Shellie Pfohl - RMC Health and Action for Healthy Kids
Thirlby Co. Leader to Learn From: March 2023
March 8, 2023
In June of 2021, Shellie Pfohl became the CEO of RMC Health, a nonprofit that prepares school and public health professionals to collaboratively implement a whole child approach.
About one year into her role, Shellie led her organization through a merger, joining forces with Action for Healthy Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to improving children’s health and well-being by bringing together and mobilizing educators, families, and other key stakeholders to help children lead healthy lives.
“The merger came about largely because myself and Rob Bisceglie, the CEO of Action for Healthy kids, weren’t satisfied with where we were as a collective movement, in terms of our mission of creating and fostering healthy kids in a healthy environment,” Shellie explained.
Just months after the merger, Shellie and her team have already made significant progress. In February of 2023, RMC Health and Action for Healthy Kids were awarded a $47 million cooperative agreement from the USDA to implement a healthy meals incentives initiative. “In the 30-something years in my field, I have never seen a federal cooperative agreement this big,” Shellie shared. “It’s great to see the USDA focusing on the nutrition security of young people.”
Read on to learn more about Shellie’s lessons through the merger, the importance of healthcare prevention, and her beliefs about seeing the best in others.
OUR INTERVIEW WITH SHELLIE
This past year, your organization (RMC Health) went through a major process of merging with Action for Healthy Kids, a national nonprofit that brings together dedicated volunteers and partners to make schools healthier places where kids thrive. What prompted the change, and what have been your key learnings so far?
The merger came about largely because myself and Rob Bisceglie, the CEO of Action for Healthy kids, weren’t satisfied with where we were as a collective movement, in terms of our mission of creating and fostering healthy kids in a healthy environment. So we began a conversation about what it would look like if we partnered in some way. And one of the opportunities was to do a full on merger.
As we did our due diligence, it became clear that the way we could scale our services collectively and have the biggest impact was to merge. The organizers are complimentary, and so we knew that integrating our programs and services would lift each other up - the whole would be greater than the sum.
As far as lessons go - it’s amazing what can be accomplished when people don’t care who gets the credit. In leadership, we talk about checking your ego at the door, rolling up your sleeves, and figuring out how to get things done - this process has reflected that.
Another key learning was to not underestimate the challenges of integrating cultures and teams. The integration of programs and services is a lot easier than integrating two team cultures. Communication is everything - you have to engage with everyone in the organization. The tough part is that you can’t bring everyone into the conversation unless you know the merger may go forward - if you move too fast, it can create uncertainties, liabilities, and more. Balancing those best practices is hard, so you must be intentional with your communication.
Last month, RMC Health and Action for Healthy Kids were awarded a $47 million cooperative agreement from the USDA to implement a healthy meals incentives initiative. This is a significant achievement. Tell us more!
In the 30-something years in my field, I have never seen a federal cooperative agreement this big. This cooperative agreement with the USDA focuses around our nutrition pillar and food security and services in schools. It’s great to see the USDA focusing on the nutrition security of our young people.
The majority of the funding will go to small and rural school districts across the country to help them enhance their school food service, and the other portion will award schools and school districts for their outstanding work in school nutrition. We’ll also have two national summits where we bring everyone together to share their successes and learn from each other.
This opportunity is huge for the schools and districts that we are serving. First off, it’s often the small districts that are in most need of resources - not just financial, but technical assistance. Second, it’s significant that the federal government is putting forward dollars in these areas and recognizing that how we fuel kids' bodies will impact how well they learn, their ability to concentrate and relate to others, and how well they can grow up to be vivacious, productive adults.
You have dedicated your entire career to supporting organizations that improve the health and wellbeing of kids. Why do you think this is?
For me, that focus came about because I discovered firsthand what being physically active did for me as a young person. I wanted all kids of all backgrounds and circumstances to have the opportunity and access to be able to participate.
This work is important not only from an individual standpoint of the health of each person we are fortunate enough to reach, but it’s important for our country - meaning our economy, addressing the enormous healthcare costs, and the fact that we lead the world in the percentage of our GDP that we spend on healthcare. And this seems incongruent with our collective goal to create a healthy and productive citizenry.
We’ve got to get upstream - we spend so much time downstream, treating disease, and such a small percentage of our healthcare dollars are spent on prevention. Over the course of my career, I’ve seen that and know the positive outcomes for individuals and communities if we get upstream.
What precipitated the RMC Health and Action for Healthy Kids’ merger is that we aren’t where we need to be as organizations or as a child health movement. It’s really a wakeup call when you’ve spent your whole career in this space and have not seen significant movement towards a healthier nation. We can do better. For me, I’m going to run through the tape, however long it takes.
How would you define confidence?
Believing in yourself. Plain and simple.
What have you learned about vulnerability, in the context of leadership?
For me, vulnerability is sharing your authentic imperfect self with your team members and not being afraid to show those imperfections.
How would you define your mission or purpose in life?
Doing the most good for the most people, and mentoring the next generation of leaders. I’ve been thinking about legacy a lot - what legacy do I want to leave? Part of it is around mentoring and helping young professionals grow and advance in their professional lives.
What is your greatest superpower as a leader?
I think I’ve gotten really good at seeing the best in people. On my walk today, I was listening to Rising Strong (by Brené Brown) and the question came up - are people really doing the best they can? I believe that if you can truly embrace this notion, even if it may look really ugly, and approach any situation or human as they are doing the best they can today, then it makes your life a little easier.
I would say the hardest part of this previous statement is giving yourself the grace to understand - hey I’m doing the best I can today. If you can give yourself that grace it may be easier to give others that grace.
It’s easier said than done, but remember that you don’t know what people are going through. The trauma that people are showing up to work with is real. We as leaders have to learn how to empathize, be compassionate, and create safe and brave spaces for people to share their truth.
The racial and social reckoning that our society is wrestling with right now is huge, important, relevant, timely, and past due. It also brings trauma for individuals and families to the fore and ultimately our workplaces have to be in a position to support people through these challenges and address them.
So - how do you balance this radical empathy with accountability and tough decision making?
It’s not easy. Just showing up with empathy is a good start. I’ve found that if team members know that I care and see them as human beings, and if I acknowledge that they may be going through something and are doing the best they can today, people will usually rise to the accountability. If performance is suffering, then let’s come to it from an empathetic point of view first.
What is something that might surprise people about you?
Because most of my jobs have been public facing and extroverted, people might be surprised to know I’m really an introvert. I know I need to find time alone to re-energize. Walking my dogs is a great way to regain my energy.
What advice would you have for someone who is struggling or feeling stuck right now in their life or career?
It’s during those times that feel the most murky that the revolution and evolution come. Brené Brown talks about the delta - the Greek symbol for change. It’s in those times of change where the real revolution begins. If you don’t lean into the hard parts, then you won’t evolve to become the amazing person you are meant to be.
What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
Ask for help. I think sometimes we think we can do it all ourselves and we should know and be able to figure things out. I would intentionally develop more mentorship from others, and personally ask for more help.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My go-to quote is people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. It goes back to leading with empathy. That’s served me well my entire career.
About Shellie Pfohl, MS.Ed. (She/Her)
Shellie has spent her career creating and leading impactful programs, policies, and partnerships to improve the health and well-being of people across the United States and around the world. Shellie holds a dual role as President of RMC Health and Chief Growth Officer for Action for Healthy Kids. She helped facilitate the merger of these two organizations in 2022, when they joined forces to tackle the health and well-being of America’s youth.
Shellie previously served as a Special Advisor to the Esports Integrity Commission and the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) and COO for SIGA America. There she developed a plan to implement SIGA’s mission in the U.S. focused on good governance, financial integrity, sports betting integrity and safeguarding athletes in sports. As the first President and Chief Executive Officer of the United States Center for SafeSport, she led its start-up and rapid expansion to address sexual abuse within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movements.
Shellie was appointed by President Barack Obama as Executive Director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. She was responsible for developing the vision, strategy and goals of the Council and directing the organization’s daily operations. In addition, Shellie led the Council’s efforts to support First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. This included leading the development of Let’s Move! Active Schools.
Shellie has served as Senior Vice President for a fitness technology company where she created strategic partnerships with state, national and international organizations, and corporations to provide health and physical education resources for schools and community organizations. Shellie also co-founded and served as executive director of Be Active North Carolina, a non-profit organization that worked to increase physical activity among North Carolina citizens. While in North Carolina she also served as executive director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Health.
Shellie is a currently a member of the P.L.A.Y. Sports Board of Directors, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Advocacy Committee, and the Washington Institute for Business, Government & Society Sports Council. Shellie received her bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology/Fitness Leadership from Northern Illinois University. She earned a certification in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. Most recently, Shellie completed the Women in Sports and Events Executive Leadership Institute at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.
When she’s not busy working, Shellie enjoys hiking, skiing, and traveling with her partner and their pets.
Connect with Shellie on LinkedIn.
About This Feature
Leaders to Learn From is a standing feature in The Thirlby Company’s monthly newsletter that recognizes leaders in our community who embody our company’s core values. You can learn about our other honorees here, or subscribe to our newsletter to receive this feature and more inspiring content in the future.
