Wasilla, Alaska — The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) recently welcomed three new staff members: Kelsey Allrich, Kailea Cullen and Sydney Zuyus.

Kelsey Allrich was hired to fill the new role of grants management assistant. Allrich will report to the grants manager and will focus on supporting the grants management team with receiving and processing grant applications and providing customer service to prospective grantees. After graduating from Washington State University with a bachelor’s in psychology, she spent several years as a crisis intervention specialist assisting clients struggling with mental, physical or emotional barriers to healthy choices. She also supported low-income and homeless families, assisting them in finding and securing stable housing. After feeling the pull of Alaska for most of her life, she moved here with her partner several years ago and has been in love with the state ever since.

Kailea Cullen was hired to fill a new operations coordinator role with Connect Mat-Su, a program of MSHF that was developed to be a comprehensive and innovative health and social services information and referral resource center. Cullen will be reporting to the Connect Mat-Su operations manager to maintain and manage technological platforms that support delivery of information and referral services, as well as the curation of organizational information and events in the community. Her role also includes providing stabilization to daily operations while supporting the infrastructure needed to deliver high-quality information and referral services. Cullen came to Connect Mat-Su with a background in medical science from University of Alaska, Anchorage and a professional background in health administration, program management and process improvement. Prior to joining the Foundation, Cullen spent time working with The Alaska Hospitalist Group, LLC, supporting executives and physicians across Alaska. She recently spent time on the East Coast working with the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Sydney Zuyus was hired to fill a new communications associate role with MSHF. Zuyus reports to the Foundation’s communications manager and will focus on supporting the organization’s mission, vision and values with strategic marketing and communications planning and implementation. She came to the foundation with a dynamic skill set and extensive experience across a variety of categories including social media, website design and development, marketing strategy, event production and graphic design. Prior to joining the Foundation, Zuyus was the web, graphics, and sponsorship coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association International and freelanced for a myriad of high-level agencies across the country. She grew up in Palmer, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic design from George Fox University and once again resides in Palmer.

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About Mat-Su Health Foundation: Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at healthymatsu.org.