May 2, 2025
Dear NACHW Community
It is with deep gratitude, admiration, and heartfelt sadness that we announce the resignation of Denise Octavia Smith from her role as Executive Director of the National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW), effective May 8, 2025.
Denise has served as NACHW’s inaugural Executive Director since its founding in 2019. Under her visionary leadership, our organization has experienced extraordinary growth – expanding our membership more than tenfold and building a national presence that reaches communities in every U.S. state, territory, and tribal land. Through her unwavering advocacy, NACHW has become a recognized leader in national CHW policy, championing the respect, protection, and sustainability of the CHW workforce.
Just last year, Denise spearheaded a groundbreaking awareness campaign that elevated the voices of CHWs across the country – reaching over 200 million people through television, radio, podcasts, and print media. Her bold and compassionate leadership has left a lasting legacy that will continue to shape the movement for years to come.
The impact of Denise’s six years of service is immeasurable, and we are grateful for her vision, innovation, and the heart she has poured into this work. We wish her the best in her future endeavors and look forward to witnessing her continued impact.
As we prepare for this transition, NACHW’s Board of Directors, Staff, and our fiscal sponsor Health Resources in Action are working together to identify an interim Executive Director and ensure continuity across all partnerships and initiatives. We will share more updates as they become available.
To celebrate and honor Denise, we invite you to share your messages of appreciation via a Kudoboard we’ve created. Feel free to include notes, emojis, or photos – anything that reflects your gratitude!
Thank you for your ongoing support of NACHW’s mission to unify CHWs across geography, ethnicity, sector and experience to support communities to achieve health, equity and social justice.
With gratitude,
The NACHW Team
[email protected]
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ANNOUNCEMENT AS PDF
