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Our Leadership

Tasha Blackmon

President & Chief Executive Officer

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Mich., Tasha Blackmon is a dynamic, collaborative leader, mentor and coach who brings more than 20 years of business operations experience to her role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Michigan’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Cherry Health provides integrated health care services to over 55,000 patients in Barry, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Ottawa and Wayne counties.

During her 19 years with Cherry Health, Blackmon has championed health justice through aggressively disrupting healthcare disparities. Her experience comes from an operational perspective, having established high standards of care utilizing a health equity lens to treat an individual’s health needs holistically, rather than symptomatically. She has led numerous large-scale expansion and development projects and held six positions within Cherry Health before becoming CEO in 2018. As an accomplished and mission-minded leader, it is imperative to Tasha that our community is healthier, one patient at a time.

An eloquent and inspiring speaker, Tasha has a way of being heard on behalf of those who do not have voices, and for those whose voices have been silenced because of the barriers that they face. She is passionate and personally driven to ensure that all patients served in her home community, and surrounding areas, receive the highest quality of care.

Education

  • Doctoral Candidate – Cornerstone University
  • M.B.A. – Cornerstone University
  • B.S. – Michigan State University
  • Executive Fellowship – University of Kansas Medical Center

Professional Memberships & Community Engagement

  • American Heart Association Board of Directors – 2021 to present
  • American Heart Association Midwest Board of Directors – 2024 to present
  • Black Impact Collaborative Health and Wellbeing Committee Chair – 2020 to present
  • Community Master Plan Steering Committee for the City of Grand Rapids – 2022 to present
  • Economics Club DEI Committee Chair – 2022 to present
  • Grand Valley College of Health Programs Advisory Committee – 2018 to present
  • Grand Valley State University MHA Advisory Committee – 2019 to present
  • GR-JGP Steering Committee – 2022 to present
  • Housing Kent Board Co-Chair – 2022 to present
  • Next Pointe Real Estate Services Board Chair – 2022 to present
  • Rende Progress Capital Board of Directors – 2022 to present
  • YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids (GRYMCA) Board of Directors – 2020 to present
  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – 2015 to present
  • National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) 2018 – present
  • National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) – 2016 to present
  • United Way: Women United – 2018 to present

Awards

  • ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award Recipient – 2020
  • Michigan Women Forward, Women of Achievement and Courage Award – 2021
  • Giant Award Recipient – Eugene Browning Award – 2024
  • Crain’s of Grand Rapids 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan Award – 2024
  • Crain’s of Grand Rapids 200 Most Influential Leaders in West Michigan – 2024