Jerilyn Church was born and raised on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. She graduated with honors from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Social Work degree with an American Indian specialization and was a recipient of the national Morris K. Udall Scholarship. She obtained her Master of Social Work degree with a Management in Human Services concentration from the University of Michigan where she was a Child Welfare Fellow and was awarded internship support from the Nonprofit and Public Management Center for her work with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Health Department.
Before her appointment as CEO at GPTCHB, Jerilyn served as the Executive Director of American Indian Health and Family Services of Southeastern Michigan, Inc. (AIHFS). AIHFS is an Urban Indian Health Center that provides primary care services to the American Indian and Alaska Native populations residing in the seven-county region of metropolitan Detroit.
Her public service commitments include the Medicare and Medicaid Policy Committee (MMPC) of the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Tribal Technical Advisory Group (CMS TTAG) Great Plains representative. Church also provides technical assistance for the Great Plains tribal leader representative to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC).
Jerilyn has been recognized for her leadership as a recipient of the National Indian Health Board’s (NIHB) Area/Regional Impact Award in 2014 in recognition of her outstanding service to advance American Indian and Alaska Native health. Church was also honored with the University Of Michigan School Of Social Work’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017.
