Bishop Named Vice President; McKenzie is Associate for Business Operations

The UCC’s Council for Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM) is pleased to announce that Matthew Y. Bishop is its new vice president and chief operating officer (COO). He began work Dec. 15, 2025. Additionally, CHHSM welcomed Cynthia McKenzie in November 2025 as its new associate for business operations.

Matt Bishop

“CHHSM is excited to bring Matt Bishop on board as our new Vice President and COO,” said Jamar Doyle, president and CEO. “Matt brings a variety of gifts and experience to the position, especially his budget and fiscal knowledge and his knowledge of church organizations. I look forward to having him be an integral part of our CHHSM team.”

Bishop, who grew up in Akron and Westlake, Ohio, returns to Cleveland for his new role with CHHSM. Previously, he had been the Principal Fiscal and Environment Analyst for Legislative Council Staff in Denver since 2018. There, he used budget grantmaking metrics to explain proposed legislation in practical terms. His work supported state budget decisions worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

“I’ve consistently found a calling in using numbers to tell a story, from my early professional days using grantmaking metrics to support fundraising to my recent work as a legislative analyst,” Bishop said. “All along the way, I’ve found myself on the budget and operations side of things, and I’m really excited to get to know CHHSM’s network in this new role.”

Although he graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, with a degree in physics, Bishop wanted to “get involved outside of academia” for a career, he said. Early work with UCC partner denomination the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) serendipitously shaped his future career. He grew up in the ELCA, the son of a pastor.

“I spent my first year out of college in the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program, living and working in Hungary,” Matt said. “That led to an early career with the ELCA’s international development team. That work in turn piqued my interest in public policy, and my master’s degree in that field led me to my work with the Colorado General Assembly.”

Bishop also served as the ELCA’s grants specialist and cross-unit facilitator for international development in its Chicago offices from 2011 to 2013, and as interim country program coordinator in Phnom Penh from 2016 to 2017.

After earning a B.S. degree in physics from Denison, Bishop earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in Ann Arbor.

Although he has enjoyed his experiences outside of Ohio, Bishop looks forward to reestablishing himself in the area. “Cleveland is my stomping ground,” he said. “I still have family in Ohio. For better or worse, I’m a lifelong Guardians fan.”

Cynthia McKenzie

CHHSM also welcomed Cynthia McKenzie to CHHSM as associate for business operations. McKenzie began work in November 2025. 

With more than 20 years of experience in community development work, most recently as assistant director of a community development corporation in Cleveland. Prior to that, McKenzie spent 14 years supporting community-based initiatives in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood of Cleveland. She attended Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio, and Portland (Ore.) Community College.

Currently, McKenzie serves on the board of the Northern Ohio Recovery Association, where she has been a member for seven years. She also has been on the boards of Greater Cleveland Community Shares and the Northern Ohio Direct Marketing Association.

“I’m excited to be a part of CHHSM, and look forward to working with the team,” she said. 

Originally from Portland, McKenzie relocated to Cleveland nearly 39 years ago, and remains deeply committed to the city and her local community.

“We welcome Cynthia to CHHSM,” said Doyle, “and are grateful for her gifts in nonprofit leadership and business and community engagement. I look forward to working with both Cynthia and Matt as CHHSM continues to create a more just, equitable, caring, and compassionate world.”