Palm Health Foundation announced today the committee appointments of three Palm Beach County leaders to guide grantmaking and fundraising initiatives that will provide residents with opportunities to thrive and reach their full health potential. The new committee members and their respective committees are:

• Dr. Alina Alonso, former director of the Palm Beach County Health Department and West Palm Beach resident, joins the Palm Health Foundation Community Investment Committee;
• Denise Bober, senior vice president of human resources at The Breakers Palm Beach, Inc. and Palm Beach Gardens resident, joins the Palm Health Foundation Philanthropy Committee;
• and Chioma R. Deere, Esq., founder and managing partner of Deere Law Firm and West Palm Beach resident, also joins the Palm Health Foundation Philanthropy Committee.

Dr. Alonso previously served the foundation as chair of the board of trustees and as chair of the governance and nominating committee. Her return to join the community investment committee demonstrates her commitment to the foundation’s three primary initiatives: to build a culture of health through community-led solutions; advance brain health; and strengthen the healthcare workforce. As the former director of one of the largest county health departments in the State of Florida, and a member of the faculty of Nova Southeastern University, Health Professions Division, Dr. Alonso brings extraordinary insight and experience to her role in advising the foundation’s grantmaking and investments in the health of the Palm Beach County community, which have averaged $4 million a year, and $91 million in total since 2001.

Denise Bober previously served the foundation’s board of trustees as well, most recently as chair. She returns as a philanthropy committee member with a dedication to social impact, an area she has championed during her three decades of human resources and benefits management expertise at one of America’s most successful hotel companies. She sets the example professionally as a member of the Executive Women’s Association of the Palm Beaches, Global Women 4 Wellbeing, and a former member of the Global Wellness Institute’s Social Impact Committee. In 2018, the Global Wellness Summit recognized Bober as a Leader in Workplace Wellness and Palm Beach Atlantic University named her as one of its 50 most notable alumni. In 2020, the South Florida Business Journal honored Bober as one of its Most Influential Business Women. Personally, Bober is making an impact through The Sutton Kailey Nursing Advancement Fund at Palm Health Foundation, established to honor her granddaughters and provide scholarships to nursing students. Bober will advise the foundation on increasing awareness and attracting donors to its mission to inspire and fund solutions for better health in Palm Beach County through community collaboration.

As an attorney dedicated to community education, Chioma Deere has a strong interest in guiding the foundation’s philanthropy committee. Her law practice’s focus in estate planning and trust administration is perfectly aligned with the foundation’s ability to fulfill a donor’s wishes through planned giving. She is highly dedicated to her community and her profession as a member of the Florida Bar, The Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate & Trust Law (RPPTL) Section, past chair on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee, Judicial Circuit Group 15D, the Palm Beach County Bar Association, the F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association, Impact Palm Beach, the Black Chamber and Women’s Chamber of Commerce for Palm Beach County, and The West Palm Beach (FL) Chapter of the Links Incorporated. The foundation welcomes Chioma’s valuable perspective on creating lasting and meaningful giving legacies.



“All three of these accomplished professionals and community leaders bring their own distinct career and personal experiences to advance Palm Health Foundation’s mission,” said Patrick McNamara, president and CEO. “We are grateful for their commitment to us and to the health of Palm Beach County residents.”