Championing a Community of Care

What does it mean to be a true community leader? The answer to this question can be found at Cherry Health, a Grand Rapids institution that provides accessible health care to those who need it, regardless of their ability to pay. Their framework maintains a focus on holistic care that empowers patients and breaks down barriers to build a stronger, healthier community. At the helm of this incredible mission is CEO Tasha Blackmon, who embodies the mission of Cherry Health with authenticity, faith, and courage.

Throughout her 15-plus years at Cherry Health, Tasha Blackmon has dedicated her professional life to advocating for equitable access to medical care. COVID-19, which disproportionately affected communities of color, was no exception. In response to a rapidly shifting health crisis, Blackmon evolved her own leadership style to match the needs of those she served. Steering Michigan’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center through the pandemic, Blackmon was recognized for her leadership as the 2020 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient. Her leadership doesn’t end there; Blackmon serves many professional and community groups in her native home of Grand Rapids. Join our cohort of fellow candidates in the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy as Tasha shared her lessons in life and leadership.

Tasha Blackmon 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 60,000 patients in Barry, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Ottawa and Wayne counties.

Since joining Cherry Health in 2005, Blackmon has championed health justice through aggressively disrupting healthcare disparities. Her experience comes from an operational perspective, having established high standards of care and developed integrated healthcare systems that 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.