Ann F. Monroe has served as president of the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York since it began operation in 2003.

A passion for improving community health in partnership with others drives Ann in her role as Foundation president. Her leadership guides the Foundation in balancing the best practices of health care philanthropy with the local interests and needs of our targeted communities.

With more than 30 years of experience in health and human services, Ann has held leadership positions in both the public and private sector in the fields of mental health, community health, managed care and philanthropy.

Prior to coming to the Foundation, Ann was the director of the quality initiative at the California HealthCare Foundation, an independent philanthropic organization committed to improving California's health care delivery and financing systems.

In addition, Ann was president of MonroeCo Consulting, through which she assisted established and emerging foundations in health and human services. She also spent more than 10 years working as a senior vice president at Blue Cross of California and spearheaded the development of two major independent foundations as part of that plan’s conversion to WellPoint.

Ann is a member of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Team and chairs the Steering Committee of the Western New York Community Health Planning Institute. In addition, she is currently vice chair of the Consensus Standards Approval Committee of the National Quality Forum and a member of the board of the New York eHealth Collaborative.

She previously served as vice chair of Grantmakers in Health, president of Western New York Grantmakers, and a member of the board of directors of The Leapfrog Group and of Leadership Buffalo. Ann was also a founding board member of CaliforniaKids, a provider of health insurance coverage to undocumented children, as well as the California Breast Cancer Treatment Fund, a provider of financial support for uninsured California women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ann holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in human development from the University of Illinois.

Ann lives in the city of Buffalo, is a proud parent and grandmother, and faithful servant to two dogs.

Amber Slichta has worked at the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York since 2004 and was promoted to director of programs in 2009.

In her time at the Foundation, Amber has developed and implemented several major initiatives to improve the lives of children in poverty. She has facilitated many key partnerships and other projects that also further the Foundation’s mission.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Amber was the executive director of HealthforAll of WNY, Inc. where she led an effort to provide insurance subsidies for the working uninsured and their employers. She also served as project manager for the State University of New York at Buffalo’s Department of Family Medicine and as communications manager and organ services coordinator at Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc. In addition, as a registered nurse, she has held positions in critical care and medical surgical nursing.

Amber currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Western New York Center for Transportation Excellence and is a Board Member of the Western New York Grantmakers Association. Amber previously served on the board of the Graycliff Conservancy and volunteered for the Allentown Association in Buffalo, NY.

Amber received an associate degree in applied science/nursing from Trocaire College, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Canisius College and a master’s degree in health services administration from D’Youville College.

She and her husband live in the city of Buffalo and are certified foster parents in Erie County, New York.

Linda Lippert joined the Community Health Foundation as finance and office manager in January 2011. Linda came to the Foundation with a unique skill set in financial and operations management, developed through her work experience in the transportation industry and with high-tech learning centers.

In her role as finance and office manager, Linda is responsible for providing overall financial and accounting support for the organization and overseeing day-to-day office administrative functions.

Linda works with the Foundation’s investment advisors, accountants and auditors to assist them in completing their duties on behalf of the Foundation. Linda also works with several of the Foundation’s Board Committees, including Investment, Finance and Operations, Audit and Governance, to assist the members in completing their assignments.

Linda has served on the Business Advisory Committee of Rochester, an advisory committee to Rochester Rehabilitation Center’s Employment Connection group. Linda is a member of the Women’s Council of Rochester, a Council of the Rochester Business Alliance, Inc., whose mission is to foster good will and promote the civic, commercial, cultural and educational progress of the greater Rochester area. She also is an active member of her church, where she volunteers for the Hospitality Ministry.

Linda has an associate degree in paralegal law and bachelor’s degree in business management and economics, with a concentration in human resource management.

She has three children and currently lives in Stafford, NY.

Kate came to the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York in May 2011. In her position as communications manager, she plays a key role in developing and executing the Foundation’s strategic communications efforts and for supporting and promoting a wide variety of foundation activities and initiatives.

Kate is also an adjunct faculty member at Erie Community College, teaching the public information and risk communication course in the Emergency Management associate degree program.

Before joining the foundation, Kate served as public information officer at Erie Community College and as editor of the Cheektowaga Bee newspaper.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from St. Bonaventure University.

Kate is a resident of Kenmore, NY.

Denise Levy joined the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York in 2006. Originally hired to work on foundation operations, she has since moved to the programming side of the foundation’s work.

Denise has more than 16 years of experience in working in the not-for-profit sector in Western New York. Prior to her work at the foundation, Denise served as the chapter administrator for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Western New York Chapter for more than six years, where she was responsible for managing the chapter’s operations and program delivery. She had started her career in the banking field as a technical business trainer for Marine Midland Mortgage Corp (now HSBC), but after leaving the field, returned to the workforce to join the not-for-profit sector.

Denise currently serves on the Executive Committee for the New York State Public Affairs Committee. She is also a member of the 1999 United Way Board Governance and 2000 Leadership Buffalo classes. She has held numerous leadership positions, including president, in the Junior League of Buffalo and served on the Nominating Committee for the Association of Junior Leagues International.

In addition, she is a member of the Amherst Parent Teacher Student Association and the St. Vincent de Paul Society at her church.

Denise holds a bachelor’s degree in French literature and international studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo, with a certificate from L’Universite de Neuchatel, Switzerland.

Denise lives in Amherst, NY with her husband and three children, who wish they had a dog.

Kara Williams came to the Community Health Foundation in 2010, bringing experience in directing large, complex, community health research, outreach and health services projects. Her knowledge of the Central New York community and expertise in health promotion and children’s health make her a valuable addition to the programming team.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Kara was the director of operations for the Onondaga County Health Department’s Bureau of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. In this role, she directed clinical service delivery and health promotion and policy advocacy programs. In an earlier position at the Onondaga County Health Department, she coordinated tobacco-related policy development and tobacco control activities.

Before returning to Central New York, Kara managed multiple large, community-based participatory research programs with the Division of Community Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. In addition, she directed a health journalism internship, trained law students in mediation and creative problem solving and provided technical assistance to nonprofits in the areas of program evaluation, program planning and grant writing.

She was a fellow of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2009 Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders program and is a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. Kara was honored with the San Diego County Public Health Champion Award in 2006.

Kara holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Vassar College and a Master of Public Health degree from San Diego State University.

A native of Syracuse, she is delighted to be back living and working in Central New York with her husband and children.

Sam joined the Community Health Foundation in 2010 as a program associate after completing eight rigorous years of schooling in Rochester, NY. A student at heart, he often perceives challenges as an opportunity to learn, and brings expertise in both public health and business administration to the Foundation.

After completing his undergraduate studies, Sam was awarded the Take 5 Scholar’s Fellowship, which enabled him to pursue a yearlong study examining the socioeconomic ramifications of globalization on West Africa.

Prior to his current role, he worked on evidence-based obesity research at the Center for Community Health in Rochester. He also worked in both finance and administration with Providence Housing Development Corporation, a not-for-profit that provides affordable housing to the poor, elderly and disabled in the 12 counties of the Diocese of Rochester. Additionally, he brings to the Foundation his experience in communications from an internship at the American Red Cross, and in programming via involvement in various councils and the Health Promotions Office at the University of Rochester.

Sam holds a dual bachelor’s degree in health and society and religion from the University of Rochester. He also holds a combined Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Health degree from the Simon School of Graduate Business and the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester.

Sam, a resident of Liverpool, NY enjoys cold weather, as well as snow, so he is excited to be working in the Foundation’s Syracuse office in a programmatic, policy and research capacity.

Chris Klotz has been affiliated with the Foundation as a program advisor since 2004. She has more than three decades of experience working with chronically ill and the elderly and has extensive experience in program development. During her career, she has been responsible for a number of programs aimed at improving coordination of care and helping older adults to be able to age where and how they choose.

In her work with the Foundation, Chris has been responsible for the design and implementation of several large collaborative projects, including Sharing Your Wishes, multiple Transitions of Care Collaboratives and the Western New York Falls Prevention projects. In addition, she provides counsel and develops funding projects focused on community-based care and ways to defer frailty and improve quality of care for frail elders.

She was previously the executive of two organizations involved in the development of the PACE model of care, including serving as president and CEO of Senior Health Partners in New York City. Previously she held positions of administrator of managed care services at ViaHealth in Rochester, NY and administrative director of Sutter Senior Services at Sutter Health in Sacramento, Calif.

Chris serves on the Advisory Board and LTC Committee of the Tompkins County Health Planning Council and the IPro Care Transitions Advisory Council. She previously served on the National Quality Forum Care Coordination Project Steering Committee and was a member and officer of the Board of the State Society on Aging of New York for six years, ending in 2009.

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in health administration from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

She lives in the country south of Ithaca with her husband and second-hand-cat.

Melissa Couldery joined the Foundation team in July 2011 as an administrative assistant. In her role, she is responsible for day-to-day office administrative functions and provides support to the Foundation's staff members.

She previously worked as an administrative assistant in a medical office in Florida. An avid reader and world traveler, Melissa also spent several years living in various spots around the world, including Guatemala, West Ghana, and Puerto Rico.

She earned an associate degree in liberal arts from Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

A native of Florida, Melissa currently lives in Niagara Falls with her husband Robert, her three children Mahly, Ryan and Tyler, and dog Rome.