Board of Trustees welcomes new member

Melissa Tymchuk
Melissa Tymchuk of Northeast Georgia Health Systems has been named the newest member of the Board of Trustees for Brenau University.

Melissa Tymchuk, BU ’21, has been named the newest member of the Board of Trustees for Brenau University.

Tymchuk will begin her three-year term in March 2023.

“With the addition of Melissa Tymchuk as our newest trustee, Brenau continues its tradition of being guided by a board of trustees who understand the value of higher education and the dynamics that drive the institution,” Board of Trustees Chair Mike Smith said.

Tymchuk is the chief of staff to the president and CEO at Northeast Georgia Health System, which is headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia. Tymchuk will assume the additional role of chief strategy officer in January.

In her current role, she assists the CEO in managing strategy and operational execution at the senior level and also oversees systemwide board governance. During her time as chief of staff, Tymchuk has led in a variety of areas in an interim capacity, including president of the NGHS Foundation, chief human resources officer and vice president of support services, with oversight of Lab, Pharmacy and Patient Experience, as well as leading the development of a new hospital in the system’s northern market.

She began at NGHS in public relations and marketing, and also served as the director of strategic marketing prior to becoming chief of staff in 2017.

Tymchuk holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in public relations from the University of Georgia, and received her Master of Business Administration from Brenau University. She was one of the inaugural members of the Executive Women’s MBA cohort.

She also serves the community on numerous boards, including as the chair of the board of directors for WomenSource, and on the board of directors for the Edmondson Telford Child Advocacy Center and the Gateway Domestic Violence Center. She was named a Northeast Georgia Business Hall of Fame 2023 Rising Star by Junior Achievement of Georgia. She currently serves on the Georgia Commission on Women, which she was appointed to by Governor Nathan Deal in 2016. In 2013, she was recognized as the Jaycees Woman of the Year and was named to the Georgia Trend 40 under 40 list. She is also acclaimed in healthcare marketing.

“I’m pleased that Brenau continues to recruit and retain high-quality trustees, and we are most fortunate to attract trustees of distinction,” Brenau President Anne Skleder said. “The experiences and insights of Melissa Tymchuk, who has a history of service as a community leader dedicated to Gainesville and Hall County, will be beneficial to the university as we move forward with our new strategic plan. I look forward to working with her and our entire Board of Trustees for the continued betterment of our university and its students.”