The Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF), a leading non-profit dedicated to the health and wellbeing of the communities of Eatonville, Maitland and Winter Park, announced changes to its Board of Trustees, effective January 1, 2021. Joining the organization’s Board as a new Trustee is Karen Purnell-Engram, BSN, RN, MBA.  Following ten years of service, Toni Jennings has retired from the WPHF Board, including a three-year term as Chair.

Purnell-Engram is Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer at AdventHealth Winter Park. In her role, she manages more than 750 employees, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and physician and executive leadership of the hospital. She has been a member of the AdventHealth (formerly Florida Hospital until 2019) team for over 40 years, working in various nursing and executive capacities across the organization’s portfolio of Central Florida hospitals.

Purnell-Engram holds a BS in Nursing, an MBA in Health Care Management and is currently working towards her Ph.D. in Management. She is a board member of AMIKids Orlando and the AdventHealth Winter Park Women’s Advisory Board. From 1995–2009, she served on the board for the Healthy Start Coalition of Orange County.

“We are pleased to welcome Karen Purnell-Engram to the WPHF Board of Trustees,” said Sam Stark, Chair of the WPHF Board, and Vice President of Communications & External Relations at Rollins College. “Karen is an innovative leader, a master collaborator and a passionate mentor, all core values shared with the Winter Park Health Foundation. Her leadership experience in operations, change management and performance improvement initiatives will be tremendous assets to our Board.”  Stark continued, “At the same time, it goes without saying we will miss the remarkable leadership provided by Toni Jennings for the last ten years. We are all better because of the time she devoted to our work in creating healthier communities.”

Jennings served on the WPHF Board from 2011 to 2020.  As Board Chair from 2017 through 2019, her leadership guided the Board’s oversight of the development and opening of the Center for Health & Wellbeing, WPHF’S groundbreaking healthy-living facility located in Winter Park. The 16th Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Jennings began her career as a fifth-grade teacher, ultimately becoming an impactful advocate for public education in the state of Florida. As Florida Senate President, she championed Florida’s first school readiness program through the Florida legislature, ensuring the readiness of all children entering the public school system.  Her advocacy for children and youth, and public schools, was a tremendous asset to WPHF’s support of school partnerships focused on health and wellbeing, and the elimination of related barriers to learning.

“These changes to our 2021 Board membership are bittersweet,” said WPHF President & CEO Patricia Maddox. “Toni Jennings approached her service on the Winter Park Health Foundation Board with the same leadership, focus and tenacity she brought to her positions in government and business.”  Maddox added, “Karen Purnell-Engram’s role with our neighbor and partner AdventHealth uniquely positions her to provide on-the-ground and real-time insights into where WPHF can help improve the health of our communities.”

2021 WPHF Board of Trustees

Executive Committee/Officers:
Chairman: Sam Stark

Treasurer:  J. Kurt Wood

Secretary: E. Ann McGee, EdD

President & CEO: Patricia Maddox

Member At Large: Garrett Jones

Trustees:

Harold Barley

Rita Bornstein, PhD

Betsy Gardner Eckbert

Karen Purnell-Engram, BSN, RN, MBA

Karen van Caulil, PhD

About the Winter Park Health Foundation
Founded in 1994, the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) is a nationally recognized leader in funding, developing, and implementing innovative programs that improve the quality of life, healthy lifestyles, health outcomes and wellbeing of its communities. A private foundation, WPHF focuses on  three Central Florida communities – Eatonville, Maitland and Winter Park and surrounding neighborhoods. With a vision to create the healthiest communities in the United States, WPHF directs its efforts and resources to address barriers to healthy living and to promote health and wellbeing for all residents.