The Quantum Foundation’s board of trustees recently appointed a new board chair, Brian Kirkpatrick, as well as three new members to the board, including Yolette Bonnet of Wellington.
Kirkpatrick is equipped for his role as board chair given his experience in leading one of the largest engineering businesses in the United States. He takes the position after two years of Dr. Gerald O’Connor’s distinguished leadership and strategic direction in improving the health of Palm Beach County residents.
“I’m honored to sit as the Quantum Foundation’s next board chair as I was immediately drawn to the organization’s outstanding reputation for healthcare-related grant giving, specifically focused on the needs within Palm Beach County,” Kirkpatrick said. “I’m especially proud of the foundation’s role in leading the conversation and grant-giving activities related to ‘social determinants of health’ and what is required for better health outcomes.”
The Quantum Foundation is a health foundation that was formed from $135 million in proceeds from the sale of JFK Medical Center. Now in its third decade of community investment, the foundation has assets of approximately $150 million. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded $165 million to hundreds of Palm Beach County nonprofit grantees. Every dollar the foundation grants stays in the county to benefit local communities.
Joining the board are new trustees Yolette Bonnet, Dr. Karl Dhana and Michele Jacobs. Additionally, the board and staff welcome Jill Hanson and Bradley Hurston as new committee members.
Bonnet, who also serves on Quantum’s grants committee, is the founder and former CEO of FoundCare. There, she led the expansion of the organization into a federally qualified healthcare center providing comprehensive pediatric and adult services, as well as dental and behavioral healthcare. She holds her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the City University of New York and her master’s degree in business administration from Dowling College. Bonnet and her husband have four adult children and live in Wellington.
Dhana, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, brings more than 24 years of medical expertise to the board and grants committee as the chief medical officer at MorseLife.
Jacobs, also a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, brings more than 25 years of marketing and management knowledge as the president and chief executive officer at the Economic Council of Palm Beach County.
Hanson, a resident of Jupiter, offers more than 40 years of her legal background to the foundation’s grants committee. Prior to retirement, she served as an attorney and founding partner at Hanson, Perry & Jensen.
Hurston, a Royal Palm Beach resident, joins the finance and investment committee as the vice president and senior portfolio strategist of First Horizon Advisors. For 15 years, he has played an integral part in the investment team managing portfolios. Additionally, he currently serves as a board member for the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and is active with the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce. He received his bachelor’s degree in family financial management from Ohio State University and his MBA from the University of Miami.
For more information about the Quantum Foundation, or to learn how to apply for grants, visit www.quantumfnd.org.
