Galveston nonprofit organizations carry complex community questions every day: Who are we reaching? Who are we missing? What patterns are showing up in the people we serve? How do we turn what we see into better programs, stronger partnerships, and clearer information for funders, boards, and decision-makers?

Those questions affect program design, community health, funding, reporting, and long-term strategy. Nonprofits need practical ways to examine them without adding unnecessary burden to already full workloads.

The UTMB School of Public and Population Health has faculty expertise, student talent, research tools, and public health frameworks that can help organizations explore those questions in structured, practical ways.

United Way of Galveston hosted the May 14, 2026 UWG Nonprofit Lunch & Learn to connect the two.

Hosted and sponsored by the UTMB School of Public and Population Health at UTMB’s Health Education Center, the session connected nonprofit experience with UTMB SPPH faculty expertise and student problem-solving capacity.

The session grew out of conversations with Leslie Stalnaker that began in 2024, when she identified an opportunity to connect UTMB School of Public and Population Health resources with Galveston nonprofit partners.

Connecting Public Health Expertise with Nonprofit Experience

Lindsey White with United Way of Galveston and Dr. John Prochaska with UTMB welcomed participants and opened the session, then Dr. Kristen Peek shared an overview of the UTMB School of Public and Population Health, including its history, mission, priorities, strategic plan for 2026–2029, and growing role in community health improvement.

Her presentation helped participants better understand public health as a profession and the School of Public and Population Health as a potential partner for community organizations. She highlighted ways faculty and students can collaborate with nonprofit and community partners through applied practice experiences, class projects, grants, faculty practice, service opportunities, and longer-term collaborative efforts.

The conversation also gave UTMB faculty, staff, and students a clearer view of the questions, constraints, and partnership opportunities local organizations navigate every day.

Turning Community Questions into Practical Projects

Dr. Cara Pennel and Leslie Stalnaker, MPH, introduced the working session and guided participants into table conversations focused on realistic, community-centered collaboration ideas.

The working session invited participants to identify opportunities that were both priorities and feasible. Conversations included possible projects related to research, practice, education, training, workforce development, evaluation, student engagement, and community health strategy.

A central theme was the potential role of UTMB School of Public and Population Health students in helping nonprofit organizations work through real questions and capacity challenges. For many organizations, the need may not start as a formal research project. It may start as a practical question:

• Who are we reaching, and who are we missing?
• What patterns do we see in the people we serve?
• What does our program data help us understand?
• How can we evaluate whether a program is doing what we intend?
• What community health issue are we seeing that needs deeper exploration?
• What information would help us make a stronger case to funders, board members, or partners?

SPPH students, supported by faculty and staff, can help organizations shape those questions into defined projects. Those projects might include needs assessments, survey design, data review, program evaluation support, community health research, resource mapping, client feedback, workforce development projects, or implementation planning.

Nonprofits bring community knowledge, trusted relationships, and real-time understanding of service gaps. UTMB SPPH brings public health expertise, student talent, faculty guidance, and structured approaches to learning, evaluation, and implementation. United Way of Galveston helped connect those strengths into practical partnership possibilities.

Blue Zones and Community Health

Dr. Peek also presented an overview of UTMB’s Blue Zones initiative and invited questions from community partners. The discussion included the initiative’s purpose, timeline, anticipated community benefits, and possible opportunities for nonprofit and community partner involvement.

Participants used this portion of the session to learn more about how Blue Zones may connect with existing community health priorities, prevention strategies, and local partnerships.

What Changed Because People Came Together

By the end of the session, participants had moved beyond general interest in partnership. Nonprofit and community partners named practical questions, explored possible student and faculty collaboration points, and identified areas where public health tools could support real organizational needs.

One participant described the value of the session as “learning that UTMB students and faculty were available to the nonprofit sector.” Another pointed to the value of “the interactive roundtable” where participants could share ideas directly with UTMB and one another.

For United Way of Galveston, the convening strengthened a practical bridge between the nonprofit sector and one of Galveston’s major academic and health institutions. That bridge can support future conversations around student projects, evaluation, community health data, public health practice, and shared priorities across organizations.

Continuing the Conversation

United Way of Galveston and the UTMB School of Public and Population Health will use the table discussion notes and participant feedback to identify themes, follow-up opportunities, and possible next steps for community partnership.

For organizations that joined the session and want to explore a possible project, partnership idea, or student engagement opportunity, the next step is to connect with Leslie Stalnaker at UTMB.

Thank You

United Way of Galveston thanks the UTMB School of Public and Population Health for hosting and sponsoring this UWG Nonprofit Lunch & Learn and welcoming community partners to the Health Education Center.

Special thanks to Leslie Stalnaker, whose early vision helped spark the convening, and to Dr. Kristen Peek, Dr. Cara Pennel, and Dr. John Prochaska for shaping a session that moved beyond presentation into practical conversation.

Dr. Prochaska also coordinated the meeting details that helped the day run smoothly, from the Health Education Center classroom setup to parking, check-in, and on-site logistics. Thank you to Leslie Stalnaker, Dr. Pennel, Dr. Peek, Dr. Prochaska, and the School of Public and Population Health faculty and staff who welcomed participants, guided table conversations, documented ideas, and supported follow-up.

Thank you also to UTMB Catering Services, led by Jennifer Perez and Monica Cline, for the warm hospitality and a healthy, delicious lunch of power bowls, followed by chocolate cake and vanilla cake.

United Way of Galveston also thanks every organization that attended, asked questions, completed the post-event survey, and helped identify practical next steps for stronger public health and nonprofit partnership in Galveston.

Interested in a Future UWG Nonprofit Lunch & Learn?

United Way of Galveston welcomes topic ideas for future UWG Nonprofit Lunch & Learn sessions. We also invite organizations, institutions, and community partners to contact our team if they would like to host and sponsor a future session.

If your organization has expertise, tools, training, or practical resources that could help strengthen Galveston’s nonprofit sector, we would welcome a conversation. Email info@uwgalv.org to get started.

Learn more about United Way of Galveston’s nonprofit professional development opportunities here: https://uwgalv.org/what-we-stand-for/professional-development/