Rachel L. Rees
The Board of Trustees of the Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) is pleased to announce that Rachel L. Rees has become the Foundation’s new Chief Executive Officer.
“After a thorough search, it became clear to us that Rachel was the best person to maintain the Foundation’s reputation as a trusted, non-partisan public/private partnership that can deliver results. She will also retain our innovative, entrepreneurial approach to making healthcare more available to uninsured and medically underserved Virginians,” said Margi Vanderhye, Chair of VHCF’s Board of Trustees. “We are all delighted with our choice.”
Ms. Rees, who has been at VHCF for 13 years, held the position of Deputy Director, acting as co–leader of the Foundation for the past eight years. During that time, she ably led the development of a number of statewide initiatives; oversaw the implementation of all VHCF programs, operations, and finances; and developed important knowledge of the environments and stakeholders most relevant to VHCF.
Most recently, Ms. Rees has led the implementation of Boost!, a successful initiative designed to address the shortage of licensed behavioral health professionals by increasing the number of licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, and licensed marriage and family therapists. Known for her collaborative approach, she also has led the implementation of Sign Up, Pay Down, a special initiative and partnership with multiple stakeholders which provides employment incentives to help recruit more dentists to Virginia’s dental safety net.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to grow VHCF as a vibrant, nimble, and dynamic organization dedicated to ensuring that all Virginians have access to the healthcare they need. And, I am grateful for the Board’s confidence in my ability to do so”, said Ms. Rees. “I plan to continue to engage collaboratively with VHCF’s many partners and stakeholders.”
Ms. Rees has dedicated her career to leading and engaging in efforts to help vulnerable populations. Prior to her tenure at VHCF, she managed the AIDS Drug Assistance Program at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) for five years, after starting out in the field of foster care.
More recently, she has graduated from Harvard University’s Emerging Leaders Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Sorensen Institute Political Leaders Program. She also participated in the Lead Virginia program in 2023 and was recognized with a Public Health Hero Award from VDH in 2011.
She is a graduate of Virginia Tech and has a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Public Affairs. She and her husband are co- founders of Mount Alto Vineyards and have a 10-year-old daughter.
Ms. Rees succeeds Deborah Oswalt, VHCF’s founding Executive Director, who has served the Foundation and Virginia for 33 years. Ms. Oswalt will stay until March 31 to facilitate the leadership transition.
The Virginia Health Care Foundation is a non-profit public/private partnership with a mission to increase the availability of primary health care, including behavioral health and dental services, for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians. The Foundation was initiated by the General Assembly and its Joint Commission on Health Care in 1992. Since its inception, it has funded 549 community-based initiatives throughout the Commonwealth and established multiple programs and partnerships.
Combined, they have helped more than 900,000 uninsured and medically underserved Virginians obtain the health care they need.
Ms. Rees can be reached at rrees@vhcf.org or 804-828-5804. For more information about VHCF visit http://www.vhcf.org.
Last Updated on February 24, 2025
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