Wilson, who is the Assistant Secretary for Policy in the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS), has a solid background in healthcare policy and programming. She was a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Governor, followed by a five-year stint as the Director at Health Policy at Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, before going to the NC DHHS and serving initially as Chief Policy Officer. She is now in her second term as a member of the John Rex Endowment Board of Directors.

Her hope as an Endowment board member is that “we continue to fund organizations and support those who are working on better health outcomes for children and families.”

As a mother of three, Wilson is grateful that within Wake County there is more emphasis upon, and knowledge about, population health indicators such as the social determinants of health. “There is a ‘buzz’ that has been created recently around these concepts, and that can only be a good thing,” she comments.

During her years on the Endowment board, Wilson, who serves on the Health Improvement Committee that oversees grant reviews and decision making, says she has seen more organizations working together on issues in Wake County that concern children and families. “I’ve also witnessed more peer learning – nonprofits that are eager and willing to share their data and findings, so that there is less duplication of efforts when all can benefit from information.”

Wilson hopes that the Endowment legacy is clear and focused going forward on a specific direction in the support of Wake County children and families. “We can’t be all things to all people,” she says. “In my mind, one of the best legacies we can establish is funding the prevention of adverse health conditions, rather than trying to fix them after they have occurred.”  [10/2019]