About the Expert Insights Series: The success of families depends on many stakeholders coming together to understand and respond to the complex needs of families. With so many facets of family well-being and endless commentary on topics, it can be difficult for professionals to find the reliable, relevant information they need to make informed decisions and stay current on key issues.
That’s why we created the Expert Insights Spotlight. This is a space where we talk to trusted experts across the many fields that contribute to flourishing families. These conversations offer actionable insights and digestible advice for professionals, advocates, and anyone working to support family well-being.
Meet the Expert: Dr. Jen Kimbrough is the Executive Director of Strategy at the Children's Home Society of North Carolina, where she provides executive leadership for key initiatives including the strategic plan, Grants, Business Development, Governmental Affairs, the Institute for Family, and SaySo (Strong Able Youth Speaking Out). With over 30 years of experience in public health, she has held leadership roles across community-based organizations, research institutions, and universities. Her work has spanned adolescent health, community health, worksite wellness, health literacy, research, and teaching, all anchored by a deep commitment to improving family well-being and driving meaningful, community-level change.
“Every coalition I’ve ever been part of started with a clear goal and the will to make things better.”
--Dr. Jennifer Kimbrough
Over thirty years ago in a rural North Carolina county, a bold idea emerged: place health clinics inside schools to help teenagers access critical care. There were doubts. People pushed back. But something powerful happened—parents, faith leaders, school officials, and healthcare professionals came together. Through courageous conversations and a shared vision, a community coalition took shape. The result? A model of adolescent care that is still running successfully today.
Behind this story—and many others like it—is Dr. Jennifer Kimbrough, Executive Director of Strategy at the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina. With over three decades in public health, she’s seen again and again the power of coalitions in enacting community change. She believes that the strongest coalitions are the ones that welcome all voices.
“Coalitions thrive when we stay open — to new voices, new ideas, and the unexpected changemakers,” she says. Her belief in community leadership has shaped coalitions that didn’t just solve problems—they redefined what was possible.
In this conversation from our Expert Insights Spotlight, we spoke with Dr. Kimbrough about the significant role coalitions play in sustainably addressing family and community needs. She shares her ample experience and expertise around the key components to success and offers practical tips for determining whether a coalition may be appropriate for your cause.
What Are Coalitions?
Coalitions are not just committees or brainstorming groups. They are strategic, intentional alliances designed to solve complex problems. As described by Population Health Management, coalitions are “mechanisms increasingly utilized to address complex health issues at the local level... collaborative partnerships of diverse members who work toward a common goal.”
Diversity is key—not just of roles or professions, but of opinions and lived experiences. According to Dr. Kimbrough, “Coalitions thrive when we stay open — to new voices, new ideas, and the unexpected changemakers.”
She’s seen faith leaders become HIV educators, skeptics become advocates, and community members emerge as unlikely leaders. These moments aren't just feel-good surprises—they're proof that trust and openness make coalitions stronger.
The Structure of a Strong Coalition
Coalitions that work, Dr. Kimbrough emphasizes, don’t happen by accident. They are cultivated through intentionality, structure, and care. The Prevention Institute outlines an eight-step process to build them effectively:
- Analyze your goals and determine if a coalition is needed
- Recruit the right people
- Set preliminary objectives
- Convene your group
- Identify necessary resources
- Build your structure
- Keep the coalition engaged and vital
- Evaluate and adjust as needed
Dr. Kimbrough adds that building trust is just as critical as setting objectives. Coalitions need time—sometimes years—to gel. “Coalitions don’t move fast,” she says. “They move with purpose.” They require clarity of purpose, consistency, and above all, mutual respect.
Data + Stories = Direction
Every coalition Dr. Kimbrough has helped launch began the same way: by listening. In the adolescent pregnancy coalition, the team started with a county-wide survey of high school students to understand the most pressing health needs—and to show the community that they cared about their perspectives and their concerns were backed by real data.
“The data gave us grounding, but the stories gave us direction,” Dr. Kimbrough says. “They made it real.”
This pairing of quantitative and qualitative insight helped build buy-in from hesitant community members, including those with initial objections. It also provided the coalition with a compass, showing them how their efforts were making a difference over time.
Why Coalitions Matter for Generational Well-Being
Coalitions are more than problem-solving bodies—they're long-term investments in community well-being. They allow us to center the needs of families and to build systems that outlast short-term funding or one-time interventions.
“There’s a real opportunity,” she explains, “for communities to come together around family, and how we help families intergenerationally build their longevity and well-being.”
This kind of collaborative infrastructure is especially critical in rural areas, where, as the Rural Health Information Hub notes, coalitions can pool limited human and financial resources to create sustainable solutions. In fact, this was how the idea for incorporating clinics in schools arose in Dr. Kimbrough’s work; they wanted to overcome the limited accessibility to healthcare by bringing preventative health care closer to a population that needed it most in a critical time of development. Through their coalition, they were able to streamline the resources to make this possible.
How to Start Your Own Coalition
Maybe you are ready to take the next step to elevate family well-being in your community and are considering launching a coalition. Dr. Kimbrough offers some key considerations for building an effective coalition:
- Start with a clear issue. Don’t try to solve everything. Focus on one urgent need.
- Listen deeply. Conduct a community assessment. Talk to residents. Look at the data.
- Be strategic with invitations. Include diverse voices—especially those who may disagree.
- Design for action, not just discussion. Set goals, define roles, and map out a timeline.
- Stay open to the unexpected. Your most impactful leaders might surprise you.
Conclusion
Dr. Kimbrough’s most enduring coalitions didn’t come from a perfect plan—they came from persistent care, inclusive values, and a deep belief in the power of community. The work is slow, sometimes messy, and always deeply human. But when it’s done right, it’s transformative.
Open-mindedness and adaptability—especially a willingness to listen and respond to evolving community needs—must always remain at the heart of this work. Coalitions thrive when everyone feels like their voice is invited to the table and matters.
“You never know who will show up and take the work to the next level,” she says. “Make room for them.”
At the heart of every successful community initiative there is a simple truth: everyone wants their family to thrive. As Dr. Kimbrough eloquently put it, “Family is everything to me—and I think that’s true for most people. That’s where this work starts.” And when we come together—across differences, across systems, across generations—we make that possible. Not just for today, but for tomorrow, and for succeeding generations.