Williamsburg Health Foundation Celebrates Bill Pribble’s 20 Years of Dedication and Commitment

October 13, 2023

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is pleased to honor and celebrate the remarkable two-decade career of its Vice President of Programs, Bill Pribble.  Today, we recognize Bill’s extraordinary contributions to WHF as well as his unwavering dedication in supporting countless community partners over the past 20 years.

Bill joined the Foundation in 2002 as a Grants Administrator shortly after graduating from Virginia Tech, when WHF was still a part of Williamsburg Community Hospital. In 2003, he was instrumental in the transition of WHF to a private foundation, and in 2010 he was promoted to Program Officer.  Later, he rose to Senior Program Officer, and finally, as of April of this year, he was appointed to Vice President of Programs, where he is responsible for overseeing the awarding of nearly $5 million annually to local nonprofits and government agencies.   

Throughout his remarkable career, Bill has:

• Championed Our Mission: He has been a strong advocate for the mission of the Foundation and has consistently worked to improve access to healthcare, promote wellness in the community, and advance our philanthropic efforts. Bill has been particularly involved in managing the Foundation’s grants portfolio in the healthy eating and active living area.
• Built Partnerships: Bill has been instrumental in forging meaningful partnerships with local healthcare organizations, nonprofit organizations, and leaders in the community, who are focused on improving the health and wellbeing of people in our community. Over the years, he has managed partnerships between the Foundation and Avalon, Bacon Street Youth and Family Services, Center for Child and Family Services, Child Development Resources (CDR), Colonial Community Corrections, Community Housing Partners, FISH, Grove Christian Outreach Center, Virginia Health Care Foundation, Virginia Legacy Soccer Club, Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, and the Williamsburg-James City County School’s School Health Initiative Program (SHIP), among others.
• Inspired Others: With his affable demeanor and historical knowledge of the Foundation’s work, Bill has been a tremendous colleague, friend, and mentor to those individuals and organizations associated with the Foundation throughout the years.

Deanna Van Hersh, WHF President and CEO, expressed gratitude for Bill’s contributions, saying, “Twenty years is an incredible milestone, and Bill has and continues to make a tremendous impact on the Foundation’s work and throughout the community. I am deeply grateful for his commitment and look forward to many more years of working together.”

Congratulations on 20 years at the Williamsburg Health Foundation, Bill!

The Williamsburg Health Foundation has a corpus of over $135 million and distributes an average of $5 million in grants annually in the Greater Williamsburg Area. The Foundation also convenes agencies to address health-related challenges that cannot be solved by one organization or sector alone. For more information on the Williamsburg Health Foundation, visit WilliamsburgHealthFoundation.org.

Health foundation grants focus on supporting mental health throughout Williamsburg area

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By BRANDY CENTOLANZA | bcentolanza@cox.net | Correspondent

JAMES CITY — As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Williamsburg Health Foundation said it remains more committed than ever to helping support and increase mental health services throughout the Greater Williamsburg community.

The foundation recently released its 2022 annual report, which revealed a total of $4,886,660 handed out to more than 40 organizations with a focus on mental health. Fifteen of those recipients were first-time grantees.

“The foundation has long recognized the significance of mental health and its connection to overall well-being,” said Bill D. Pribble, the foundation’s vice president of programs. “As the mental health toll from the COVID-19 pandemic became apparent in our community, the foundation prioritized funding in 2022 for programs that increased access to behavioral health services. For this reason, the focus of our 2022 annual report is on mental and behavioral health.”

Grants were awarded in a variety of categories, including advocacy and capacity building, family services, healthy eating, active living, healthy aging, integrated care, behavioral health care, medication access and other services. Individual grants ranged from $3,000 to $670,000.

Williamsburg-James City County Schools received the largest amount of funds for its School Health Initiative Program.

“The 2022 annual report demonstrates the foundation’s $4.9 million investment in both programs and initiatives that target risk factors affecting our population’s health,” Pribble said. “We are most proud of the work our community partners did to address social determinants of health and provide direct care to the underserved, unrepresented, and under-voiced populations in our community.”

Williamsburg Health Foundation Announces Publication of Annual Report

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is pleased to announce the publication of WHF’s Report to the Community for 2022, now available on the Foundation’s website at https://williamsburghealthfoundation.org/.

The report highlights the Foundation’s continued commitment to invest in local nonprofits that aim to improve health opportunities and the well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg. The report also provides a breakdown of the grants awarded in 2022 to support more than 40 community partners and includes a look at the Foundation’s financials and stewardship of resources.

“We are happy to share our 2022 annual report and are proud of the work our community partners are doing to improve the health and well-being of individuals living in our community,” said WHF President and CEO Deanna Van Hersh.

To access the full Report to the Community for 2022, please visit https://williamsburghealthfoundation.org/about/. For additional information, please send inquiries to communications@williamsburghealthfoundation.org.

The Williamsburg Health Foundation has a corpus of over $135 million and distributes an average of $5 million in grants annually in the Greater Williamsburg Area. The Foundation also convenes agencies to address health-related challenges that cannot be solved by one organization or sector alone. For more information on the Williamsburg Health Foundation, visit WilliamsburgHealthFoundation.org.

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) celebrates community partnerships, extended strategic plan, staff promotions, and new staff in its 27th year of service to the Greater Williamsburg community. “It is a pleasure to celebrate the promotion of two long-time staff and welcome three new employees,” said Deanna Van Hersh, WHF President and CEO. New staff join a team with over 75 years of combined philanthropic service. “Staff has been focused on strengthening relationships with community partners by listening and learning about their priorities, their view of the needs in our community, and their view of the Foundation and our work. We will continue to listen as we introduce new staff and feed what we learn back into our work,” said Van Hersh. While there are some new faces at the Foundation, the mission, vision, and strategic focus remain the same.

Promotions

• Bill Pribble, former Senior Program Officer, was promoted to Vice President of Programs.  A lifelong resident of James City County, Bill joined the Foundation in 2003. Bill is a dedicated leader who holds WHF’s history, mission, and role in the Greater Williamsburg Area in high regard. Bill is known as a thoughtful listener and has a reputation for inclusive engagement. He is instrumental in WHF’s pursuit of collaborative strategies that bolster the efforts of partners aligned with the Foundation’s vision of health opportunities for all. In his new role, Bill directs program planning, implementation, and assessment, as well as grants administration.

• Shelby Boltz, former WHF Executive Assistant and Office Manager, was promoted to Grants Administrator – her third promotion since joining WHF in 2004. Shelby’s health background, institutional knowledge, keen attention to detail, and vast connections in this community are invaluable.  In her new role, Shelby will engage with partners around funding inquiries, proposals, reporting, and site visits. 

New Staff Members

These professionals bring more than six decades of combined experience. Each brings unique value and skillsets that complement the Foundation’s mission to “Collaborate, innovate, and invest to impact the health and well-being of individuals living in Greater Williamsburg.”

• Adriene Bivens joins WHF as Executive Assistant and Office Manager. She holds a degree in Business Administration and an MBA. Adriene brings over 20 years of experience in administrative and executive assistant positions including 11 years in the US Air Force as an enlisted aid to Generals, Commanders, various officers, and divisions throughout the world.

• Kelly Metcalf-Meese joins as Program Officer. She has a degree in Government and Psychology and a Master of Arts in Public Policy. Kelly brings a wealth of experience in the health area, having worked in federal executive and legislative branch agencies as well as William & Mary’s Center for Public Policy Research and the Schroeder Center for Health Policy.

• Deb Fisher serves as Communication Specialist. She holds a degree in Sports and Health Sciences, a Master of Public Health, and is pursuing a Doctor of Public Health. Deb brings over 15 years of experience developing, leading, and evaluating strategic plans and programs for various government and nonprofit organizations. Deb is also a US Air Force veteran who served more than 10 years in various locations in the United States and overseas.

Other Foundation News

• Trustees recently voted to extend WHF’s current strategic plan from three to five years (through 2025).

• Community Access Network (CAN) has completed an information-gathering process related to integrated care needs in the Greater Williamsburg Area, and we are grateful to those who provided valuable input during this discovery process. CAN is developing a summary of their findings which will be available as a resource to those working to promote or implement integrated care.

• The National Academy of Medicine recently formed the Commission on Investment Imperatives for a Healthy Nation and has invited WHF to join the local funder coalition to help inform the Commission’s deliberations on priorities and strategies to strengthen cross-sector alignment for health.