Our Staff

Tiffany Donelson is president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation, overseeing the independent health philanthropy’s work in grantmaking, policy advancement, strategic communications, and leadership development. She brings to the role a deep knowledge of health care systems and policy, extensive experience in grantmaking, and a commitment to equity. Tiffany previously served as the foundation’s vice president of program. 

Before joining the foundation in 2014, Tiffany held several leadership roles at Aetna, including as the deputy chief of staff for Aetna’s National Businesses Office and as a director in corporate strategy. Before joining Aetna, Tiffany was a consultant at Ingenix Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers. 

Tiffany is a member of several boards and advisory committees, including the boards of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, where she serves as chair, and Grantmakers In Health. She is also a member of the state’s Healthcare Benchmark Initiative Steering Committee and the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health.

She is a graduate of Georgetown University and received her MPH in health policy and management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. 

Get to know Tiffany 

Tiffany enjoys traveling the world with her family. She particularly appreciates immersing herself in the food and cultures. When she is not at CT Health, you can often find her trying new recipes from her travels and hosting friends and family. Tiffany is always happy to talk about approaches to making systemic changes for health equity and how philanthropy can improve to be better partners.

Arielle Levin Becker is the chief of staff and communications director for the Connecticut Health Foundation. She coordinates the foundation’s operational planning and strategy development, as well as the foundation’s publications, media relations, and strategic communications.

Before joining the foundation, Arielle spent six years as the health care reporter at The Connecticut Mirror, a nonprofit news organization focused on politics and public policy. She previously worked at The Hartford Courant, where she covered health care, education, criminal justice and municipal issues, and the Home News Tribune in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Her first job in journalism was at Real Change, a homeless newspaper in Seattle. She has a B.A. in history from Yale University.

GET TO KNOW ARIELLE

Outside of work, Arielle coaches youth soccer and is a big fan of The Muppets and cursed sports teams (the Jets and the Cubs). She’s lived in Connecticut for more than 20 years but still considers Chicago her home. She is always happy to talk about news stories, media funding, and the importance of race, ethnicity, and language data.

Anette Mendoza-Hollis is the executive assistant and operations manager for the Connecticut Health Foundation. Anette provides administrative and logistical support to the president & CEO and the board of directors, and supervises administrative and operational functions of the organization. Prior to her position at CT Health, she served as secretary for the Central Registration Department at the East Hartford Board of Education. She also worked at Jumoke Academy, a Hartford charter school, for over 14 years. Anette received a bachelor’s degree of science in Public Administration/Policy from Charter Oak State College.

Ellen Carter is vice president of program at the Connecticut Health Foundation. She oversees the foundation’s programmatic strategy, which includes grantmaking, policy, leadership, and evaluation. She enjoys working with grantees and partners to creatively address and reduce health disparities.

Previously, Ellen was a vice president of program and strategy at Connecticut Community Foundation, where she guided grantmaking efforts and community engagement work. Prior to joining philanthropy, she was the director of programs for Connecticut Association for Human Services. In this role, she led efforts to build economic and food security for low-income families. Ellen is a graduate of College of the Holy Cross and has a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Connecticut.

GET TO KNOW ELLEN

Ellen loves exploring new places to eat and hike around the Connecticut. She highly recommends the taco trucks on East Main Street in Waterbury. Connect with Ellen to talk about our strategic plan or to share your ideas for supporting community-based solutions for health equity.

Kevin Collins is director of grantmaking for the Connecticut Health Foundation. He leads the foundation’s grantmaking work, directs leadership development activities, and manages evaluation of the strategic plan and program initiatives.

Kevin came to the foundation from Health Equity Solutions, where he served as director of training and outreach, leading the organization’s educational and training programs, and overseeing community engagement and outreach. He previously served as director of the ALANA Multicultural Center at Vassar College, assistant director of the Center for College Student Success at the University of Chicago, coordinator of scholarships, leadership, and service within the Office of Multicultural Student Success at DePaul University, and coordinator of multicultural services at Sam Houston State University. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in educational administration from Texas A&M University.

GET TO KNOW KEVIN

Kevin is a lover of music, just about everything but heavy metal rock. Country used to be on the list, but Beyonce is likely to soon change that. Kevin also enjoys cooking for friends and family.

Tonia Douglas is the program officer at the Connecticut Health Foundation, where she plays a central role in the grantmaking team. Tonia’s responsibilities including working with applicants and grantees, fielding inquiries, reviewing grants, evaluating projects, and tracking grant activities.

Tonia came to the foundation from Hartford HealthCare, where she served as quality performance improvement coordinator. She previously served as patient relations coordinator at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, and as a caseworker and constituent liaison for the office of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and taught a course on cultural diversity at Western Connecticut State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in social work from University of Saint Joseph, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of New Haven.

Samantha Haun is the policy director at the Connecticut Health Foundation. She leads advocacy and policy work for the foundation, focused on eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities and the conditions that cause them.

Before joining the foundation, Sam served as a consultant and project manager for Learning for Action, an equity-focused firm in San Francisco where she implemented evaluation plans and other projects focused on public health, equity, education, and policy. She previously served in the Louisiana Department of Health, where she worked closely with the Medicaid chief of staff on issues including behavioral health, Medicaid expansion, and legislative policy. She also served as a program coordinator for National Medical Fellowships, a field organizer and organizing fellow for Organizing for America, and a training and resource manager at Medical Students for Choice.

Sam is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and has a Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

GET TO KNOW SAM

Sam is a big tennis fan and enjoys watching, playing, and indoctrinating her toddler into a shared love of the sport. She also loves baking anything involving sugar and butter and is always looking for an excuse to take on a new baking project. She would love to discuss Medicaid health policy and advocacy strategy with anyone who’s interested.

Tamisha Phillip is the senior grants manager for the Connecticut Health Foundation. Tamisha coordinates the grantmaking process and provides administrative support for the department.

Tamisha came to the foundation from Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, where she served as an administrative assistant. She has also worked at Rockville General Hospital and Hartford Hospital. She has a bachelor’s degree in health care management from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in business analytics from Quinnipiac University.

GET TO KNOW TAMISHA

Tamisha enjoys traveling, exploring new towns, restaurants and just simply having fun with her daughter. Tamisha is always happy to talk about the process in applying for a grant, our strategic plan and navigating our grantee portal Fluxx.

Gaby Molina is the communications officer for the Connecticut Health Foundation. She is responsible for the foundation’s digital presence including the website, social media and the weekly health news roundup. Her goal is to make information about health equity and policy accessible and easy to understand in order to work toward solutions.

Previously, Gaby worked as an on-air reporter for FOX61 News in Hartford for four years. In that role, she covered a variety of topics for the daily newscast including stories about the COVID-19 pandemic, health disparities and the opioid epidemic. She also worked as a news producer for FOX61 for two years. Gaby earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Hofstra University.

GET TO KNOW GABY

Gaby is an animal lover but loves dogs most of all. Her dog Dempsey is named after soccer player Clint Dempsey, in a nod to her favorite sport. She is always happy to hear about health news stories to share.

Todd Thomas is the foundation’s vice president of finance and operations. He serves as the foundation’s primary liaison on asset management and finance and will lead the accounting, personnel, and technology functions, as well as office operations for the foundation.

Todd has served in finance, planning, and analysis roles at companies including Prudential Financial, Cogstate, Time Warner, Subway Restaurants, and PreciBake. He has also worked as a consultant and investment banker.

Todd is a graduate of Amherst College and has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Hartford.

Kamau Stewart is the accounting associate at the Connecticut Health Foundation. He supports the finance and operations department with accounts payables, contracts, and other accounting functions.

Before joining the foundation, Kamau spent 10 years in the Office of Finance at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, where he handled a wide range of finance and technology functions.

Kamau has a degree in materials science with a minor in alternative energy from the University of the West Indies.

Stephanie Tatro, CPA, is the director of finance for the Connecticut Health Foundation. She is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Foundation’s financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, as well as the annual audit and tax return preparation.

Prior to working for CT Health, Stephanie worked in public accounting. In between her tenures with PwC, she gained experience in not-for-profit and governmental accounting. She also spent time as a substitute teacher in her local school system. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Michigan State University and is a CPA.

GET TO KNOW STEPHANIE

In her spare time Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family, walking their two dogs, and tinkering with her 1978 VW Bus, Jess. Steph is always happy to talk numbers with anyone who shares her love of finance and ways to make the world a better place.

Chelsey Morgan is Sr. Administrative Assistant at the Connecticut Health Foundation. She is responsible for providing administrative support to the entire organization including supporting event management efforts and facilitation for the foundation, board of directors, and program team.  She acts as board and committee meeting stenographer, supports the program team with leading the event sponsorship process, and oversees key database management systems.

Chelsey is an experienced senior administrative assistant with a background in insurance. Previously she served both the East Hartford and Windsor Public Schools for over a decade in administrative support roles, serving a diverse audience of students and families. Most recently, she worked as a Licensed Insurance Adjuster at Travelers Insurance Company. Chelsey’s experience as an insurance adjuster gives her a deep understanding of claims processes, policy administration, and customer service. Her unique blend of administrative expertise and insurance industry knowledge allows her to excel in managing complex tasks and providing exceptional support to executives.

GET TO KNOW CHELSEY

Chelsey is a birding enthusiast with a keen eye for spotting feathered friends in their natural habitats. She enjoys exploring new hiking trails with a rewarding summit and a little retail therapy discovering unique finds. Connect with Chelsey to learn about how we can sponsor your nonprofit organization’s next event that aligns with CT Health’s strategic priorities.