Dawn Hunter
ST. PETERSBURG – The Foundation for a Health St. Petersburg is a private foundation working with the communities of Pinellas County to eradicate inequality, achieve health equity, and improve population health. They are proud to announce they’ve have added a senior director of policy, strategy and legal services to their team.
Dawn Hunter, JD, MPH will be responsible for facilitating systems change through research, data-driven policy, advocacy and community engagement. A University of South Florida and Stetson Law alumnus, she brings with her an intimate knowledge of Pinellas County. Her previous work experience makes her uniquely qualified to support the Foundation’s efforts.
Hunter’s primary activities will include establishing a policy program that provides research and evaluation, developing advocacy efforts to support policy initiatives and guiding strategic direction and organizational planning efforts. She will also provide legal advice on business issues and company strategies.
Before coming to the Foundation, she served at the New Mexico Department of Health, where she started as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation visiting attorney in Public Health Law, and later served as director of health equity, policy director and deputy cabinet secretary. During her tenure, she led a variety of initiatives to address health system innovation and meeting the unique needs of New Mexico’s rural and underserved communities through collaboration and partnership.
Some of her core responsibilities included managing the department’s legislative and policy activities, as well as strategic planning, performance management and quality improvement. She is also experienced in training and compliance, organizational policy management and workforce development.
Randall Russell, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg had this to add, “Dawn’s experience for a decade in Tampa Bay coupled with her recent experience as the Equity Officer for the State of New Mexico brings specific expertise to Pinellas County and St. Petersburg. We are most excited to have her unique blend of talents shared through the Foundation to benefit the community,”
Hunter is excited to return to the Tampa Bay area. She was previously engaged in research and development as a microbiologist at the University of South Florida, Center for Biological Defense and also has experience in child protective services in Hillsborough County.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Princeton University, a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and a Master of Public Health from the University of South Florida, and a Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law. She is certified in public health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners and is a member of the Florida Bar.
About the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg
The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg inspires and empowers people, organizations, ideas, and relationships to ensure that every person equitably achieves optimal health and well-being.
