Earlier this year we were thrilled to welcome three community leaders to Cone Health Foundation’s Board and to welcome a former chair back to the Board. Each brings a wealth of expertise, civic leadership and community engagement to this role, specifically in our social drivers of education, economic mobility, safe and healthy housing, healthy food, and access to health care.
Kimberly Bullock Gatling, Esq., Partner and Chief Cultural Engagement Officer, Fox Rothschild, LLP. Kim Gatling concentrates her practice in intellectual property prosecution, licensing and litigation. She is seen as a trusted advisor and valued team member to her clients, providing comprehensive, global advice from a legal and business perspective. As Chief Cultural Engagement Officer, Kim works to develop and implement programs and policies that support the firm’s commitment to the principles of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability, and to cultural engagement at all levels throughout the firm. Throughout her professional career, Kim has invested in her community through service and leadership with various organizations. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for North Carolina A&T State University and is the immediate past Chair. Kim is additionally a Director for Truliant Federal Credit Union. Kim previously chaired the Board of Directors of United Way of Greater Greensboro and served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity and the Gateway Research Center. She is a past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Cone Health Foundation.
Christina Rama, MD, MMM, ACMA, Founder & Principal, Christina P Rama, LLC. Dr. Christina Rama is a physician executive and healthcare leader with more than two decades of experience in clinical medicine, physician leadership, healthcare operations, clinical revenue cycle, and value-based care. Dr. Rama is Founder and Principal of Christina P Rama, LLC, providing physician executive and clinical consulting services to value-based care organizations, clinical practice through locum tenens coverage, and medical writing. Dr. Rama is committed to improving access to behavioral health services and serves on the Board of Directors of Sanctuary House, a nonprofit organization supporting individuals with mental health needs in Guilford County. She completed the Chief Medical Officer Fellowship through The Academy and earned a Master of Medical Management (MMM) from Carnegie Mellon University in 2023. She is also an ACMA-certified Physician Advisor.
Melissa Shearer, Vice President, Strategy, Cone Health. Melissa Shearer serves as Vice President, Strategy for Cone Health, where she drives enterprise strategic planning and helps translate long-term vision into actionable priorities across the health system. With over two decades of healthcare strategy and planning experience, she works closely with executive and operational leaders to develop strategy, evaluate growth opportunities, align investments with organizational goals, and drive execution of key initiatives that advance Cone Health’s mission to connect healthcare and wellbeing for all members of our community. Melissa holds an MBA from Wake Forest University and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Evansville. She also currently serves as Board Chair of GenerationEd, a local non-profit focused on early childhood development.
Jennifer Whitney, PhD, LCMHC-S, Director of Counseling & Psychological Services, UNCG. Dr. Whitney currently serves as the Director of Mental Health and Well-Being at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. In this capacity, Dr. Whitney oversees well-being programming, Counseling and Psychological Services, the collegiate recovery program, and the Campus Violence Response Center. She also provides expertise and training for the university community, including faculty, staff, and students, on a broad range of mental health and well-being topics. Dr. Whitney is an active member of the university’s JED Campus strategic planning team, where she focuses on advancing mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention initiatives across UNCG. Dr. Whitney earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from The Ohio State University in 2006. During her time at Ohio State, she interned and served as a Counseling Fellow at OSU’s Counseling and Consultation Services. Her clinical interests include emerging adulthood, diversity, eating disorders and disordered eating, gender, and sexuality.
