This month, the KHC welcomed Merv Antonio as our Senior Manager of Membership and Development. In his role, Merv will lead member engagement, strategic partnerships, and sponsorship development. Merv brings extensive nonprofit capacity-building experience, most recently as Senior Director of Learning and Convening at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, where he designed and led professional development programs, convenings, and initiatives that strengthened nonprofit organizations across the region. His expertise spans organizational development, strategic partnerships, program design, and member engagement. Merv holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Design and Renewal from Seattle University and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The KHC is thrilled to welcome Merv to the team and is excited about the energy, creativity, and strategic insight he brings to this role. His deep experience building meaningful partnerships and engaging diverse stakeholders will support KHC’s work in fostering collaborative partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem. KHC members and partners can look forward to working closely with him in the coming weeks. He will be reaching out to introduce himself, learn more about your priorities, and explore new opportunities for collaboration and engagement.
Connect with Merv at mantonio@khcollaborative.org.
Get to Know Merv
Share your personal interest in health and healthcare improvement.
I’ve come to appreciate that health isn’t just about medical care—it’s about the conditions that make a living a healthy life possible. Access to quality healthcare, nutritious food, safe neighborhoods, and supportive communities all play a role. What I admire about KHC is the recognition that improving health outcomes requires collaboration across all these sectors.
What do you see as the biggest threat to our community’s health? How do you feel it needs to be addressed?
Healthcare affordability and access remain significant barriers. When people delay or skip care because of cost, small health issues can lead to major crises. Addressing this requires coordination between providers, insurers, employers, and community organizations—exactly the kind of multi-stakeholder collaboration KHC facilitates.
Why do you think a multi-stakeholder coalition like the KHC is needed in the community?
Healthcare is too complex for any single organization to solve alone. Providers, nonprofits, corporations, and public agencies each bring different perspectives, resources, and expertise. KHC creates space where these different stakeholders can come together, share insights, and learn from each other—building the relationships and understanding that make collaboration possible.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about lifelong learning—exploring new ideas, challenging my assumptions, and helping others do the same. I believe we’re all capable of more than we realize, and I thrive on work that helps unlock that potential.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I try to practice what I believe about health—I enjoy playing tennis regularly and participating in group fitness classes. I also love trying new foods, listening to music, and traveling whenever I can.
What is something people might find surprising about you?
I was an award-winning accordion player growing up. I no longer play, though I’ve thought about picking it back up many times. It taught me a lot about discipline, performance, and the value of practice—lessons that have served me well throughout my life.
What is your favorite place to travel?
Anywhere I haven’t been yet. I just returned from Melbourne, Australia in January, which brought me to my sixth continent. Antarctica and Central Asia are high on my list for the next few adventures.
What is your favorite quote?
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” It’s from Hamlet, and it reminds me that integrity—being honest with yourself first—is the foundation of everything else.
If Hollywood made a movie of your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?
Dave Bautista or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson—I figure if Hollywood’s going to tell my story, they might as well make me look good doing it.
