By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
The Seattle Foundation has new leadership. Alesha Washington has been selected to head the philanthropic organization as their new President and CEO.
As President and CEO, Washington inherits the Seattle Foundation’s 75-year history of prudent stewardship of the region’s generosity and uniting people from the many diverse corners of our community and looks to bring a new and vitalized presence to the organization and region.
A graduate of Oberlin University in Ohio, with a Masters in non-profit management from Case Western Reserve University, Washington comes to the Seattle Foundation with significant leadership experience in diverse sectors including her most recent position as program director for vibrant neighborhoods and inclusive economy at the George Gund Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to that position, she served as the vice president of government advocacy at the Greater Cleveland Partnership, one of the largest chambers of commerce in the country.
Washington says that she was drawn to the Seattle Foundation because of their commitment in the areas of racial equity and justice.
“This wasn’t necessarily planned,” says Washington about coming to Seattle to work. “What really drew my attention to [the Foundation] was reading the position profile for the role, how explicit it was about calling out racial equity, and justice, and belonging as a core part of how the foundation thought about its work.”
“Given the time around this search was happening everything that we had been experiencing as a country, as a world, as it related to racial equity and justice, it really intrigued me that a foundation was so clear in talking about it and clear about its description for its next leader,” added Washington.
As a leader, Washington aims to elevate the foundation, but more importantly the industry from just providing common rhetoric as it relates to racial justice and equity to leading by example through programming and action.
“What I see for the future of the foundation is similar to what I hope for the field, quite honestly,” says Washington. “I think that is for us to have the courage to continue to push past just rhetoric in terms of stating that we support, and we believe in racial equity and justice and really think about how it shows up in our everyday practice.”
Washington says that she is a firm believer in making sure that intentions and the rhetoric behind it are in line with the operating principles of an organization, and her leadership styles places emphasis on values and authenticity.
“I think the proof is in the pudding as some folks would say,” says Washington. “You can say something but are our operating principles aligned? Are we thoughtful about how we show up in the community and how we talk to people and how we engage with them with care verses replicating harm that they may have experienced?
“Are we willing to stand behind those values in terms of how we deal with people in power and influence? And how we think about the way in which we can move resources,” she continued. “I think it is the push to be more authentic in the work is what I am most interested in, that is hard work because a lot of it is unlearning behaviors that we hold as people and re-learning ways to be more equitable and just and how we show up.”
Of course, the work is not without its challenges and when asked about what she sees as her greatest challenge in leadership as well as the challenges the foundation faces going forward, Washington says that it is important for people to have the courage to do what is right.
“In the broader since the biggest challenge I see is courage,” says Washington “Do we show up when it really matters? Are we willing to stand publicly on the things that we think we agree to behind closed doors about an organization, our values, what we believe in? Will we defend that when we have to, when it comes to key decisions that are being made?”
As she reflects on the challenges ahead of her, Washington is quick to point out that she’s not having to navigate this road on her own, as the Seattle Foundation has a very dedicated staff that continues to do great work and are the pillars that makes the foundation’s work impactful, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think with the Seattle Foundation, and this comes with the newness of coming into this environment, really it is the continuation of what we all have been living through for the past three years and that is the impact of this pandemic,” says Washington. “So really, I am thinking about the people that work for the foundation. Because the Seattle Foundation is made up of 53 staff who are very committed and show up every day to do this work, across a lot of different departments and they have been working tirelessly for the last three years navigating how we respond to the needs of this community and the pandemic.”
“So, their care and well-being I think is probably the biggest thing, the biggest challenge that I have become sensitive to since I came on board, ensuring the people that drive this work are cared for themselves,” Washington adds.
