Press Release: Create Healthy Announces 2023-2024 Board of Directors

August 2, 2023 (Fredericksburg, TX) – Create Healthy formalized its board of directors and officers for the 2023-2024 term and is initiating a multi-phase process to develop funding priorities and processes. The Create Healthy board is comprised of community, business, and philanthropic leaders who live and work in the Hill Country.

“Create Healthy’s volunteer board of directors is dedicated to making the Hill Country the healthiest place to live, work, and play, and each of them brings a deep passion for and commitment to philanthropy, service, and partnership.” said Jayne Pope, RN, CEO, Create Healthy.  “Together, they will oversee the work and investments of the new foundation.”

Create Healthy is entrusted with distributing the assets from the sale of Hill Country Memorial Hospital to Methodist Healthcare through community programming and investments so that every resident has the opportunity to thrive and contribute.

Among the board’s primary responsibilities is to identify, assess, and approve funding focus areas. That work is guided by ongoing listening sessions with community leaders, local government and school officials, and other stakeholders to ensure a broad variety of voices and perspectives are represented so that final funding priorities truly reflect the values and goals of the community.

“As the largest philanthropic entity in the region with a unique mission and vision, a methodical process of due diligence is underway to ensure that trends and opportunities are fully assessed and analyzed before finalizing funding priorities,” Pope said.

Create Healthy has begun a phased approach to operationalizing its mission to invest in the health and wellness of the Hill Country and empower its communities to build a healthy future. The first phase will be to establish governance and operational protocols, Create Healthy is establishing advisory councils and committees as well as a framework for approving future funding priorities. The second phase will include an environmental scan and assessment of potential funding opportunities.

“Create Healthy is a community-rooted, community-responsive, and community-governed philanthropic entity with a unique opportunity to invest in programs and services that ensure that everyone in the Hill Country can meaningfully contribute to the fabric of life in the region and fully engage in everything our community has to offer,” said Jenny Wieser, Create Healthy board chair. “Having the community’s input to guide the foundation’s strategic priorities and funding areas is critical.”

The 2023-2024 Create Healthy Board of Directors:

• Jenny Wieser, PhD, chair, owner, Fischer & Wieser Specialty Foods
• Chris Schoessow, vice chair, attorney – Bryla and Schoessow
• Joel Junker, secretary, partner – Cameron Brooks
• Dan Sechrist, owner – Sechrist & Associates
• Carlin Friar, president – The Bank and Trust
• Todd Willingham, president – Bierschwale-Rees Insurance Agency
• Royce Hunter, independent investment management professional