The North Carolina Healthcare Foundation (NCHF) is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the North Carolina Healthcare Association. Established in 1961, the Foundation supports the Association’s work in quality improvement, patient safety and rural health care. In recent years, the Foundation has served as a pathway for the Association to:
- Convene member hospitals and their community partners to address social determinants of health
- Advocate for rural hospitals to provide essential services
- Support innovative data-driven initiatives to improve healthcare
- Address barriers to establishing a high-quality behavioral health system across the state
NCHA Staff Contact
Julia Wacker, MSW, MSPH
President, Foundation
Executive Director, CaroNova
919-677-4171
jwacker@ncha.org
Foundation Mission
To foster and accelerate the collective impact of hospitals, health systems, and community partners to improve the health of North Carolinians.
- Phyllis Wingate, Board Chair, Former President & SVP North Division (retired)| Atrium Health
- Greg Lowe, Board Chair Elect, President | HCA, NC Division
- Juan Austin, Senior VP, Community Relations | Wells Fargo Foundation
- Vanessa Ervin, MBA, MRA, President & CEO | Carobell, Inc.
- Greg Gombar, Former Executive VP & CFO (retired) | CHS
- Lin Hollowell III, Director, Healthcare | The Duke Endowment
- Stephen J. Lawler, President & CEO | NCHA
- Chuck Mantooth, FACHE, President & CEO | ARHS
- Allen Smart, Principal | PhilanthropywoRx
- Lynda Stanley, CEO | Dosher Memorial Hospital
- Michael C. Tarwater, FACHE, Director & Senior Advisor | The Leon Levine Foundation
- Michael R. Waldrum, MD, CEO | Vidant Health
Jill Armbruster – Senior Director of Communications; jarmbruster@ncha.org
Chelsea Bednarz – Population Health Performance Improvement Specialist; cbednarz@ncha.org
Ellen Carroll – Director of Program Design; efahey@ncha.org
Sarah Cavaiani – Grants & Programs Associate; scavaiani@ncha.org
LaPonda Edmondson – Vice President, Foundation; Director of Evaluation; ledmondson@ncha.org
Jessica Foster – Opioid Program Manager; jfoster@ncha.org
Melanie Grafals – Equity Data Program Manager; mgrafals@ncha.org
Daisy Hensley – Executive Assistant; dhensley@ncha.org
Dean Higgins – Senior Director of Operations; dhiggins@ncha.org
Jai Kumar – Senior Director of Program Design; jkumar@ncha.org
Shelby Lassiter – Director, Quality & Patient Safety; slassiter@ncha.org
Anabelle League – Program Manager; adurham@ncha.org
Shakeerah McCoy – Director, Rural Health Innovation; smccoy@ncha.org
Yvonne Mosley – Quality Performance Improvement Specialist; ymosley@ncha.org
Emily Roland – State Director, CaroNova; State Director, Implementation Team; eroland@ncha.org
Miriam Tardif-Douglin – Research & Policy Analyst; mdouglin@ncha.org
Trish Vandersea – Director, Performance Improvement; tvandersea@ncha.org
Julia Wacker – President, Foundation; Executive Director, CaroNova; jwacker@ncha.org
Madison Ward-Willis – Program Manager, CaroNova; mward@ncha.org
