Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg Welcomes New Board of Trustee Members

Jan 30, 2020News

The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg is excited to welcome new members to its Board of Trustees. The new appointees will join a group of community leaders who lend their collective passion, expertise, and insight in support of the Foundation’s mission to achieve racial and health equity in South Pinellas County.

“The next chapter in the Foundation’s history in launching the Center for Health Equity requires individuals with an interest in race and health equity, demonstrated leadership, and an investment in ending differences in health due to social and systemic racism” says Randall H. Russell, President and CEO. “Our Board of Trustees has selected six new Trustees whose range of knowledge, skills and experience will advance and accelerate the mission of the Foundation.”

The new Trustee members are:

• Marianne Edmonds: Senior Managing Director of Public Resources Advisory Group (PRAG), an independent financial advisory firm serving state and local governments, their agencies and authorities.
• Michael C. Funsch, CFA: partner and financial advisor with RBC Wealth Management in St. Petersburg. Mr. Funsch’s local leadership roles include the St. Petersburg Museum of History and Pinellas County Economic Development Council.
• Sharon L. Gardner: collaborator with national and international mid-sized business clients who she supports with strategic planning and leadership development. Locally, Ms. Gardner has served in community leadership roles for The Stuart Society at the Museum of Fine Arts and Canterbury School of Florida.
• Rev. Kenneth F. Irby: Director of Community Intervention and Juvenile Outreach for the St. Petersburg Police Department. Rev. Irby also served with distinction at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and directed the nationally recognized middle school academic enrichment and mentoring program The Write Field.
• Kelly Kirschner: Vice President and Dean of Executive and Continuing Education at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida since 2012. He leads and oversees the division’s Leadership Development Institute, a network affiliate of the Center for Creative Leadership.
• Lorna Taylor: President and CEO of Premier Eye Care, a leading expert in national managed eye care that provides services and administration of everything from routine vision exams to complex ocular surgical procedures. Taylor is also a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary with a master’s degree in divinity, concentrating on social ethics.

The new Trustees will join existing members of the Foundation Board:

• Dr. Katurah Jenkins-Hall, Board Chair. Dr. Jenkins-Hall is a licensed psychologist and Executive Pastor at New Dawn Restoration Center, Tampa. She was the first African-American female to receive her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of South Florida in 1984. Dr. Jenkins-is known for her impact in the St. Petersburg community.
• Dr. Donna Petersen, Vice Chair. Dr. Petersen is the Dean of the College of Public Health and Senior Associate Vice President, USF Health, at the University of South Florida. She is currently Editor Emerita of the Maternal and Child Health Journal, founding member and past president of the National Board of Public Health Examiners, Chair of the Council on Education for Public Health and Chair-Elect of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.
• Emery M. Ivery, Secretary and Treasurer. Mr. Ivery is the Tampa Bay Area President of the United Way Suncoast, using his 30 years with the organization to provide regional leadership to address root causes of community issues.
• Imam Askia Muhammad Aquil is a longtime activist, social reformer and community builder leading mosques and Islamic centers across the South. He currently serves in leadership roles at the African American Business Foundation and the Pinellas County Job Corps Community Relations Council Board
• Charles Harris is a shareholder at Trenam Law and the managing shareholder of its St. Petersburg office. He has served on various boards including Dali Museum, St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and the Pinellas Education Foundation.
• Karen Wolchuck-Sher is an independent management consultant for senior executive leaders in academic medical centers, health systems and post-acute settings. Previously, Karen was a senior member of Ernst & Young.

About the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg

The Foundation for a Health St. Petersburg is a private foundation working with the communities of Pinellas County to eradicate inequality, achieve health equity, and improve population health. The Foundation inspires and empowers people, organizations, ideas, and relationships to ensure that every person equitably achieves optimal health and well-being.