Palm Health Foundation Announces New Board Leadership

April 24, 2026

West Palm Beach, Fla. Palm Health Foundation today announced the election of new officers to serve on its board of trustees. The new leadership brings decades of combined experience in health, community development, law, and philanthropy to guide the foundation's mission to inspire and fund solutions for better health in Palm Beach County through community collaboration.

Dr. Christine Koehn will serve as board chair. Koehn brings over 20 years of leadership and expertise in facilitating partnerships and community collaboratives, identifying service system issues, and creating and executing funding strategies. She has served as executive director of Achieve Palm Beach County, vice president of community impact for the United Way of Palm Beach County and executive director of The Celia Lipton Farris & Victor W. Farris Foundation. Her extensive experience in driving community impact aligns with the foundation’s vision for all residents to have the opportunity to thrive and reach their full health potential. Koehn and her husband hold philanthropy at the center of their lives, having established the Koehn Family Fund at Palm Health Foundation to support behavioral health and nursing scholarships. Koehn is a North Palm Beach resident and has served on the foundation’s board since 2018. 

Frances Fisher has been elected vice chair. She brings more than 30 years of civic leadership to the foundation, including current roles as vice chairman of Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, Florida State Senate appointee to the Florida Council on Arts & Culture, and vice president of the Board of Directors of H.O.W. (Hearing the Ovarian Cancer Whisper). Fisher began her career as special assistant to the counsel for President George H. W. Bush and as a member of the advance team for First Lady Barbara Bush. She presently serves as trustee and Centennial Chair of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Fisher has led Palm Health Foundation’s philanthropy committee and demonstrated her commitment to advancing brain health through the Frances Fisher Scholarship Fund for students pursuing careers in mental and behavioral health. Fisher is a Palm Beach, FL, resident and has served on the foundation’s board since 2019. 

Nathan Nason, a Palm Beach County native, will serve as treasurer. An attorney with Nason, Yeager, Gerson, Harris, P.A., Nason has practiced complex commercial litigation and environmental law for over 30 years, procuring numerous multi-million-dollar judgments and settlements. Nason is deeply committed to giving back to the community having volunteered countless hours of community service as a former chairman of the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce and a past president of the West Palm Beach Rotary Club. His financial acumen and legal expertise will advance Palm Health Foundation's fiscal stewardship and investments in humanizing health. Nason is a Riviera Beach resident and has served on the foundation’s board since 2017. 

Andrea Stephenson Royster has been elected secretary. A native of Palm Beach County, Royster is the CEO of the Health Council of Southeast Florida (HCSEF), focusing on population health planning and community health improvement for this region. She also leads the Lake Okeechobee Rural Health Network (LORHN), which serves to support providers and promote access to quality health services for residents in our rural communities. Royster has dedicated her 30-year career to efforts that catalyze the fullest potential of communities through emphasizing grassroots engagement and cross-sector collaboration. She also embraces the opportunity to give back, with an especially deep commitment to advocating for and serving vulnerable populations. She will lean in on her experience as she also chairs the foundation’s Community Investment Committee. Ms. Royster is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives (FACHE) and a fellow with the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).  Ms. Royster has proudly served on the foundation’s board since 2015.

"We are honored to have such distinguished leaders guiding Palm Health Foundation during this important time as we continue to build a culture of health for lifelong wellbeing,  convene local and national partners to advance our vision for the Brain Coast , and strengthen health professionals and quality of care,” said Palm Health Foundation President and CEO Patrick McNamara. "Their collective expertise and deep commitment to our community are invaluable as we continue our work to co-create solutions with residents and invest in promising initiatives toward better health for Palm Beach County."


About Palm Health Foundation 
Palm Health Foundation is Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. With the support of donors and a focus on results, the foundation builds strong community partnerships, respects diverse opinions, advocates for its most vulnerable neighbors, and inspires innovative solutions to lead change for better health now and for generations to come. The foundation supports health equity for Palm Beach County residents of all backgrounds, heritage, education, incomes and states of well-being. Palm Health Foundation has invested more than $98 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001. For more information about Palm Health Foundation,
visit palmhealthfoundation.org or call (561) 833-6333.

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Healthier Boynton Beach, a Palm Health Foundation initiative, recently celebrated the unwavering dedication of family caregivers at its 9th Annual Caregivers Recognition Luncheon at Benvenuto Restaurant in Boynton Beach. More than 150 guests gathered for an afternoon of appreciation, connection, and joy. "Caring Hearts & Strong Hands – Celebrating the Love and Dedication of Family Caregivers," honored 130 family caregivers during a celebration that featured laughter, music, and meaningful moments, giving caregivers a well-deserved respite from their daily responsibilities. Montre Bennett opened the program with a mindfulness moment, followed by Boynton Beach Mayor Rebecca Shelton’s heartfelt welcome and personal caregiving story. Vice Mayor Woodrow Hay delivered the invocation before lunch, then handed the microphone to event host Rod-Z, who entertained guests with comedy, songs, and dancing. The JSharp Band provided outstanding live music that had caregivers on their feet throughout the afternoon.  Highlights of the event included keynote speaker Charlotte Wright’s moving message acknowledging the challenges and profound rewards of family caregivers’ service, and the presentation of the prestigious Caregiver Award to Angela T. Williams of Delray Beach, recognizing her extraordinary dedication and selfless service to her husband.
January 27, 2026
Thanks to a grant from Palm Health Foundation , The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens (ANSG) in West Palm Beach recently hosted a Day of Wellness for Palm Beach County School District Behavioral Health Professionals, who dedicate their lives to providing behavioral and mental health services to students. Seventy frontline mental health staff enjoyed a day of reflection, relaxation, rejuvenation, self-care, and professional development. The Day of Wellness was created in recognition of professionals’ deep commitment to the county’s youth and the emotional toll of the high-impact services they provide as challenges among school-age children continue to rise. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health , between 2016 and 2023, the prevalence of diagnosed depression among 12–17-year-olds increased by 45 percent, and diagnosed anxiety increased by 61 percent.  Set amidst ANSG’s beautiful and peaceful landscape of the sculpture gardens and the historic, inspirational Artist Studio, the program featured a series of therapeutic experiences led by local expert facilitators, including Creating a Garden of Gratitude and Hope, a therapeutic experience blending visual arts with personal reflections by Tiffany Mitchell and Amy Case of Rhythms of Hope, and Music for Mindfulness and Intention led by Bree Lukosavich. Participants also enjoyed creating a watercolor mindscape with art therapist Alicia Ballestas, exploring self-care with Shabrae Jackson, joining in a pollinator planting activity with ANSG Master Gardener CJ McCartney, and closing the day with a drumming circle led by Abasi Hanif.
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The Palm Health Foundation Endowment Fund provides the financial foundation for long-term strategic action.
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This fall, Healthier Glades , a Palm Health Foundation Healthier Together initiative , hosted a celebration event with community and partners to honor the resident-led work accomplished over the years of the initiative’s existence. In addition to food and fellowship, attendees shared aspirations for the initiative’s future and reflected on highlights, such as: The impact of Healthier Glades’ mini grants offerings Reduction of youth violence through collaborations with the “Dads on Duty” initiative The air quality initiative spearheaded in partnership with PHF Trustee Dr. Lisa Wiese The Safety Walk – an effort to identify unsafe areas on children’s walk-to-school routes, leading to the establishment of flashing lights in critical areas Resident connection to Mental Health First Aid training , strengthening the recognition that mental health is health Palm Health Foundation is honored to be part of the work that continues to advance health in the Glades communities.
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Palm Health Foundation ’s October 2025 Train the Brain community health campaign, themed “Brain Health Across the Lifespan,” offered opportunities all month long, drawing nearly 300 community members to connect with local brain health champions, access practical, science-backed information, and take meaningful steps to support brain health for themselves, their families, and their neighbors – at every age and stage of life. Train the Brain inspired local organizational collaborations from Belle Glade to Boynton Beach to offer a range of community programs to help residents of all ages recognize that taking care of the brain is just as important as taking care of the body. At “Arts on the Muck,” Glades community elders engaged in arts activities, memory boosting games, music, and movement during a football-themed afternoon. The Schoolhouse Children’s Museum joined with The Center for Child Counseling to bring the brain-boosting benefits of yoga, art making, and music to children, while their parents and caregivers learned practical, science-based tips to support brain health and emotional well-being at home.  “Collaborations such as these create partnership opportunities though which we can further strengthen our communities,” said Ljubica Ciric, Senior Director of Strategic Impact, Center for Child Counseling.
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Palm Health Foundation ’s Scholarship Reception on October 28, 2025, brought together nursing and behavioral health scholars with their donors for an inspiring evening at The Center for Philanthropy in West Palm Beach, FL. Over 90 guests gathered in the center’s tropical courtyard to celebrate 62 scholarship recipients, with musical entertainment provided by orchestra students from Grace Notes Music Foundation . Together with donors, Palm Health Foundation has awarded more than $4.6 million in health professions scholarships since 2001.  Gratitude flowed throughout the evening as scholars met their scholarship donors—many for the first time—and two former recipients shared their personal stories of overcoming barriers to continue their education and become health professions leaders thanks to The Debra Coffman Howe Nursing Scholarship Fund at Palm Health Foundation. Dr. Alice Brumley spoke about how her scholarship supported her through the challenges of nursing during the pandemic. “More than financial support, it was knowing that someone believed in me, and my community was supporting me,” she said. Today, Dr. Brumley serves as Interim Director of the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center at FAU, leading compassionate, community-centered care for individuals and families affected by memory disorders.