Samantha Kenney

Samantha Kenney joined the ISG Board February 2022. Samantha is a Project Manager at Southwest District Health (SWDH).  She is fascinated with the intersection of health and community. Her background in public health has given her understanding of the social determinants of health and fueled a curiosity with the social and environmental systems that impact health and well-being. Having been born and raised in Idaho’s Treasure Valley, Samantha witnessed firsthand the ways in which development and growth interplay with these systems.

Samantha is determined to keep the impacts of growth and community building positive through her work on strategic projects within SWDH ranging from behavioral health to transportation. She serves communities of all sizes from frontier to suburban in Canyon, Owhyee, Gem, Payette, Washington, and Adams Counties. In addition, Samantha serves on multiple boards and committees (some of which are listed below). 

While her work focus is currently on Southwest Idaho, Samantha has developed programs statewide. For fifteen years, Samantha worked with over 60 different school districts in 40 of Idaho’s 44 counties to bring mobile dental services to underserved areas. Although she really enjoyed doing the work herself, eventually Samantha built teams across the state and began to manage and oversee more projects and programs to help address access to care issues for youth, seniors, migrant, and refugee populations.

As her work expanded, so did her scope. Samantha eventually found herself leaving her dental roots behind to work in broader areas of community health and health care integration. At United Way of Treasure Valley, Samantha worked on the Transforming Communities Initiative which included five initiatives from whole child learning in schools to active transportation. This work included working with multiple sectors to address some of our region’s trickier issues including housing, transportation, health, and education. And when funding was redistributed due to COVID, Samantha was well-suited to continue her work on these issues within the local health district.

When Samantha is not working, she enjoys typical Idaho outdoor activities, hiking, biking, paddling, rafting, etc. She also loves to take long road trips with her fiancé in their camper van to National Parks and visit their grown children in Colorado and Washington.

Samantha Kenny’s Board and Committee Experience:

• Idaho Public Health Association, 2022-present
• COMPASS, Regional Transportation Advisory Committee, Public Health District Representative, 2022
• Compass, Public Participation Workgroup, 2019-2021
• Valley Regional Transit, Regional Advisory Committee, 2020-present
• Idaho Community Health Worker Alliance, 2019-present
• Idaho Oral Health Alliance, Chair, 2016-2022
• Idaho Oral Health Alliance, Vice Chair, 2012-2016
• Idaho Dental Hygiene Association, Trustee, 2004-2010
• Idaho Oral Health Alliance, Treasurer, 2003-2007