Empire Health Foundation staff is ready to help you and answer any questions you may have. Please go to the Contact Us page to send an email for any of the following members of our team:

Antony Chiang, President

Antony Chiang is the President of Empire Health Foundation (EHF). Empire Health Foundation is a new health conversion private foundation, with approximately $160 million in assets under management and stewardship, working to improve the health of communities in Eastern Washington. With approximately $50 million reserved towards philanthropy, it is the largest private health foundation in the region, giving Antony the unique opportunity to build a philanthropic organization from the ground up, design and implement a strategic vision for impact, and establish the Foundation as a catalyst and convener in the region. Prior to working at EHF, Antony was an executive at a leading philanthropic service provider, designing and managing innovative models of corporate technology philanthropy and streamlining international grant making. In addition, he has served as the chief executive of several social enterprise start-ups and practiced corporate venture capital law. As a Principal Investigator specializing in bioinformatics, Antony was awarded several Phase 1 and Phase 2 SBIR grants from the National Institutes of Health. Antony earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering /Computer Science from UC Berkeley and his J.D. from Stanford Law School.

Kristen West
Vice President, Grant Programs

Kristen West is the foundation's Vice President for Grant Programs, and responsible for designing and stewarding the investment of foundation resources and staff time to create impact.  Kristen brings extensive health related experience as the founder and Executive Director of the CHOICE Regional Health Network, a nonprofit organization that works collaboratively with regional partners to improve the health status of people who live in a five-county region in western Washington State.  She is also a founding member of the national organization, Communities Joined in Action (CJA), an officer of the Washington State coalition, Communities Connect, and a former Board member of the Prescription Drug Assistance Foundation.  Ms. West describes herself as a social justice advocate – working with many partners to challenge the "status quo" health care establishment to improve quality, expand access and reduce costs. She has the opportunity to expand that social justice lense from purely health care access to the foundation's larger health mission.  Ms. West has over 15 years’ experience working on state health care reform, legislative relations, and public health care purchasing. She holds a Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Business Administration from The Evergreen State College.  Kristen is also the recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Leader in Thurston County for her efforts in universal access to healthcare in the region.

Dave Luhn
Chief Financial Officer

As CFO of Empire Health Foundation (EHF), Dave is responsible for budgeting for and internal/Board reporting of all aspects of EHF’s financial operations.  In addition, Dave monitors and evaluates the myriad trailing legacies that EHF assumed when it was created from the sale of predecessor nonprofit hospitals, including a multi-million-dollar defined benefit pension plan administered for the benefit of the hospital’s employees. Prior to joining EHF, Dave was CFO for a Spokane, WA life insurance company.  Having joined that company in 1985, Dave was involved throughout his career in various aspects of its financial operations, including tax, budgeting and financial accounting and reporting.  In 2008, Dave was part of the team that successfully constructed the sale of the company to new private interests.  Dave earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, Accounting from Oregon State University in 1982.

Sarah Bain
Senior Program Associate, Underserved Communities; Chief of Staff.  

Sarah Bain is the underserved communities senior program associate and chief of staff  for Empire Health Foundation. She is also a visiting lecturer at Whitworth University and teaches public relations, philanthropy and feature writing. She is a board member for WIN 211 and president-elect for Spokane public school district community of Montessori parents. Prior to her work at EHF, Sarah was the communications associate at Inland Northwest Community Foundation and a copy editor at the Spokesman Review. Sarah is also the founder and regional coordinator of the Eastern WA chapter of the  MISS foundation which provides crisis support and long-term aid to families after the death of a child from any cause

Brooke joined the Foundation in 2010 after graduation from Gonzaga University School of Law. Brooke began her career in nonprofits as a special education teacher and continued her work with children and families as a mediator in family and summary process courts and as a case manager at a Seattle family law firm. These experiences led Brooke to pursue a law degree; she is thrilled to continue providing assistance to those in need through her position as a Staff Attorney at Empire Health FoundationStaff Attorney

Brian Myers
Senior Program Associate, Capacity Building Program.  

Brian oversees the Capacity Building Program, which aims to increase the capacity for community collaboration in efforts to pursue funding from outside the region. Currently, he is working on efforts to increase grant writing capacity and cross-sector collaboration at both local and state agencies in efforts of federal and national funding opportunities.  Additionally, EHF is the lead on the Health Philanthropy Partnership, a dedicated and growing group of foundations, businesses, state and local organizations interested in health care reform. Brian earned his B.A. from San Francisco State University. He has experience in education and previously was with TechSoup, a nonprofit intermediary donation platform that increases capacity of other nonprofits.  He is an avid ultra-marathon runner, which conveys his passion for healthy lifestyles.

Sarah Lyman
Senior Program Associate, Strategic Grants Program and
Responsive Grants Program.    

Sarah is the Senior Program Associate for Empire Health Foundation's Strategic and Responsive Programs. The Strategic Program aims to create long-term, measurable, sustainable change in the health of Eastern Washington, with current strategic priorities in Obesity Prevention and Mental Health.  The Responsive Program is intended to provide immediate, one-time grants to organizations serving our region through a wide variety of programs touching on access to healthcare, research, health education, wellness, or public policy.  Sarah earned her M.B.A. from Eastern Washington University, and a degree in Business Marketing from Western Washington University.  Prior to joining Empire Health Foundation's team, Sarah worked as an Account Executive for a local marketing and advertising firm. She has experience with strategic planning and board governance for several nonprofit organizations, and has a strong passion for health and wellness, as well as serving basic human needs. Sarah is currently on the Board of Directors and the Development/Operations Committee for Partnering for Progress, a nonprofit that helps provide access to health care, education, sanitation and clean water to residents in developing countries. She also served on the Grants Committee for Inland Northwest Community Foundation, and has been active with other nonprofits including Hamomi Children's Centre, YMCA, the Red Cross, and the Garland Business District

Melodee Watt
Finance Manager.  

Melodee is the foundation’s Finance Manager.  She is responsible for the day-to-day finance operations of the foundation, including the management of the office systems, banking, AR/AP, monthly account reconciliations and payroll.  Her responsibilities extend to the management of trailing issues inherited from the sale of the hospitals that created the foundation, including workers compensation claims, and employee benefit accounts.  This is Melodee’s first time working within a non-profit organization.  Her extensive background includes the running of several of her own businesses as well as working in the construction, real estate and engineering industries.  She was educated in the mid-west and earned a certificate of network administration in Chicago