The SVHC Foundation Announces Annual Fund Leadership

BENNINGTON, VT—March 9, 2021—The Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) Foundation has appointed several local community members to lead its Annual Fund as co-vice chairs. They include Nancy Kimball of Manchester Center; Keith Michl, MD, of Dorset; Leslie Morgenthal of Pownal; and Marv Neuman of West Dover. Michael McKenna of Bennington was chosen to chair the fund last November.

“Each of these dedicated and involved community members are committed to making the connection between the health system’s important work and the communities they live in,” said Tom Ziegler, chair of the Foundation Board. “We are grateful for their efforts.” 

The Annual Fund represents a large and crucial piece of SVHC’s fundraising. The fund accepted $1.5 million in donations in fiscal year 2020, which was nearly 45 percent of the Foundation’s total giving from community members across the tri-state region that the health system serves. The funds are used to advance the health services for local communities. Through Annual Fund giving, the SVHC Foundation helps to expand programs and services, purchase new equipment, maintain facilities, and invest in the latest technology. Donations maintain and improve the high-quality care to SVHC provides to its patients.

Each of the appointed co-vice chairs will connect and communicate with community members. Their aim is to share the impact giving makes and build a broad and loyal base of support for the health system’s crucial work. 

“Southwestern Vermont Health Care is such an important part of our community and the region,” said McKenna. “We are fortunate to have each of these volunteers available to help share the hospital’s message and generate additional support.”

Nancy Kimball has lived in Manchester Center for 20 years. Among her volunteer activities, Nancy runs a local chapter of Blessings in a Backpack, which provides weekend food backpacks for children who attend several area schools. Previously, she worked as track services manager and as the premier touring series’ credentials manager for NASCAR and as a grant administrator for the State of New Jersey. She has two college-aged children and enjoys travel and golf.

Keith Michl, MD, is an internal medicine physician offering primary care in Manchester Center, VT. He received his medical degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio. He completed both an internship and his residency at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC. He is a diplomat of both the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a member of the American College of Physicians and the Vermont Medical Society. He has served in statewide leadership positions within both organizations.

Leslie Morgenthal is co-founder with her husband of Morgenthal Frederics Opticians, a luxury optical retailing group and design brand based in Manhattan. After 20 years, they sold the business and moved to their Vermont home in Pownal. Leslie is a ceramicist and enjoys the arts and academic culture of Bennington and nearby Williamstown, MA. 

Marv Neuman, a civil engineer, moved to Vermont in 1970. He worked with partners to develop shopping centers, office buildings, and apartment buildings in the Washington, DC, area, which his company continues to manage. In the 1970s, he worked within a non-profit organization that managed the Deerfield Valley Health Center, which is now SVMC Deerfield Valley Campus. He served several years as chair of that board and on others, including the Wilmington School Board, the Wilmington Budget Committee, Vermont Academy and Hackley School Advisory Committee. He divides his time between Wilmington and Sandy, Utah.

To learn more about the SVHC Foundation, including the Annual Fund, visit svhealthcare.org/support-us.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index. It is a four-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. It has also received the highest marks possible from The Joint Commission, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Leapfrog Group.  

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.