October 17, 2023 ––Palm Health Foundation, Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health, has appointed Heather DeStefano as director of grants and community partnerships. In her new role, DeStefano will lead operations for the foundation’s grant-making and scholarship programs, guiding annual multi-million dollar investments to build a culture of health, advance brain health, and strengthen the health professions.
DeStefano brings 14 years of experience as a behavioral health clinician and administrator serving Palm Beach County’s leading health and human services nonprofit agencies, including Community Partners of South Florida, Mental Health America of the Palm Beaches, and The Lord’s Place, impacting thousands of residents during her career. In addition to her professional leadership, she shares her knowledge as an adjunct instructor of human services at Palm Beach State College.
“Heather’s caring and compassion for individuals as a clinician, combined with her deep understanding of systems and education, will help us advance our mission to inspire and fund solutions for better health through community collaboration,” said Patrick McNamara, president and CEO of Palm Health Foundation. “She knows what it takes to build a culture of health where everyone thrives.”
DeStefano has received numerous accolades for her work and education. In Palm Beach County, she was honored as a Nonprofit Professional of the Year for the 2022 Hats Off Nonprofit Awards. As a master’s degree student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice, she was an Endowed Scholarship Recipient. And while an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, she received the Toby Brown Award, for the top undergraduate social work student of the year in North Carolina.
DeStefano received her Doctor of Social Work in Advanced Clinical Practice degree from Florida Atlantic University and currently serves the university’s Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work as a professional advisory board member. She resides in Palm Beach Gardens with her family while passionately advocating for social justice and equity.
About Palm Health Foundation
Palm Health Foundation is Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. With the support of donors and a focus on results, the foundation builds strong community partnerships, respects diverse opinions, advocates for its most vulnerable neighbors, and inspires innovative solutions to lead change for better health now and for generations to come. The foundation supports health equity for Palm Beach County residents of all backgrounds, heritage, education, incomes, and states of well-being. Palm Health Foundation has invested over $91 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001. For more information about Palm Health Foundation, visit palmhealthfoundation.org or call (561) 833-6333.
