At the end of this month, we say goodbye to two amazing board members. Before they transition off of the board, we want to recognize the leadership of Michael Shockley and Dan Lord. Dan and Michael each served as board chair within the last three years, leading the organization in their unique ways. Their contributions to the Health Fund over the last nine years, too numerous to list, go far beyond their tenure as board chair.
Dan Lord, a family and marriage therapist and former pastor, joined the Health Fund in 2012 as a Program and Evaluation Committee member, joining the full board in 2014. With his expertise in board governance, Dan chaired the Governance Committee and served as board chair. During his tenure, Dan served as the board lead on an extensive review and update of the organization’s bylaws, policies, board orientation, and board training process.
As board chair, Dan shepherded the organization through the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, conducting all but one of his eight board meetings as chair remotely. He was a thoughtful and insightful partner as the organization adapted its operations during the early pandemic. Dan traveled to multiple Grantmakers in Health conferences and spent a great amount of time building relationships with board members and staff that helped ensure a strong organization. Dan’s expertise as a pastor and in family and marriage therapy were put to good use in reviewing grant proposals and programs as well as contributing to self care workshops and providing invaluable input to our sermon series.
Michael Shockley joined the board in 2014. With a strong background in investments, Michael immediately began making an impact on our investment committee. During his tenure leading the investment committee from 2016 to 2021, he played a critical role in regularly reviewing and updating our investment policy statement, instituted regular spending and risk analyses, and was a key participant in discussions about our private investments.
As Michael took on additional board leadership opportunities, his dedication to the mission and work of the Fund and his incisive questions were valuable to helping us develop even more impactful programming. Michael traveled with staff to investment and Grantmakers in Health conferences and spent countless hours mentoring staff on investment strategy. As a lifelong learner, Michael was a model to all board members and staff. Beyond the Health Fund, Michael also plays a key role serving on boards of other organizations such as Ember Hope and is always quick to connect organizations to find partnership opportunities to help the least among us.
Dan and Michael both served as members of the CEO search committee in 2017 and have been supportive thought partners for President David Jordan; board members who became friends. Both servant leaders, they were willing to serve in any capacity and were committed, most importantly, to the Health Fund’s mission. We’ll miss having them as board members but will look forward to them continuing to contribute in the future.
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