“Over the past two years, the Trust has shifted its strategy to have a greater impact on the people Mrs. Reynolds asked us to serve by focusing our investments on changing the systems that have intentionally held people back and bringing an equity lens to everything we do,” said Dr. Laura Gerald, president of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. “Promoting Adam Linker to the critical role of director of programs and hiring Madison Allen, who has an extensive background in fighting for immigrants’ rights, rounds out our outstanding program team. This increases our capacity to support thriving communities and residents, equitable access to care, and equitable health outcomes.”
As director of programs, Adam will serve as a key strategist and oversee and coordinate the program team as they work to improve the health and quality of life for residents with low incomes. He will serve on the leadership team and work across Trust departments to support the overall mission and vision of the foundation and achieve strategic goals. He will also oversee and manage the grantmaking process and lead the program team as it works to invest in systems change work that increases equitable access to health, education, and economic opportunity.
As senior program officer, Madison will work deeply in community, build relationships across sectors, and participate in grantmaking that focuses on improving the health and well-being of residents with low incomes, communities of color, and areas that have been marginalized. She will also support the Trust’s work around Healthy Places NC, a 10-year, $100 million effort to improve health in some of the state’s most vibrant yet under-resourced rural counties.
Adam joined the Trust in 2016 as Health Improvement program officer. Over the past four years, Adam has played a leadership role in developing grantmaking strategies, building the capacity of rural leaders, and growing the Trust’s portfolio of grantees led by people of color and rural residents. He is an expert on the Affordable Care Act and the Medicaid coverage gap and has spent years advocating for health care policies that benefit residents who lack health insurance and access to quality, affordable health care.
“I am excited about the direction of the Trust as we deepen our commitment to access and equity under Dr. Gerald’s leadership,” said Adam. “I am also proud of the incredible team we are assembling to better our state and advance the legacy and vision of Ms. Kate. “
Prior to joining the Trust, Adam served as the co-director of the North Carolina Justice Center’s Health Care Access Coalition. He holds a master’s degree in African American history from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He grew up in Raleigh and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an undergraduate. Adam and his wife live in Greensboro with their children.
Madison is an attorney who has spent her career advocating for improving access to health care at the local, state, and federal levels through direct client representation, community outreach, and policy advocacy efforts. At CLASP, Madison is the co-lead for the Protecting Immigrant Families, Advancing Our Future Campaign with the National Immigration Law Center. She coordinates advocacy efforts to fight policy proposals that harm immigrant families and is a national speaker on legal, child, immigrant, and anti-poverty issues.
“In my work with immigrants and people with low incomes, I have seen first hand how difficult it is to navigate our current systems and how many individuals are left completely out of public benefits programs that could reduce economic hardship and improve health,” said Madison. “I’m passionate about having an impact on the community where I live, and joining the Trust gives me the opportunity to continue fighting for systems change and to be a part of a foundation that has a vision of addressing inequities and advocating for change.”
Before joining CLASP in 2018, Madison, who is bi-lingual, was a staff attorney at the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy where she represented English and Spanish-speaking clients in public benefits and health care access cases. She negotiated changes to the Medicaid eligibility manual that resulted in increased access for thousands of immigrant children and pregnant women with low incomes. Madison holds a JD from Tulane University Law School and a bachelor’s degree in public health from George Washington University. She is looking forward to living in Greensboro with her husband and daughter.