HealthSpark Announces New Leader - Emma Hertz!

On behalf of HealthSpark Foundation's Board of Directors, Joel Johnson, Board Chair, is pleased to announce Emma Hertz as the foundation's new CEO and President, effective December 5, 2022. Emma was one of more than one hundred people who participated in the national executive search process.  Numerous highly qualified candidates were considered and interviewed.  Emma's commitment to the mission, vision and guiding principles of the foundation, her knowledge of the community, and her past experience in philanthropy combined to support the board's invitation for Emma to advance the future work of HealthSpark Foundation.  Emma succeeds Russell Johnson who is retiring and who has led the Foundation's efforts since its inception in 2002.

For more than a decade, Emma has worked to create a more equitable, inclusive, and connected social safety net for Montgomery County residents. Her recent experience includes leading Montgomery County's strategic efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable post-pandemic recovery, and her prior role leading the county's public private Your Way Home partnership.  Outside of her County roles, she serves on the Editorial Board and as a contributor to Revarte, an online platform for uplifting Latin American narratives.  

Emma rejoins the Foundation as it enters its sixth year of the Safety Net Initiative, a 10-year effort to create a more just and effective safety net system. The Foundation is also entering its second phase of the Dr. Frank E. Boston Black Justice Fund, which supports power-building, storytelling, and leadership development within Black-led, Black-serving organizations working in Montgomery County.

“Emma rose to the top of an extraordinary list of candidates, and we are pleased to have her lead us into a bright future building on a solid foundation,” says Warren Hilton, Chair of the Executive Search Committee for HealthSpark Foundation, and immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors.

“I am humbled and honored to rejoin HealthSpark Foundation in this role,” says Emma. “There is immense opportunity to build on the Foundation's singular impact in the community, and to deepen its work towards building a culture of justice and belonging in our social safety net.”

Emma received her master's degree in Public Administration from Villanova University and her bachelor's degree from Bates College. She lives with her husband and three children in Warminster, Pennsylvania.