June 28, 2018
Bridgette Shaffer and Ray Dlugolecki selected to participate in leadership cohort and will receive a grant to perform transformative work in Eastern Jackson County, Missouri
INDEPENDENCE, MO – Bridgette Shaffer, Health Director, and Ray Dlugolecki, Community Health Promotion Division Manager, of the Jackson County Health Department will work to transform the role of public health in Eastern Jackson County as part of the third cohort of The Kresge Foundation’s Emerging Leaders in Public Health initiative.
Kresge’s Emerging Leaders in Public Health initiative was designed to provide public health leaders of county and local health departments opportunities to build additional knowledge and skills to tackle the challenges they face in their communities. The initiative is designed to develop local public health leaders in pairs, including the health officer and a future leader from the public health agency. As a team, Bridgette and Ray will be asked to challenge and support each other while building skills and competencies together.
“Public health leaders are valuable assets to our communities,” said Dr. Phyllis Meadows, senior advisor to The Kresge Foundation’s Health Program and the Emerging Leaders in Public Health lead. “Leaders in this program will have the opportunity to create meaningful and lasting change in their agencies that will positively impact those they serve.”
During the program, Shaffer and Dlugolecki will participate in an action-oriented program focused on the design and implementation of a transformative concept that shifts or expands the capacity of their local department. They will also receive a grant up to $125,000 as well as coaching and technical assistance to evolve their ideas into action.
Bridgette and Ray join 19 other teams from across the country selected to participate in the third cohort of Emerging Leaders in Public Health. Collectively, the 20 health departments represented by cohort leaders serve nearly 10 million community members in cities across the country.
“This opportunity will build upon our ability to lead and facilitate innovate solutions to the complex health challenges facing Eastern Jackson County,” said Health Director Bridgette Shaffer. “We are eager to engage in work that continues our journey of building a healthier Jackson County for all residents.”
The team will also join a growing community of public health leaders support by The Kresge
Foundation. Since 2015, 64 public health leaders have been trained through Emerging Leaders
in Public Health. With the addition of Cohort III, Kresge meets its goal of providing leadership
development and resources to more than 100 local, public health leaders across the country so
that they can approach public health in a new way.
About The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills
that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in
America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice.
Using a full array of grant, loan, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160
million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information visit kresge.org.
For Media Inquiries Contact: Leslie Carto – (816) 404-3776