Abena Asante is a Senior Program Officer at St. David’s Foundation, where she develops strategies for the Foundation’s programs and grantmaking in the area of rural health and well-being. She brings over twenty years’ experience in philanthropy, public health, and the nonprofit sector to her work collaborating with communities to pursue positive change and achieve rural prosperity. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2016, Abena was a Senior Program Officer with the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where her grant portfolio focused on access to primary care, behavioral health services, diabetes, and prevention activities. At the Cone Health Foundation, Abena served as a Program Officer and established the first county-wide initiative addressing obesity prevention. She also served with the Public Health Departments in North Carolina and Florida. Abena has a Master of Health Care Administration from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education from the University of Florida in Gainesville. Abena grew up in a developing country which is similar in some characteristics to rural America. She appreciates the culture, deep knowledge, collaborative spirit, and resiliency that is interwoven within the very fabric of these communities to thrive.