A message from Meredith – NCHT announces leadership change

The Natrona Collective Health Trust Board announced a leadership transition today. Beth Worthen has been selected as CEO of the Trust following the resignation of current CEO Meredith Benton. The full press release can be found on our website.

Meredith wanted to take an opportunity to address her decision in a letter to our nonprofit and community partners below.

Dear Partners,

I’m reaching out to share with you a change that will be happening at Natrona Collective Health Trust.

For those who may not know me directly, I’ve served as the CEO of the foundation since August of 2021. My then 9-year-old daughter and I relocated to Casper from Tennessee. As a single mom with a demanding career, I quickly faced challenges trying to make it all w

ork such as finding after-school options for us. This summer, I couldn’t find adequate camps. This had my daughter leaving for camps in Montana, flying to stay with family in Tennessee, and spending several weeks at the office with me daily. So last month I shared these issues with the board and how I needed to return to Nashville where there are additional resources for my daughter and the support of my family.

While serving as NCHT’s founding CEO has been the highlight of my career, my role as mom comes first. Therefore, I am leaving the foundation at the end of the year. This was not a decision I made lightly as this has been an ideal work environment with an incredible community, board, and staff.

With this said, the board is committed to continuing in the direction we’ve been headed and want a CEO transition to have as little impact as possible on our partners and community. To assist in doing that, they’ve selected Beth Worthen as the next CEO. Beth served as our board chair the last two years and is deeply committed to continuing the work rooted in our values and current strategic plan. We expect no major operational, grantmaking, or programmatic changes as a result of the CEO change.

On behalf of my daughter and me, I want to thank the community for giving us the opportunity to live here. We’ve made some great friends and even better memories. This is a bittersweet transition, and we look forward to returning to the community that’s become a home to us. Most of all, thank you for the work you do daily to improve the health and well-being of Natrona County, and thank you for letting me play a small role in supporting those efforts.

All my best,
Meredith