It is with happiness and regret that the Board of The Foundation for a Healthy High Point (FHHP) and I, as Chair, share the news that our Executive Director, Tina Markanda, has accepted the position of Executive Director at The Cannon Foundation, a statewide private independent foundation established in 1943 by Charles A. Cannon. The Foundation supports non-profit organizations in the areas of healthcare, higher education, social services, and others. The Cannon Foundation has assets of approximately $250 M and distributes approximately $10 M annually throughout North Carolina.
Selfishly, we are saddened to see Tina leave us, but this is a wonderful opportunity for her, and we have been so blessed to have her guiding our efforts over the past six years. Tina joined our Foundation in 2014 as its inaugural CEO and worked closely with the founding Board to establish our organization, strategy, and develop its grantmaking efforts, which include the Healthy Beginnings Initiative, Capacity Building programs, and early efforts to study behavioral health issues in Greater High Point, which led to the development of the Healthy Minds Initiative. In the midst of this, she also helped us navigate our responsibility for oversight of the sale of High Point Medical Center. Tina’s service to our organization and our community and her execution of our mission has been impeccable.
The Executive Committee and Personnel Committee has engaged the firm of Armstrong McGuire to conduct the search for a new Executive Director. We anticipate a candidate will be selected by the end of this year.
Tina will join The Cannon Foundation in early Fall and will continue to assist The Foundation for a Healthy High Point during this period of transition. In the meantime, with the assistance of m+r interim solutions, a division of moss+ross, FHHP has engaged Allen J. Smart as Interim Executive Director. We are excited to have Allen join us and guide us through our transition as we conduct a search for a new Executive Director. We are so fortunate to have found someone with his level of experience in foundation work in executive capacities, specializing in healthcare, whose home is the Triad.
All grantmaking strategies will continue for the balance of 2020 to which the Foundation has committed.
Please reference our website for more details and contact information.
Leah Penry Price
Board Chair
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point