SAVANNAH, GA – Healthy Savannah is pleased to announce the appointment of Armand Turner as its new executive director, effective January 1, 2025. He takes over the helm from Paula Kreissler, who is retiring after serving the organization for the past 17 years.
“It has been a privilege to serve alongside Armand in helping create a healthier and more equitable Savannah,” said Kreissler. “I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished, and I know that Healthy Savannah will continue to thrive under his leadership. His forward-thinking vision will guide this organization into the next chapter of its impact on the region.”
Turner has been with Healthy Savannah since 2019, serving as its first Physical Activity program manager and most recently being appointed as the first deputy director of Healthy Savannah. He is well-known for his leadership in promoting community health initiatives across Savannah and Chatham County.
“As the new executive director, I plan to continue to build on Healthy Savannah’s mission of improving the health and wellness of all Savannah residents through policy advocacy, infrastructure improvements, and community engagement,” said Turner.
Turner brings a wealth of experience to his new role. After graduating from Indiana University in 2014, he worked with various parks & recreation departments in Denver and Dallas before serving as Recreation and Intramural Sports coordinator at Albany State University in Ga. His dedication to public health and community well-being led him to Savannah, where he joined Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia as part of the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) team.
Since then, Turner has played a pivotal role in Healthy Savannah’s physical activity strategy and has been an integral part of the organization’s growth and positive impact on the community. His contributions helped Healthy Savannah leverage a 2018 $3.4 million REACH grant awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and secure a second grant in 2023 for $5.1 million. Under both grants, Healthy Savannah has focused on promoting equity, creating safer and more accessible public spaces, and encouraging active lifestyles across the community.
“Everyone deserves access to a healthier life, and we will only achieve that through collaboration and understanding the barriers people face,” said Turner. “I am honored to take on this new role and continue building on the strong foundation laid by my predecessor and mentor, Paula Kreissler.”
Turner’s list of accomplishments includes his involvement in advancing the construction of the Truman Linear Park Trail, a six-mile pedestrian and bike path, and efforts that led to the passage of the Complete Streets ordinances in Savannah and unincorporated Chatham County.
He was named by Savannah Magazine in 2023 as one of 20 local movers, shakers and change-makers making its “Savannahians of the Year” list of those who “made a real impact on the region and creating a brighter Savannah for the next generation.”
“His leadership has been instrumental in promoting the health of children and adults alike, working closely with schools, businesses, and local organizations to ensure that health equity remains a priority in Savannah,” said Kreissler.
Turner, along with Kreissler, championed the Healthy Walk initiative, which they launched in March 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative, which will mark its fifth anniversary on March 25, 2025, has since brought hundreds of community members together to engage in physical activity, promoting the idea that “the healthy choice should be the easy choice.”
“I have no doubt Armand’s efforts also led to Healthy Savannah being honored with the CDC’s 2022 Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity,” said Kreissler. “This recognition for outstanding contributions to improving health equity in Savannah is a powerful testament to the work that has been done and will continue to resonate for years to come.”
Turner recently earned a master’s degree in business administration from Savannah State University, graduating in December 2024. He is an alum of Leadership Savannah and Leadership Southeast Georgia and has mentored participants in Smart Growth America’s Walking College. He also serves as board president for Friends of Tide To Town, an organization that champions Savannah’s urban trail network.
ABOUT HEALTHY SAVANNAH
Healthy Savannah, a 501©3 public charity is a public/private coalition of over 150 businesses, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, schools, neighborhood organizations, and healthcare and government agencies, It began as an initiative of City of Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson, formed in 2007. Healthy Savannah leads and supports a culture of health in the Savannah area by creating an environment that makes a healthy choice the easy choice; building a collaborative network that identifies and shares resources; collecting and disseminating information, promoting best practices and implementing innovative programs, and advocating for effective policies. Since its inception, this innovative, cross-sector collaboration has vastly benefited the community as evidenced by numerous multi-agency projects, grants and policy initiatives that have emerged from the initiative to create and sustain a Healthy Savannah. For more information, visit www.healthysavannah.org
ABOUT THE YMCA OF COASTAL GEORGIA/HEALTHY SAVANNAH GRANT FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY HEALTH
In September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded a second grant called Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) to Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia. $5.1 million in funding is being deployed over a five-year period to be utilized in an “upstream” approach to foster sustainable health equity among racial and ethnic minority populations in low-wealth neighborhoods in areas of nutrition, physical activity and the reduction of chronic diseases. The renewed funding enables work to continue which began under the initial, five-year, $3.4 million REACH grant awarded in 2018, and a supplemental grant awarded in 2021 to increase awareness and acceptance of COVID-19 and flu adult immunizations. Working with more than 200 community partners and organizations, the Savannah/Chatham County project team’s specific goals in implementing the new five-year grant include fostering physical activity by creating greater access to safe places to walk, run, bike and play; elevating the health and wellness of the community through policy, systems, and environmental change; and providing education and awareness regarding adult immunizations, especially as they relate to health disparities in chronic conditions of hypertension, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity. The administrators will also continue to foster stronger connections between people and the healthcare providers who serve them by supporting awareness and use of the HERO Help Me database. In July 2022, Healthy Savannah received the CDC’s 2022 REACH Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity Challenge. The award recognizes extraordinary individuals and entities whose work has contributed to advancing health equity.
healthysavannah.org ymcaofcoastalga.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Marjorie Young
Carriage Trade Public Relations® Inc.
912.844.9990
www.carriagetradepr.com
marjorie@carriagetradepr.com