Natrona Collective Health Trust Announces Leadership Change

The Natrona Collective Health Trust Board of Directors announced a leadership transition today. Beth Worthen will become the new CEO as of November 1, 2022, following the resignation of current CEO Meredith Benton.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, we want to express our gratitude for Meredith’s incredible leadership at the Natrona Collective Health Trust,” said Jessica Oden, NCHT acting Board Chair. “Meredith built this foundation from the ground up in an astoundingly short period of time. Her efforts in directing our strategic planning process, designing programs to meet our community’s needs, and building a team of talented individuals to do the work were outstanding. We have learned so much from Meredith’s expertise and will miss her immensely.”

In Meredith’s tenure as CEO, Natrona Collective Health Trust (NCHT) adopted a mission to “build the foundation for lifelong health among Natrona County community members by advancing the mental wellbeing of young people through trust-based philanthropy and systems change.” Under her leadership, the NCHT has granted approximately $5 million to Natrona County-area nonprofit organizations to support this mission, and also provides grant-writing and technical assistance as well as advocacy resources for its nonprofit partners.

“Serving as NCHT CEO has been the highlight of my career,” Benton said. “I’m proud of the work the board and staff have accomplished and look forward to continuing to support them. While I loved my work, being a single mom without family and community support proved too challenging and necessitated my returning to Tennessee.”

Formerly the Wyoming Medical Center Foundation, NCHT converted to a private health foundation following WMC’s affiliation with Banner Health. Incoming CEO Beth Worthen has served as board chairman since the WMC/Banner affiliation in October 2020.

“Beth has a deep knowledge of and commitment to NCHT’s mission and impact in our community,” said Oden. “Our top priority is to continue to be a consistent partner to Natrona County nonprofits and Beth’s leadership with NCHT and experience in the broader nonprofit community will contribute to a smooth transition.”

A sixth generation Wyomingite, she has been the executive director of the Natrona County Public Library Foundation since 2008. Beth was previously a policy analyst for Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, assistant director of the Wyoming Healthcare Commission, and coordinator for the Casper affiliate of the Wyoming Community Foundation. She is a member of the Department of Family Services Advisory Board and Wyoming Women’s Antelope Hunt General Committee. She volunteers with CASA and Meals on Wheels.

“I am excited to work with our truly impressive NCHT team, to build on the momentum that Meredith has created,” said Worthen. “We have a great deal of work ahead of us to bring lasting change to the way we support the mental wellbeing of our youth and families of Natrona County.”