Richmond Memorial Health Foundation

08/17/2026

We’re proud to support this work. Thank you to everyone helping advance this important effort and strengthen health and well-being in our community.

We’re honored to be part of it.

07/07/2026

You may remember that last year we announced that Fred Karnas, PhD, a former Senior Fellow with us, would briefly rejoin the staff as our Older Adults Initiatives Fellow. His role with RMHF officially ended in June, so we invited Fred to reflect on his recent work, what he's learned, and the challenges and opportunities facing our region's older adult population. You can read his article here: https://rmhfoundation.org/resource/reflections-from-fred-karnas-fellow-for-older-adults-initiatives/

It was a pleasure to work with Fred again, and we want to thank him for everything he's done to support RMHF’s mission to advance health, racial, and ethnic equity.

[...]Read More

07/02/2026

We are proud to highlight the extraordinary work of CrossOver Healthcare Ministry as a part of our "Voices from the Region" series!

CrossOver has served the community since 1983, providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to uninsured and Medicaid patients. You can read the full article, featuring CrossOver CEO Julie Bilodeau and Director of HIV Services Dr. Vivian Bruzzese, here: https://rmhfoundation.org/resource/voices-from-the-region-crossover-healthcare-ministry/

You can read all past entries in the "Voices from the Region" series on the RMHF website.

06/30/2026

RMHF President & CEO, Reginald "Reggie" Gordon, Esq., recently sat down with two Richmond Public Schools students for the RPS Alumni Stories series, sharing the journey that shaped his life in public service. Reggie's path — from Thomas Jefferson High School to Duke, Howard Law, and ultimately back to Richmond — is a testament to what it means to lead with purpose.

Reggie credits his RPS education, and a simple chance reconnection with a mentor, for opening the door to a career devoted to equity, justice, and community. Today, that commitment drives everything he does at Richmond Memorial Health Foundation.

His advice to the next generation? "Follow what you know moves you, gives you energy, or inspires you."

🔗 Read the full story here: https://www.rps.fund/alumni-stories

05/28/2026

Richmond Memorial Health Foundation is pleased to share this webinar opportunity for our nonprofit community.

Join Warren Whitney & Woods Rogers for a 90-minute session covering two topics every Virginia nonprofit leader should have on their radar:

⚖️ Virginia Nonprofit Employers' Mid-Year Legal Update: Attorneys Leah Stiegler and Alex Liubinskas of Woods Rogers will highlight recent employment law changes and key takeaways from the Virginia General Assembly's latest legislation.

📋 Moving Toward Equity: 2026 Compensation, Benefits & Work Culture Report: HR Consultant Esther Nand of Warren Whitney will guide attendees through salary benchmarking data and trends in compensation, benefits, recruitment, retention, and workplace culture.

Both sessions include live Q&A.

🗓️ Choose your date:
• Monday, June 8 | 2:00–3:30 p.m. Register here: fb8d79bd-6a4d-460e-a71d-8f189a8a6de5@47045ffa-3925-403b-9379-b8ecc64767cf" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/fb8d79bd-6a4d-460e-a71d-8f189a8a6de5@47045ffa-3925-403b-9379-b8ecc64767cf
• Wednesday, June 10 | 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Register here: 937c5d66-ab14-44e8-9d26-0ef70a8af200@47045ffa-3925-403b-9379-b8ecc64767cf" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/937c5d66-ab14-44e8-9d26-0ef70a8af200@47045ffa-3925-403b-9379-b8ecc64767cf

05/11/2026

We're so proud to celebrate Vanessa Walker-Harris, MD, as a YWCA 2026 Outstanding Women Awards honoree in Health & Science! 🎉

Dr. Walker-Harris has dedicated her career to advancing public health and racial justice across Virginia, from her current role as Director of the Office of Family Health Services at the Virginia Department of Health, to her leadership on the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation Board of Trustees.

Her commitment to health equity and building a healthier, more just Commonwealth for all Virginians is an inspiration. Congratulations, Dr. Walker-Harris! 👏

Introducing Vanessa Walker-Harris, MD, 2026 Outstanding Women Awards honoree in Health & Science category!

Vanessa Walker Harris, MD, is a dynamic public health leader dedicated to advancing health and racial justice. She currently serves as Director of the Office of Family Health Services at the Virginia Department of Health, where she cultivates a culture of collaboration and innovation to strengthen programs in maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, injury and violence prevention, and nutrition security. Grounded in her core strengths of integration, convening, and coaching, she works to build alignment across diverse stakeholders and systems, with the goal of ensuring that all Virginians have a fair and just opportunity to achieve optimal health and well-being.

Dr. Walker Harris previously served as Secretary of Health and Human Resources under Governor Ralph Northam, where she championed equitable access to high-quality healthcare alongside the social supports necessary for individuals and communities to thrive. She advanced to this role after serving as Deputy Secretary, where she played a key role in addressing maternal health inequities across the Commonwealth. Her leadership spans public health, policy, and philanthropy, with deep experience in program administration, strategic planning, budget management, and the development and implementation of health equity–focused policy.

Beyond her governmental service, Dr. Walker Harris has demonstrated catalytic leadership in the nonprofit sector, including as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation. In this role, she has helped deepen the organization’s focus on policy and advocacy, civic engagement, and community power-building in pursuit of a more equitable and healthy Richmond region. Across all of her work, she leverages her expertise to promote civic engagement and support the next generation of public health professionals (continued in comments).

05/08/2026

Tanya Gonzalez, Senior Policy Advisor at RMHF, recently served as a panelist at the 11th Annual Outstanding Women Awards Leadership Forum Breakfast. 🌟

Tanya was joined by fellow panelists Eucharia Anigbo-Jackson (Founder, Ukay Collection), Aurelia Lewis (Founder, Lewis Media), moderated by the accomplished Judy Pahren (Retired, Capital One), for a powerful conversation perfectly aligned with this year's theme: 'Trailblazers: Women Leading the Way Forward.'

To more than 130 women in the audience, these four leaders brought courage, clarity, and vulnerability in equal measure. The insights they shared weren't just inspiring, they were a call to action.

As we are getting ready for the 46th Outstanding Women Awards luncheon next week to celebrate the Class of 2026, we are reflecting back to the OWA Leadership Forum Breakfast and the wisdom and insight our panelists shared with the audience.

We especially loved how each panelist answered the question, “What advice would you give to your younger self?” Tanya Gonzalez, Senior Policy Advisor for responded, “Ámate con toda tu fuerza (Love yourself with all of your strength).” Sharing this beautiful reminder and words of encouragement to all trailblazers working to make a difference.

05/05/2026

What a conversation. 🙌

Last Friday, Reggie Gordon, RMHF President & CEO, joined fellow leaders as a panelist at the 18th Annual Best Practices to End Homelessness Conference.

The panel tackled two big questions at the heart of where homeless services are headed:

💬 How do we navigate change and keep showing up for the people who need us most?
💬 What's one effort already in motion that can shift the future for people in our community?

Real change starts with honest conversations.

05/01/2026

RMHF Trustee, Rudene Mercer Haynes, was honored earlier this week by Leadership Metro Richmond receiving the Ukrop Community Vision Award. The Ukrop Community Vision Award honors an alum who exemplifies the spirit of LMR by taking the lessons of LMR to heart and acting on them, demonstrating genuine concern and respect for others, embracing inclusion, serving before leading, and creating solutions which resulted in positive change in our region. Rudene brings all of these attributes to her role on our Board and we are grateful for her service and incredible insights.

Thank you for all you do in the Richmond community, Rudene!

Pictured: Natisha Knight (RMHF Program Officer), Rudene Mercer Haynes

04/30/2026

🌟 This National Volunteer Month, we’re proud to see one of our own recognized.

Serve Virginia recently honored Tanya Gonzalez for her commitment to service—and at Richmond Memorial Health Foundation, we couldn’t agree more. She’s a true servant-leader.

👏 Congratulations, Tanya!

This Volunteer Week we would like to recognize Tanya Gonzalez - an outstanding volunteer and one of Serve Virginia's 2026 Winter Honor Roll Honorees.

Tanya equates her dedication to service to her desire to make everyone feel welcomed. “Since growing up on the Texas-Mexican border, I was raised to welcome people” Tanya shares.

Read more about her story of service here: https://servevirginia.org/stories-of-service/tanya-gonzalez/