January 31, 2024 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Molly Talbot-Metz has now spent more than half her life in South Carolina. The Mary Black Foundation President/CEO’s journey to improving health in her adopted state began when she was a teen growing up in Syracuse, New York and recently resulted in her receipt of the Order of the Palmetto.
Talbot-Metz’s passion for health education began when she was diagnosed with high cholesterol during high school. Her interactions with a cardiologist and dietician inspired her to major in the field at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland.
When comparing her top three graduate school choices, USC came out ahead because the Arnold School’s (before it was named for Norman J. Arnold) Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, Education and Behavior program offered an assistantship. Talbot-Metz interviewed with founding executive director for Fact Forward (then known as the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy) Joy Campbell and knew she had found her match.
“Little did I know then that the experience would be so transformative for me,” she says. “While I was in graduate school, I was able to receive hands-on experience about effective coalition building, the importance of public policy in creating healthy communities, the operations of a nonprofit organization, resource development and grant writing, and more. With the real-world experiences and high-quality education I received through the school of public health, I felt fully prepared for life after graduation.”
Talbot-Metz continued working with Fact Forward after her 1999 graduation, transitioning from graduate assistant/health educator to campaign director. In 2001, she made the move to the Mary Black Foundation, where she worked her way up from program officer to President and CEO.
The Order of the Palmetto Award is South Carolina's highest civilian honor to recognize a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service and contributions.
Founded in 1986 to support the Mary Black Memorial Hospital (a nonprofit medical center established in 1925), the Foundation has been a separate entity with a charitable mission since the hospital was sold in 1996. Overseen by a Board of Trustees and run by a staff of 10, the Foundation has focused on improving the health and wellbeing of residents in Spartanburg County ever since.
“Working in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector is a fulfilling career path that I would strongly encourage,” Talbot-Metz says. “There are not many careers that allow someone to make a comfortable living while also knowing that the day-to-day work is meaningful and leading to positive community change.”
Since 1996, the team has distributed more than $65 million in grants to local nonprofit organizations with overlapping missions. Talbot-Metz’s collaborative approach to this community work helps advance health in many areas, such as teen pregnancy prevention and early childhood education. She shares her Order of the Palmetto Award – the state’s highest civilian honor to recognize a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service and contributions – with her colleagues and partners.
After a comprehensive strategic planning process, the Foundation has decided to focus their grantmaking and programming efforts on children and their families moving forward. Their goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of the entire community by investing in young people and the adults who care for them.
“I’m particularly excited about this new direction because I understand the importance of a holistic, two-generation approach in creating healthier individuals and communities,” Talbot-Metz says. “I look forward to researching areas of greatest need within Spartanburg and then working with our partners to develop and fund solutions.”
For those considering a career in public health, Talbot-Metz recommends both her program and her profession.
“In addition to the master of public health program providing me with foundational understanding of the social and community context that impacts individual health and wellbeing, the faculty were instrumental in helping me make connections that led to lifelong friends and colleagues, internship and practicum opportunities, and future jobs,” she says.
“The nonprofit sector provides a great deal of variety – IT, human resources, fundraising, communications, direct services and more – and there are different areas of focus, such as the arts, animal welfare, health and wellness, environment and education. If students are interested in learning more about the nonprofits in their community, a local United Way is a good place to get connected.”
