Natalie Pennywell currently works as the Outreach and Community Engagement Manager for the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS). She previously served as the inaugural Director for the VCU Health Hub at 25th, Center for Community Engagement and Impact, and as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Division of Community Nutrition in the Virginia Department of Health, which includes the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (VA WIC Program), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). She has also previously worked as a Community Health Educator for the Virginia Department of Health, Crater Health District, and was the founding coordinator and one of the first managers of the Healthy Living and Learning Center in the Petersburg Public Library. She is a past chair of the Regional Coalition Against Alcohol, Nicotine, and Underage Drug Use (CAAN-DUU); served as a central representative on the Virginia HIV Planning Group Members (CHPG); sits on the board of the Great Richmond American Heart Association as a past Mission Committee Chair and the current Virginia Advocacy Committee Liaison; is an active member of The Links, Incorporated and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; and sits on various organizations and coalitions boards and leadership teams.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from Voorhees College and her Master of Public Health in health promotion, education, and behavior from the University of South Carolina. She holds certifications as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and a Consumer Health Information Specialist (CHIS).