Parting Thoughts and Reflections from Four Fantastic Board Members

The Healthcare Foundation is fortunate to have an outstanding Board of Directors. As an organization committed to health justice, we and the communities we serve continue to benefit enormously from the diverse range of experience and expertise brought to this work by our Board. The Healthcare Foundation has grown in knowledge and impact through the participation of every member.

As four members of our Board prepare to step down at the end of this month, we asked them for any thoughts they wished to share with the Healthcare Foundation’s community of grantees, partners, and supporters. 

We are pleased to share their reflections on the mission they have helped to advance and on the Healthcare Foundation’s evolving role in the region’s health ecosystem.

We are eternally grateful for their service.

Courtney Cochran (2019–2024)

What brought you to serve with the Healthcare Foundation and what has motivated you during your time on the Board?

I was recruited as a volunteer on the Marketing & Communications Committee by Ariel Kelley, a Board member at the time. I was a volunteer for several years before joining the Board. I worked on the logo redesign and evolved messaging for the Foundation, which were great projects with which to immerse myself in the brand and its values, ahead of stepping onto the Board. The daughter of a healthcare fundraiser, I was always motivated by the cause — and over time, the people became a reason to deepen my commitment, eventually serving as Vice Chair and then Chair, and now head of the Fund Development Committee. From fellow Board members to staff and stakeholders, I’ve met the most incredible people during my nine years with the Foundation; they’ve broadened my perspective, motivated me to perform my best, and lifted me up personally.

How has the Healthcare Foundation evolved during your time on the Board?

The Emergency Response grants during Covid ushered in a timely focus on trust-based philanthropy, which allows grantees and frontline grassroots nonprofits to immediately put funds into action, without focusing excessively on red tape and reporting to justify use of funds. This means that when our community and its most vulnerable needed support, the Foundation was there to help bridge gaps in funding and ensure services continued. An increased emphasis on equity is also a hallmark of this period, and was a pillar of our last strategic plan. I am delighted to see new ED Amy Ramirez continue this work, drawing on her background as a social worker, which shaped her appreciation for elevating dignity and uplifting the shared needs and qualities we all have as humans. Finally, a growing emphasis on advocacy, which former ED Kim Bender championed, sets up the Foundation to grow its relevance and impact beyond our service area, while deepening the sustainability of our work and the resilience of our community.

What message would you like to leave your fellow Board members with? 

It really comes down to the people more than any particular moment — especially considering my tenure spans nearly a decade! Former Board member and Chair Scott Hafner is a mentor. He kept me motivated and with the big picture in mind countless times with his sage advice and funny aphorisms (a favorite is “no good deed goes unpunished” when thanking a fellow volunteer for something, before politely asking them to do more). Board Chair alums Mary Ellen Smith and Barbara Grasseschi also have offered wonderful advice and continued support of the organization, which speaks to the Foundation’s longevity and staying power as a brand and institution. Corazón Healdsburg ED Marcy Flores is always a delight and I’ve enjoyed watching her grow in her role with that organization, a grantee of the Foundation, and amplify rapport and excellence. I could go on and on — how much time do we have???

In terms of the mission and momentum of the Healthcare Foundation, what are you most optimistic about looking ahead to 2025 and beyond?

I’m excited for the Foundation to embrace the work around health advocacy, which is a force multiplier that advances the organization’s mission and impact. We are still learning in this area, and will need to stay humble and focused on excellence and best practices. Crucially, this work cannot be done in a silo. Advancing in this area necessitates we deepen our role in the community as convener and facilitator among stakeholders including grassroots service organizations — and this is exactly where the Foundation excels. I can’t wait to see this work come to fruition, and hope you’ll all consider deepening your engagement with the Foundation as we collectively work to eliminate health inequities in northern Sonoma County. Thank you, everyone! It’s been an absolute honor to be a part of the Foundation and its extended family.

Danielle Restieaux (2019–2024)

What brought you to serve with the Healthcare Foundation and what has motivated you during your time on the Board?

I was introduced to the Healthcare Foundation when I moved to Healdsburg in the summer of 2015. I had just graduated from Columbia University with my master’s degree in Science, Social Work, and moved out of my beloved New York City. I didn’t know many people in Sonoma County. I was brought as a guest to the first “Wine, Women, and Shoes” fundraiser. I had a great time, and I was very touched by the Foundation’s humanistic cause. 

The following year, I became a volunteer for the event, gathering items for “The Keys to the Closet” raffle portion, which gave me the opportunity to meet local small business owners, many of whom I’m dear friends with today. When the new executive director, Debbie Mason, asked me to join the Board and explained how I could contribute to the Healthcare Foundation’s wonderful mission and initiatives, I joined up! That was 6 years ago. Time flies when you’re having fun with inspiring people doing life-changing work!

How has the Healthcare Foundation evolved during your time on the Board? What are you most proud of?

Since joining the Board, the Healthcare Foundation has realigned its mission to meet the needs of our community and its members where they are, and to rise to the challenges health injustice and inequity pose. I’m proud of my work on the Programs Committee. Granting money on a trust basis and witnessing the physical and mental health of our community members improve through increased access, education, and services, as well as through the brilliant graduates of the Mental Health Talent Pipeline, who provide bicultural, bilingual mental health services in northern Sonoma County, has been one of the thrills of my life. I’m also proud to have been on the event committee every year since 2016, having the honor of chairing it in 2024. Each year brought creativity, passion, generosity, and multicultural celebration together to raise money for health access, equity and justice in a truly beautiful, inclusive, and joyful way.

What message would you like to leave your fellow Board members with? 

It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work with each and every one of my fellow Board members. We have always been an evolving group that has never failed to maintain a culture of compassion, respect, humor, and support. I have great memories of how we all showed up during the COVID-19 epidemic, when no one could show up in person. From the Zoom meetings that included encouragement, jokes, silly headwear, and one of the best hot toddies I’ve ever had (Thanks Peter McAweeney!), to our 2020 online event that brought many together and raised money to immediately help mitigate the pandemic’s horrible effects on the most vulnerable members of our community, we all truly rose to the occasion together. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work beside and learn so much from you all.

What are you most optimistic about looking ahead to 2025 and beyond?

I’m very optimistic about the future of the Foundation because of its historical and continuing ability to pivot and adapt to the real time health and mental health needs of our community. From Debbie Mason to Kim Bender, and now Amy Ramirez, the leadership of the Foundation has been and remains strong. Mary Ott’s and Hanna Scramaglia’s dedication to our cause, determined spirits, and ever-growing professional strengths have been and hopefully will continue to be a major asset to the Foundation and the community at large. I look forward to seeing all that the Foundation accomplishes in the future and stand ready to continue my support to make northern Sonoma County a shining example of health access, justice, and equity.

Gary Barth (2022–2024)

What has motivated you during your time on the Board?

I was very appreciative of the personal exposure to community leaders and innovators who would be invited to our monthly board meetings. I gained so much from hearing directly from individuals with a personal need to improve the health and mental well-being of our residents. It was so much more impactful than reading about their efforts.

What are you most proud of?

The constant exposure to Trust-Based Philanthropy was a real tonic for me. The quick response we could have to granting money without requiring documentation and quarterly reports was liberating for small community organizations that did not have a paid development director. And the Board itself had amazing experience in so many of the needed fields—that made us more able to direct money and advice to new organizations that were gaining traction in their efforts to help. Finally, the Mental Health Talent Pipeline was a seminal, brilliant program that will yield benefits for years to come.

Darnell Bowen (2022-2024)

What brought you to serve with the Healthcare Foundation and what has motivated you during your time on the Board?

Our nonprofit Nuestra Comunidad and the Healthcare Foundation operate in the same geographic area; therefore, I was very familiar with the Foundation and its mission. I was invited to join the board by a former coworker of mine Kathi Safford.

What are you most proud of in the work done during your time on the Board?

I am most proud of the Mental Health Talent Pipeline and its ongoing mission to serve the community by providing exceptional, culturally relevant mental health support to traditionally underserved communities.

What message would you like to leave your fellow Board members with? 

To remember the mission of the organization and the community members that will benefit most from the efforts of the Healthcare Foundation.

In terms of the mission and momentum of the Healthcare Foundation, what are you most optimistic about looking ahead to 2025 and beyond?  

We have a fantastic, qualified staff that is exceptionally prepared to meet the changing landscape of philanthropic endeavors — led by a diverse, competent and engaged board of directors.