Wasilla, Alaska – Mat-Su Health Foundation Vice President of Programs Dr. Melissa Kemberling has been selected for the prestigious Change Leaders in Philanthropy Fellowship. This national program is conducted by Grantmakers for Effective Organization (GEO). It is a 10-month peer cohort program for senior executives who are responsible for developing and guiding key change efforts in their organizations.

Participants in the Change Leaders in Philanthropy Fellowship program explore what it takes to lead transformational change through an individual, organizational and ecosystem lens. Participants convene in-person and virtually with one another to learn, share resources and apply insights to their work in real time. Fellows also identify best practices and recommendations for creating organizational conditions that lead to smarter grantmaking. These practices, informed by fellows’ experiences and related research, will be shared broadly with the field to support other leaders and build greater knowledge of leading change in philanthropy.

“I’m excited for this opportunity to learn how the Mat-Su Health Foundation can increase its effectiveness at supporting a community where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life by focusing on celebrating diversity, promoting equity, and seeking inclusion at every stage in our grant making process and other work,” said Dr. Kemberling.

In her role as vice president of programs Dr. Kemberling oversees grants, scholarships, and community systems change, and manages research and evaluation for the Mat-Su Health Foundation. She began her career as a pediatric physical therapist in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Boston City Hospital in Massachusetts, as well as working in local schools. Melissa holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Tulane University and a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University.During graduate school she worked as an education director at a Head Start Program in northern Manhattan and was a Center for Women in Policy Fellow at SUNY Albany.Her career in public health began with international work evaluating HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in Central America, as well as health clinics in Trinidad and Tobago.When she first arrived in Alaska she taught in the Sociology Department at UAA.She also spent six years at the Alaska Native Epidemiology Center at ANTHC where she served as the Senior Epidemiologist.

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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 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 .