Creating Healthier, More Resilient Communities: Ellen Young's Journey in Community Engagement and Public Health

For CHMRC CEO Ellen Young, the road to community engagement leadership began in an unlikely place: the middle school classroom, where she taught for more than a decade. "I knew in those 14 years it was exactly what I was supposed to do," she reflects.

Her teaching career was shaped by Warner Peters, her middle school principal. "It was the first time I felt seen," she recalls of her experience under his leadership. When career uncertainty struck in college, Mr. Peters appeared at a pivotal moment, encouraging her to teach—and eventually hire her. "Warner Peters was not only my principal; he became my boss. He also became my landlord," she laughs.

This foundation in education provided her with critical skills that would later serve her well in community work: connecting with diverse people, explaining complex concepts, and building trust through consistency. The classroom became her training ground for community engagement.

But life had other plans. Budget cuts at her school left her without a teaching position.

Ellen Young

"I was devastated, because all I knew was teaching."

This unexpected setback became the catalyst for career exploration that would eventually lead her to nonprofit leadership.

After pivoting first to event planning and then to commercial development, Ellen received a call that would change everything—a recruiter suggested she might be perfect for a foundation focused on technology, older adults, and military veterans. Despite having no formal nonprofit experience, she found herself drawn to the new opportunity.

"I knew nothing about the nonprofit world, but it was called the Irvine Health Foundation (IHF). And I kid you not, to this day, that man who was the president at Irvine Health Foundation, Ed Kacic, forever changed my life."

Under his mentorship, she discovered a new calling in nonprofit work, one that combined her passion for teaching with a broader vision for community impact. "I was hooked on the impact," she says simply. "I was hooked on community building." This transformative experience at IHF laid the groundwork for her eventual leadership at Creating Healthier, More Resilient Communities (CHMRC), where she now applies these lessons on a larger scale.

“Providing the Table:” Ellen's Philosophy of Community Engagement

Rather than arriving with predetermined solutions, she defines community engagement as creating spaces for authentic connection.

"It's getting everyone together, but not going in to be prescriptive. It is when we come in, listen first, and then say, 'Okay, my observations are this. Now, how do we keep you all connected?'"

This philosophy was tested during COVID-19, when CHMRC went from a small volunteer organization to a frontline response team overnight. The organization helped establish the first quarantine and testing sites travelers returning from Wuhan, China, and later set up extensive vaccination operations.

But something unexpected happened amid the crisis. "Relationships got built," she explains. People would come for testing or vaccines and return with friends and family. Even after their medical needs were met, they continued visiting the sites.

"They would pop in and say, 'I still have questions about XYZ. Can you just help me? Because again, they knew the folks that were working there, and trust had been built.'"

This organic evolution led her to recognize an untapped opportunity: transforming crisis response centers into ongoing community hubs. The medical emergency created entry points for addressing broader social needs that existed long before COVID. This insight now fuels CHMRC's approach to community engagement.

"Ed says, 'Buy the coffee.' And I said, 'I see it as though we are providing everyone with the table. All these organizations, whether they are faith-based, public, or private, are bringing their special dish to the table."

In her vision, CHMRC creates the infrastructure for connection, but the community brings its own resources, talents, and knowledge. "You make the good dip, barbecue, and the salad—you’re going to bring everything to our table, so everyone has a place to sit down and have a conversation."

This approach recognizes that communities already possess the ingredients needed for resilience—they just need a space to come together, especially across traditional divides. Ellen's role is not to be the expert with all the answers, but the host who ensures everyone has a place at the table and their challenges can be heard.

From Crisis to Connection: Lessons from COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic presented communities with unprecedented challenges, but for Ellen and CHMRC, it also created unexpected opportunities to redefine community engagement. As one of the first organizations to respond when COVID reached American shores, CHMRC was thrust into the spotlight.

"We mobilized some of the initial response sites during the quarantine. Our organization went from a few people and some volunteers, to a full-fledged operating organization within a matter of weeks."

The scale and speed of this transformation required immediate adaptation and flexibility.

The health hubs became community gathering spaces where people found not just medical care but human connection during an isolating time. This realization led to an evolution in CHMRC's mission and inadvertently created the foundation for something more sustained and holistic.

The pandemic also highlighted the importance of existing connections in emergency situations. When formal systems were overwhelmed, informal networks often determined who received timely information and resources. "We were able to sit down and listen to their challenges, hear their pain points, and figure out how we could help solve them," she says.

She shares the story of one overwhelmed nonprofit leader she spoke to during the pandemic:

“She was sitting in her kitchen and said, 'I am HR. I am payroll. I am this.' And she was a frazzled, hot mess, and I will never forget it. Because she said, 'Ellen, all I need is someone to talk to because this is hard.”

This simple human need for connection amid crisis became a guiding principle for CHMRC's work. Ellen understood that sometimes the most valuable service was not delivering technical assistance, or resources but simply creating space for honest conversation and mutual support among community leaders.

The pandemic experience now shapes how CHMRC approaches its expanding work with communities across the country. In Clarkston, Georgia, they helped a health coalition among refugee communities create their own Health Hub. In Northern California, they have worked with farm workers and migrant communities. Each engagement builds on lessons learned during COVID about the power of relationship-building before, during, and after a crisis.

The Power of Connection: Building Networks That Last Beyond Crisis

The heart of her work lies in creating connections that outlive any single project or initiative. Her eyes light up when she talks about CHMRC's role in helping the Clarkston Health Equity Coalition in Georgia, a coalition of over fifty organizations serving refugee populations, build and launch a Resource & Wellness Hub at the Easterseal’s North Georgia location.

The goal of the hub was to maximize resources and accessibility by integrating a network of health and social resources within a shared space in the Clarkston community. The first challenge they addressed was ensuring that newly arrived refugees and existing kids in the community could attend school by meeting their immunization requirements.

“They had problems getting refugee and underserved kids access to care. They were trying to get their kids into school. There was a two-year wait to get their vaccines. We connected some dots, and those kids are in school. We connected resources and then said, 'Now how do we work together?' Today, it is a full-fledged hub with multiple events, preventive screening, and health education. It is awesome, it is functioning, it is great, and it is meeting the needs in the community.”

What makes this approach distinctive is CHMRC's commitment to stepping back once relationships are established. "All we did was say, we're just going to walk alongside you and figure out what you need. And how do we help extend capacity?" she says. “Now we do not even have to be there. We just check in and ask, 'How's everything going and what do you need?"

Sustainability is a core value for her. Rather than creating dependency on CHMRC as an outside organization, she focuses on building community self-sufficiency through stronger networks. Their newly developed Bloomerang Network highlights this approach. It is a digital platform designed to connect community members with each other and needed resources.

"My vision for CHMRC has always been about connecting communities. How do we connect communities so they can be stronger, more resilient, and have an impact on those with needs?"

The potential of these connections extends far beyond any single-issue area. "The idea behind The Bloomerang Network is creating a space where problems meet solutions and people can connect,” she says, describing how these networks can address emerging needs that were not even on the radar when the connections were first formed.

This multiplier effect is what drives her work, the knowledge that investing in relationships creates ripples that extend far beyond the initial investment.

"The hope and dreams are that when it matters, organizations are going to pay it forward, have a larger impact, and continue to do great work."

6 Non-Negotiable Principles for Effective Community Engagement

When asked about the essential skills and values for community engagement work, she shares these clear principles that guide both her personal leadership and CHMRC's organizational approach:

Always Lead with Integrity

"Number one, integrity is what you lead with. It is what you work with. It's what you serve with, and that integrity should never, ever be compromised."

Put People First

"My number two, and it's non-negotiable, is you always have to put people first," she insists. This means recognizing that everyone brings their whole selves—including their challenges, experiences, and perspectives—to every interaction. For her, this shows up in practical ways, like starting team meetings with personal check-ins before diving into work: "I need to know about you as a person first, before we can do the work."

Embrace Discomfort and Uncertainty

"Expect the unexpected," she advises. "You are going to learn really quickly if you are okay with being uncomfortable." Community work rarely follows neat plans, and effective practitioners must be willing to adapt without having all the answers.

Listen First, Then Learn, Then Act

Her sequence for community engagement starts with deep listening: "When we listen, you're able to learn, and once you learn, you understand the lay of the land to then say, 'Okay, now, how do we help you with your XYZ problem?'" This patient approach means resisting the urge to jump to solutions before fully understanding the context.

Build Your Support Network

"You've got to have that good kitchen cabinet," she advises, using a metaphor for a close circle of trusted advisors. "You have your cheerleader. You have someone who is going to be honest with you. You have someone who is going to set you straight, and you have someone who is going to say, 'Let's get in the car and go run something over.'" These relationships provide essential support through the inevitable challenges of community work.

Stay Focused on Local Impact

While global issues matter, she emphasizes the importance of starting with what is directly in front of you. "You've got to help that backyard," she insists. "It's great to be enthusiastic and care. And this world is special. But why is that more special than what you have in front of your face?" She believes lasting change often starts with the relationships and needs in our immediate surroundings.

A Legacy of Connection: Why Community Building Matters More Than Ever

Ellen Young’s sense of purpose infuses everything she does, including her current work transforming CHMRC. "It is like the birth of all these ideas and things that we—at IHF and Ed Kacic, me, and all our dreams, and it feels like, ‘For such a time as this.' I was created for this, to create this place for people to land, launch, and feel heard and seen."

"I'm not creating this for myself. We’re creating space for people. We are creating opportunities. We are creating a moment. We’re creating a dream and helping others see that through."

For those considering careers in community engagement or public service, she offers this hard-earned wisdom: "Service is amazing. It's hard, but it's amazing." She encourages young people to seek mentorship from those with experience:

"Ask those of us that have gone before you to help mentor you, because we absolutely will! We want to help create the next generation of leaders who can continue to serve."

Her journey from teacher to nonprofit CEO proves that meaningful community engagement is not about flashy initiatives or perfect strategic plans. It is about showing up consistently, creating spaces for authentic connection, and trusting that relationships will generate more powerful solutions than any single organization could design.

As communities navigate increasingly complex challenges, leaders like Ellen Young remind us that the most powerful resource is not money or technology, it is our capacity to connect with each other across differences and work together for the common good. By "providing the table" where diverse community members can gather, we create the foundation for resilience that sustains us through both everyday challenges and extraordinary crises.

Resources and Organizations Mentioned

CHMRC (Creating Healthier, More Resilient Communities) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging gaps in health systems and public health through strategic partnerships and community-driven initiatives. It has established health hubs to enhance access to culturally responsive healthcare and social services.
The Bloomerang Network is a digital platform developed by CHMRC to connect community members with each other and with resources.
The Irvine Health Foundation (IHF) focuses on improving the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of Orange County, California residents by supporting accessible healthcare services, health policy development, and research initiatives.
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of community-based units that mobilize medical and non-medical volunteers to support public health needs and emergency responses. It enhances local health initiatives and disaster readiness.
The Clarkston Health Equity Coalition (CHEC) is a multi-sector coalition based in Clarkston, Georgia, focused on improving health outcomes for marginalized populations through partnerships and resource mobilization. It collaborated with CHMRC to launch the Clarkston Resource & Wellness Hub.
Easterseals provides services for individuals with disabilities, including early intervention, therapy, job training, and advocacy programs to enhance independence and quality of life.