Convening with Intention: Georgia Health Initiative and the Maternal Health Vitality Think Tank
by Ky Lindberg, VP of Community Engagement
Before joining the Initiative and the field of philanthropy, I sat on the “other side of the table” as CEO of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia. From that vantage point, I saw something many of us addressing maternal health were experiencing: brilliant, passionate people doing incredible work, sometimes together yet often in parallel.
There were many enriching conversations and collaborative tables, but few that focused on systems change, included funders, aligned on shared goals, or fully accessed or leveraged available resources. We increasingly acknowledged that meaningful change would depend on a coordinated systems approach leveraging our collective energy and intentionally integrating funders and state leaders as a critical strategy for facilitating dialogue, alignment, and shared accountability.
Then in early 2024, I had an encouraging conversation with Kristy Klein Davis, President & CEO of the Initiative. What stood out immediately was her genuine commitment to slowing down and listening, taking the time to connect with partners already doing the work in maternal health to truly understand what was working, where gaps existed, and to hear how the Initiative could be most helpful. As we continued talking and as I had similar conversations with other philanthropic leaders, I recognized familiar threads between what many of us had been striving to coordinate for years to build greater momentum and a sincere desire among local philanthropy to approach this work differently. They were not only open to a refreshed way of working, but willing to use their position to bring nonprofit partners, funders, and other key systems leaders together in meaningful conversation.
While I did not yet know that in the coming months I would eventually join the Initiative to further shape this work, this pivotal engagement affirmed my belief that authentic, trusted relationships matter; that philanthropic partnerships can be done differently; and that a systems-focused approach can move us from incremental progress to accelerated change. Fast forward to now, as I steward the maternal health work at the Initiative from “this side of the table” and retain that spirit of humility, collaboration, and a laser focus on systems change to support Georgia families.
Fitting the Pieces Together
After joining the Initiative, I continued having conversations with my peers about how best to support maternal health in Georgia. It soon became clear that we already know what needs to be done. We have access to specific recommendations, findings, and broader learnings from Georgia’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, outstanding academic institutions, community organizations trusted by families, clinical leaders pioneering new care models, policymakers, and funders working in this space. The question was: How do we bring all these pieces together to create real and lasting systems change?
That question led us to a simple but powerful conclusion: the work didn’t need another program or space to come up with another list of solutions — it needed alignment. That realization sparked the formation of the Maternal Health Vitality Think Tank (MHVTT), which we have been building in close collaboration with partners over the past year and a half.
The newly launched MHVTT is a Georgia collaborative of leaders across health care, public health, social services, academia, philanthropy, and deeply steeped community partners working together to align efforts and advance sustainable, systems-level solutions to improve maternal health outcomes in Georgia. Through a co-created Strategic Alignment Plan, the MHVTT is aligned around key priorities: strengthening care coordination across the maternal health continuum, building a more sustainable and equitable workforce, and aligning funding to support lasting systems change. The MHVTT doesn’t duplicate or disrupt the promising maternal health direct services work currently underway. It complements this work by addressing the systems at play.
Our Role: Holding Space, Focusing on the Big Picture, and Bridging Diverse Stakeholders
In shepherding this work, the Initiative is privileged to step into a convener role we’re uniquely positioned to play. As a non-partisan, non-profit, private foundation, we hold space, focus on the big picture, and bridge together diverse stakeholders around shared goals. We help spark ideas, elevate voices that need to be heard, and create conditions for alignment. We facilitate dialogue, provide operational infrastructure, steward shared resources, and help ensure the Strategic Alignment Plan moves from paper to practice.
We also work behind the scenes—coordinating partners, commissioning research, and keeping things held together so that others can focus on what they do best. Think of it like this: someone has to make sure the table is set with all that we need. Who’s bringing the chips? Who’s got the soda? Who remembered the dip? That’s the space we hold — so the gathering works, and the impact lasts.
The Initiative is deeply engaged in this work not just as a convener but as a partner. We are working alongside fellow MHVTT members to help translate strategy into progress, support shared learning, and remove barriers that slow collective action. We contribute capacity, perspective, and accountability to ensure ideas generated through the MHVTT lead to Georgia-specific impacts. At the same time, we bring our own priorities and philanthropic lens to the table — strengthening the collective effort while remaining grounded in our organizational vision, mission, and values.
At its core, the MHVTT is about creating space for collaboration and building durable bridges across sectors, disciplines, and lived experience. The goal is maternal health vitality — ensuring families can thrive before, during, and after pregnancy, not simply survive it. One example of what this looks like in practice is the commissioning and publication of a 10-year retrospective analysis that assessed the implementation status of existing recommendations to improve maternal health outcomes in Georgia. The initiation of this work was informed by the input of MHVTT partners of our need to better understand what has been implemented, what’s working and where gaps remain. MHVTT-informed resources like these and others will ensure the work of this collaborative remains grounded in evidence and aligned with Georgia’s real needs.
The Future We’re Building Together
My vision for maternal health vitality is shaped by my own experiences navigating pregnancy and motherhood, and my mom’s story that first sparked my passion for this work. But I also think about the families across Georgia who deserve to feel seen, heard, and supported at every stage of their own maternal journey.
We in Georgia have a real opportunity to turn shared vision into meaningful change. Not through any single organization acting alone, but through sustained collaboration, coordination, and shared accountability across systems. In part through the MHVTT, we are building a Georgia where maternal health systems are aligned, responsive, and equitable. A Georgia where families can experience healthy pregnancies, safe childbirth, and dignified recovery.
That future is worth standing up for and, here at the Initiative, we’re proud to partner with others to make it a reality. We invite you to join the ongoing conversation, learn more about the MHVTT, and commit to our shared vision for maternal health vitality.
Learn more about the Maternal Health Vitality Think Tank at maternalvitalityga.org.
