Healthy Learners welcomes new Board members and installs new officers
January 12, 2022
Emily Blayton and Matthew Roberts Join the Board of Trustees
Healthy Learners announces the addition of Emily Blayton and Matthew Roberts to the Healthy Learners Board of Trustees, as well as board leadership for 2022. Healthy Learners is a faith-based non-profit that works collaboratively with communities, schools, healthcare providers and families to remove health barriers to learning through screening, referral and access to medical services.
Serving in leadership roles on the Healthy Learners Board of Trustees are Chair John Garrison, counsel, internal operations at AFLAC; Vice Chair Wes Jackson, partner at Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn, LLC; Treasurer Dillon Chewning, financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual; and, Secretary Sister Nancy Hendershot, CSA.
“We are excited to have such high-caliber talent joining the Healthy Learners Board of Trustees. Matthew Roberts previously served on the board and returns with a wealth of knowledge to assist our ongoing mission to remove health barriers to learning. Both Matthew and Emily bring valuable leadership, experience and passion to the board,” said Amy Splittgerber, executive director of Healthy Learners.
Emily Blayton is an Operational Vice President for McLeod Physician Associates, a physicians’ practice network for McLeod Health. Her primary responsibilities include surgery, heart and vascular, orthopedics, neurology and specialty care for the inland region of the McLeod Health service area. Prior to joining McLeod, she spent eight years in physician network administration at Lexington Medical Center, where she most notably created the LMC Heart and Vascular Center.
Blayton is a Certified Medical Practice Executive through the Medical Management Group Association, a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member of the American College of Cardiology, and has a Master of Healthcare Administration from the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.
Matthew Roberts is chair of Nexsen Pruet’s Health Care Practice Group and has assisted providers in virtually every aspect of the health care business. He collaborates with clients to create and implement strategic plans and has extensive experience advising clients on affiliations, joint ventures, and purchase and sale of businesses. He also advises physician relationships, health care provider boards on matters including executive compensation, conflict of interest policies, and board involvement in compliance and quality related issues.
Roberts earned his undergraduate degree in international relations, magna cum laude, from the University of South Carolina, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was a member of the South Carolina Law Review and of the Order of the Wig and Robe. He is an active member of the American Health Lawyers Association.
About Healthy Learners
Healthy Learners was founded in 1992 based on the belief that children learn better when they are healthy. A ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System, Healthy Learners is devoted to removing children’s health barriers to learning with love and compassion. In order for our communities to thrive, it is essential that children are healthy and well-educated, graduate from high school on time, and perform at their full potential. The prevalence of health barriers to learning is higher in children of color or in poverty, and these same children bear more burden of disease—in part due to their poor access to healthcare services. This is where Healthy Learners steps in to provide access to these critical healthcare services so that all children can be at their best in the classroom. Healthy Learners has five regional programs that serve 150 schools across sixteen (16) South Carolina school districts. For more information, see healthylearners.com.
