for Connect Mat-Su. Connect Mat-Su was created by the foundation and community partners to be a comprehensive and innovative health and social services information and referral resource center serving all residents of Mat-Su. In his new position, he maintains, updates, and refines the network’s resource database and website integration. Previously, Tiefenbrun served as Connect Mat-Su’s community resource center specialist.  Prior to that, he worked as an investigator for the State of Alaska, Office of Children’s Services. Tiefenbrun is a veteran of the U.S. Army and has also worked at North Star Behavioral Health. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from American Military University.

Salter was promoted to full-time administrative assistant for the Mat-Su Health Foundation. In her new role, she serves as receptionist and provides clerical and administrative support for the organization. Salter brings a wealth of experience from customer-facing positions across a range of industries. She attended Palmer High School and Mat-Su College.

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Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org .

Wasilla, Alaska — The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) recently made 13 additional grant awards totaling $380,174 to local nonprofit service providers for coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention and response. This is in addition to 20 previously awarded grants awarded under the Coronavirus Prevention and Response (CPR) grant program launched by the foundation in March. The total awarded in CPR grants is now $1,118,402.

The new grantees to receive funding under the CPR program include the following:

• Alaska Coalition for Veterans & Military Families: $12,065 to provide technology their clients need to continue accessing behavioral health services.
• Alaska Pacific University: $50,000 to expand the Alaska Tilth program by purchasing produce from Mat-Su farmers at fair market rate and distributing it to local hunger-focused organizations in need.
• Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. (CITC): $50,000 to support the CITC Emergency Assistance Program for Mat-Su Residents which will provide financial assistance to participants to meet immediate emergency needs and support mobile case management.
• Faith Bible Fellowship Church of Big Lake: $15,000 to support weekly food distribution to those in need.
• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church: $20,000 to supplement its kitchen ministry’s food budget, pay wages for the kitchen manager and purchase two reach-in freezers.
• Hope Community Resources Inc.: $10,000 to assist with the expenses incurred for supplying Hope-assisted living homes in the Mat-Su Valley with PPE and technology for remote connectivity.
• Kabayan Incorporated: $5,000 to make cloth face masks.
• Mat-Su Services for Children & Adults,: $50,000 to cover agency expenses incurred in the early stages of the pandemic.
• Mat Su Youth Housing: $50,000 to support procedures and resources for COVID-19 response services for homeless youth.
• Palmer Senior Citizens Center, Inc: $50,000 to support a coordinated effort to supply a biweekly food box to seniors (age 50 and above) and physically disabled persons in need, as well as medication delivery.
• Talkeetna Community Radio Inc: $6,320 to support informing residents of the upper Susitna Valley about COVID-19’s community impacts and how to prevent the virus from spreading.
• United Methodist Church Alaska: $21,789 to provide families in Willow and Houston basic food and personal care items, as well as improve cleanliness and safety at the pantry.
• Wasilla Youth Soccer Association: $40,000 to support the sustainability of programming to provide services during and after COVID-19 restrictions.

CPR grant applications receive expedited handling to help grantees experience limited disruption of service. In addition to offering the CPR grant program, the foundation has taken other steps to support grantees including easing reporting requirements for new and existing grantees, and allowing for repurposing of previously awarded grants if the money is needed for coronavirus response. The CPR grants program has also recently been expanded to offer funding to local nonprofit organizations that are providing childcare and early learning services, or supporting social connections and positive support activities for youth.

CPR grant requests may be as high as $50,000 per grantee. Approvals are prioritized as follows:

• Operational funding, supplies, equipment and other program costs for nonprofit organizations that are trying to minimize exposure for high-risk groups while meeting their basic needs.

• Operational funding, supplies, equipment and other program costs for nonprofit organizations that are working to secure basic needs for all residents (i.e. food banks, homeless prevention program utility and rent payments).

• Operational funding, supplies, equipment and other program costs for licensed nonprofit organizations that are providing childcare and early learning services.

• Operational funding, supplies, equipment and other program costs for nonprofit organizations supporting social connections and positive support activities for youth.

Nonprofit organizations offering services to Mat-Su residents may apply for CPR grants online at www.healthymatsu.org.

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Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org.

Wasilla, Alaska – The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) has welcomed four new members to its Board of Directors: Raelynn Danielowksi, Greg Jones, Philip Licht and Lisa Smayda.

Danielowski is a lifelong Alaskan with 23 years in the Mat-Su. She has a wealth of finance experience in the energy sector and currently works as the assistant financial controller at Matanuska Telephone Association (MTA). She is a current member of the MTA Investment Committee. She graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance.

Jones’ previous work experience has ranged across entrepreneurship, organization building, management of both large and small organizations, and public policy. More recently, Greg served as the interim CEO for the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and was subsequently appointed a trustee. Greg is currently a member of the Connect Mat-Su Steering Committee and has previously served on the boards of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission, Anchorage Board of Examiners and Appeals, Special Olympics of Alaska, Alaska Academic Decathlon, Anchorage Home Builders Association, Great Land Trust and the Covenant House Site Selection Committee. He attended the University of Alaska for a time and graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1970.

Smayda has lived in Alaska since 1978 and became a resident of the Mat-Su in 1991. The majority of her 44-year career was spent working in the medical field as a registered nurse in the Mat-Su and rural Alaska. Lisa is on the Mat-Su Senior Services Board of Directors and previously served on the board for the Denali Kid Care pilot program, as well as on the advisory boards for Holy Family Catholic Church and Saint Michael’s Catholic Church. Lisa earned a nursing diploma in 1976 from the Charity Hospital School of Nursing in New Orleans and went on to complete a Pastoral Leadership Program at Gonzaga University in 1997.

Licht is a lifelong Mat-Su resident who has devoted his life and skills toward improving the health and wellness within the community for the past 20 years and presently works as the executive director of Set Free Alaska. Licht currently serves on the steering committee for ROCK Mat-Su, as well as the board of Recover Alaska and Governor Dunleavy’s Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. In the past, he has served on the boards of Thrive Mat-Su, Mat-Su Agency Partnership, Northgate Alaska and Mat-Su Health and Social Services. He holds a Six Sigma Black Belt certification from Villanova University, and is a licensed and ordained minister.

At the same board meeting where the new members were elected, board officers were named. Lebron McPhail was chosen as chair and Mary Olson as vice-chair. Ken Kincaid was selected to continue in his role of secretary-treasurer.

Service on the Mat-Su Health Foundation Board of Directors is on a volunteer basis. Interested Mat-Su residents may apply through a process that includes a written application and interview. Board members serve an initial three-year term, and each term may be renewed for two additional three-year terms. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org/about/board-of-directors.

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Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org .

Wasilla, Alaska – The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) has promoted Heather Merry to executive assistant and board liaison. In her new role, Merry is responsible for providing executive support to the CEO and for serving as the primary administrative liaison with members of the Mat-Su Health Foundation Board of Directors.

Merry joined the MSHF in 2013 in the role of administrative assistant. In the years since then she has taken on additional duties at various times, including assisting with scholarship applications and backfilling for the previous executive assistant while that person was acting in an interim position elsewhere in the organization. She came to the MSHF with a proven background in administrative support. She previously worked as a senior clerical specialist for a telecommunications company and as a secretary for an aviation firm. Merry attended the University of Alaska Anchorage and graduated from Bartlett High School in Anchorage.

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Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org .

Wasilla, Alaska – Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) employee Amy Gorn has been selected for a fellowship in the Terrance Keenan Institute for Emerging Leaders in Health Philanthropy. The institute is conducted by Grantmakers In Health (GIH) to nurture the next generation of health grantmaking leaders and further their professional development. Gorn serves as MSHF’s program officer in the Healthy Families focus area and will continue in this role concurrently with the fellowship.

The Terrance Keenan Institute for Emerging Leaders in Health Philanthropy focuses on leadership development, exploration of critical issues facing philanthropy, and building collegial connections that can endure throughout fellows’ careers, using a retreat-like format that includes a mix of structured discussions and unstructured networking. To support ongoing professional connections among the fellows, GIH provides additional opportunities for them to connect with and learn from one another throughout the year.

“Under Amy’s leadership in the Healthy Families focus area, the foundation has made several significant investments in systems improvements and granting to support community connections, early childhood learning, and prevention,” said MSHF CEO Elizabeth Ripley, “We’re excited for her.”

In her role as a program officer, Gorn works toward making sure all families in the Mat-Su are well-cared for, protected, thriving and successful. She earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and communication from College of Saint Benedict/St. John’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and graduated as a White-Riley-Peterson Fellow for afterschool policy through Furman University in 2019. Prior to moving to Wasilla, she lived and worked in rural Alaska and spent several years supporting tribal communities with the non-profit RurAL CAP. In addition, Gorn is chair of the Governor-appointed Alaska Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and sits on the Board of Directors for the KNOM Radio Mission in Nome, Alaska.

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Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services.  More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org.