Wasilla, Alaska — The Mat-Su Health Foundation has announced leadership changes for R.O.C.K. Mat-Su (Raising Our Children with Kindness). Kathryn Swartz will serve R.O.C.K. Mat-Su’s interim director for the next six months, and Lindsay Prunella has been promoted to the position of operations manager.

R.O.C.K. Mat-Su is a collaborative of community members who have joined together to promote family resilience and reduce child maltreatment. R.O.C.K. Mat-Su works to build social supports, eliminate silos, and influence systems that affect kids and families throughout the borough, all in support of achieving the goal of ending child abuse in Mat-Su.

In Kathryn’s temporary role with R.O.C.K. Mat-Su, she will lead the R.O.C.K. Mat-Su staff and work with steering committee members and community partners to keep the collaborative moving forward until a new director is hired. Kathryn comes to R.O.C.K. Mat-Su from her permanent position with the Mat-Su Health Foundation where she serves as special assistant to the CEO and board liaison. Kathryn was previously a consultant for the World Bank. She received a Ford Foundation Social Justice fellowship and worked for the Cultural Heritage and Education Institute in Fairbanks. She earned a Master of Arts degree in international development studies and anthropology from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology/anthropology and Spanish from Kalamazoo College.

Lindsay Prunella has been with the R.O.C.K. Mat-Su staff since 2017 and was recently promoted to operations manager. In this role, Lindsay will help advance the mission of R.O.C.K. Mat-Su by working with the director to set strategic goals and make operational decisions, manage the Youth Leadership Board, support R.O.C.K. Mat-Su’s community partners, develop and implement communications strategies, and manage grant requirements. Lindsay was previously R.O.C.K. Mat-Su’s program coordinator. Prior to that she was employed as director of a community coalition and prevention specialist in Michigan. She was also a behavioral health clinician and coalition coordinator at Alaska Community Island Services in Wrangell, Alaska. Lindsay earned a Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in interdisciplinary studies.

###

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 and protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution through board oversight.MSHF invests its assets into charitable works that improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in Mat-Su.More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org .