Green Tree Health Community Health Foundation announces new executive director

by Sue Ann Rybak

The Green Tree Community Health Foundation, a local nonprofit working to improve the health of our community, announced that Mt. Airy resident Bethany Flood, would be their new executive director upon retirement of their longtime President/CEO, Susan M. Hansen.

Flood, who joined the nonprofit in 2013 as a grant writer, officially assumed her new position on July 16.

John Rollins, board chair at Green Tree Community Health Foundation, said the nonprofit is excited that Flood has “accepted the opportunity” to become their executive director.

“This is a very exciting time for Green Tree Community Health Foundation, with both growing health needs among our neighbors, and stronger partners and grantees to help them,” he said. “Bethany has been in the middle of our grant making process for more than five years, and is ideally qualified to lead us to greater levels of community support.”

“I have had the pleasure of working for Green Tree during the last five and half years,” said Flood, 40.  “Now, I am very excited to step into this position and lead us forward as we seek to address the great health needs within this community. I really hope people feel free to stop in the office, ask questions, and join us as we partner with local organizations to address our health needs here.”

Prior to joining the foundation, Flood, who has more than 10 years of experience in development and family social work, held positions at ACHIEVEability and Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission. She also worked as an adjunct professor in Chestnut Hill College's Undergraduate Psychology Department.

When asked what drew her to the Green Tree Community Health Foundation, she replied it offered her the opportunity to use her skills to help people that live in her community.

“Many people within our community face health challenges every day,” she said. “It could be you or it could be your neighbor. Green Tree Community Health Foundation works to ameliorate those burdens by partnering with the local organizations addressing the health needs of our community. We strive to make aging in place an opportunity for everyone, eliminate hunger and food insecurity, and to make sure children receive the health care they need to grow into healthy adults. Each of these goals is significant not only in size and scope, but in its personal connection. We all know someone who could use a meal to sustain them, or visit to stave off loneliness or isolation, or a child who needs preventive care. Every single dollar raised answers these needs and more, here, within our own community.”

Flood invited the community to attend the foundation's next Community Conversation, where they will discuss Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs), and how they affect children in our community, and what is being done to address them. She added that more information will be available on their website and in the Local closer to the event.

While the nonprofit is welcoming Flood to her new role as executive director, they are also saying goodbye to Hansen.

In an email, Rollins said the foundation has been fortunate to “have had Susan as the first and only President/CEO since its inception in 2005.”

“We thank her for her outstanding leadership and wish her well upon her retirement,” he said. “If you would like to make a donation in honor of Susan's service to the Foundation, go to http://www.greentreecommunityhealth.org/donate.htm.”