We are pleased to announce the newest members of our Board of Trustees who will join in January 2023. We welcome Dr. Rosalie Corona, Rudene Mercer Haynes and Roberta Keller to RMHF.
“All three of these individuals have the experience and capacity to help us accelerate and advance RMHF’s new Strategic Framework,” shares Dr. Rosalyn Hobson Hargraves, Chair, RMHF’s Governance & Trusteeship Committee. “Their unique perspectives, legal and financial expertise and true commitment to health and racial equity will guide RMHF for years to come.”
Rosalie Corona, Ph.D.
Dr. Rosalie Corona is a Professor of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her community-engaged research 
focuses on health promotion and risk reduction for Latine and African American youth and their caregivers. A theme throughout her research is the role that family and culture play in health behaviors. Overtime, her research has progressed from an initial focus on identifying local health disparities and the risk and protective factors associated with these disparities, to the development, implementation, and evaluation of family-based prevention programs to address health disparities. She has served as a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention; National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute; National Cancer Institute; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. During her time at VCU, she also founded the VCU Clinica Latina de Salud Mental where she supervises bilingual doctoral students in the provision of evidence-based mental health services to English- and Spanish-speaking Latines. Dr. Corona received her B.A. from the University of California at Irvine and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles.
“As the pandemic has made ever so apparent, realizing health and racial equity will require that we have deeper knowledge of and relationships with Latine and other new populations in the Richmond region. I am honored to bring my personal experiences as a member of the Latine community as well as my deep professional understanding of mental health and wellness to the RMHF Board.” – Dr. Rosalie Corona
Rudene Mercer Haynes
Rudene Mercer Haynes is a partner at the Hunton Andrews Kurth law firm where she co-leads the firm’s servicer advance 
financing practice. Her work in the residential mortgage financing industry has not only benefited her clients, but it has also helped make homeownership affordable and possible for many Americans. Rudene is also a firmwide hiring partner and committed to expanding opportunities for diverse candidates. She is known for her devotion to fostering an environment that embraces difference, promotes equality and engenders mutual respect, and for creating a culture of inclusion where everyone has the opportunity to excel in the legal profession. Outside of her work at the firm, Rudene is recognized as a leader in the community who is passionate about ending health disparities and racial inequities. Most recently, Rudene co-founded “Facts & Faith Fridays,” a series of weekly calls with the Black faith community to provide accurate information on COVID-19 transmission, vaccination and improving outcomes. Dr. Anthony Fauci and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden were among some of the esteemed guests. Rudene has a B.A. from University of Virginia and J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law.
“I am thrilled to be able to bring together so many of my passions in a single Board appointment with RMHF. During my 23 years in Richmond practicing law, I’ve been very interested in figuring out how we can level the playing field for marginalized communities in terms of addressing health disparities and improving medical access to all. This includes acknowledging and improving the social determinants of health in our most vulnerable populations; understanding that established systems and structures have created health, educational and wealth inequities; and underscoring the importance of mental health in communities of color.” – Rudene Mercer Haynes
Roberta Keller
Roberta Keller is the CEO of Alexis Advisors, a values-based investment firm that she founded to help individuals, women, 
and families align their money to what they value most. She has built her business with a focus on sustainable, responsible investing, and values-based financial planning. Alexis Advisors is the region’s first B-Corp certified investment advisory firm, which demonstrates Roberta’s dedication to positively impacting employees, clients and the community. Roberta and her firm are committed to the Richmond community. Roberta is a longstanding board member of the Innerwork center, a non-profit focused on offering program and practice groups that contribute to a more mindful, compassionate world. She and her team also offer pro-bono financial planning services to those in need, as well as financial literacy programs to underserved populations. Roberta received her B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University. Her career has spanned nearly a decade working in finance on Wall Street, in Connecticut and London, as well as several years in management and IT consulting before starting her firm.
“I am honored to be serving on the RMHF Board alongside so many inspiring people. The intersection of health, wealth, and social equity has been a passion of mine for years. I was very ill in the 1990’s and learned quickly just how fortunate I was to have a solid family life, financial stability, and access to healthy food and healthcare providers. The United States is the only industrialized nation without universal health insurance. Health and healthcare should not be a privilege. I feel similarly about building wealth. Large swaths of the population are disproportionately impacted by the lack of access and understanding about things many of us take for granted such as: setting up a bank account – what documents are needed; investing – that you can start small; credit – how to use it wisely.” – Roberta Keller