Introducing Our New Board Member, Kenneth Hart

In 2017 we welcome one new member to our governing board as three step down. We are inexpressibly grateful to Leda Garside, Becky Graham and Helena Huang for their years of service and the mark they have made on Northwest Health Foundation. Needless to say, we are sad to see them go. However, we are also excited to welcome Kenneth Hart.

Ken Hart is a certified public accountant and President of Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Ontario. He is deeply involved in his eastern Oregon community.

Read more about Ken...

We look forward to learning more about Ken's perspective and the impact he will make on the Foundation!

In addition, board member Bill Thorndike will take over for Becky Graham as Treasurer, joining Chair Vanetta Abdellatif, Vice Chair Phil Wu and Secretary Michael Alexander as a board officer. 

Striving for Disability Equity

We're chronicling our journey to understand and incorporate a disability equity lens in our work. 

Farewell, Fannie Black!

Our Grant Administrator Fannie Black will be moving on to bigger and better things at the end of March 2016. We are deeply sad to see her go and will probably shed more than a few tears on March 31st. However, we are also so excited for and proud of her; and we're looking forward to the opportunity to welcome a new person to our team!

A few words from Fannie:

It is so hard to believe that it has only been three years since I started working at the Foundation. As much as I have grown personally and professionally, and as much as I have learned over the years, I feel like I’m not the same person I was when I first stepped off that elevator and through those glass doors. Over the years, I have learned some amazing things about myself and the many communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington working toward a healthier region. I’ve learned about my ableism, what it means to be an ally, and the importance of community-based solutions led by the very people the solutions aim to serve.

From becoming a self-proclaimed food coloring master for gingerbread houses to learning how to be an ally to other marginalized communities, I have gained skills, knowledge, and personal and professional relationships that will last me a lifetime. I am so grateful for the opportunities and growth this experience has offered me, and if the next three years are anything like the last three, I can’t wait to see what this next journey will bring.

A few words from Suk Rhee: 

Every now and again, you have the honor of working with someone who is an exceptional person in the world, and you are the better for it. For the past several years, we and our partners at NWHF have had the privilege—and joy—of working with Fannie Black, who has served as grant administrator. As a leader within the NWHF team, Fannie has played many roles: the person who saves the day for community partners applying at the 11th hour; a champion of our equity priorities; the standard-bearer for fairness and transparency before, during and after the grant process; the patient teacher; and the social connector who shows us by example that we can all do more and better, together.   

At the same time, Fannie was pursuing her studies. This spring, Fannie earns her master of science in engineering and technology management at Portland State University. (Applause and congratulations!) Now, it is time for new adventures and the next chapter. On behalf of all of us who have worked, played and laughed with Fannie—we will dearly miss you. And, we are excited for the world to be transformed by you as you have transformed NWHF. Bon voyage!

We're Hiring a Grant Administrator

POSTED: January 20, 2016
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Open until filled OR 5pm, February 25, 2016
HOW TO APPLY: Submit cover letter and resume to employment@northwesthealth.org

The Grant Administrator is responsible for working with Northwest Health Foundation staff and community partners to implement application processes, deadlines, reporting and other systems improvements to ensure consistent and accurate grants processing. The Grant Administrator works with the Vice President of Strategy & Community Partnership and members of the program team to ensure the smooth functioning of the applications, review, reporting and monitoring processes essential to Foundation operations. The Grant Administrator is additionally a liaison between internal departments and the public, and provides professional customer service to internal and external audiences.

Checking In with Nadia Alradhi, Our 2014 Intern

What has Nadia been up to since she left NWHF?

Since leaving NWHF, Nadia graduated summa cum laude from Linfield College with a bachelor of science in nursing. After passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and becoming licensed as a registered nurse in the state of Oregon, Nadia has been working at Marquis Mill Park. This is a post acute rehabilitation facility: a place where people go to rehabilitate following a surgery, stroke, hip replacement, etc, and get stronger until they are able to go home.

What's next?

Nadia recently accepted a job at Legacy Health in the Family Birthing Center through their residency program for new graduates. (Congrats on the new job, Nadia! What an exciting opportunity!)

What are her goals for the future?

Nadia eventually wants to obtain a masters degree in either nursing or public health (She can't decide which!). According to Nadia, her experience at NWHF helped her think more broadly and in a more global way. She is inspired to continue to create change and advocate for equality wherever she goes. During her time at NWHF, she started to learn how to identify the needs of a community and address those needs with sustainable, realistic solutions. This type of thinking has positively impacted her views and values as a nurse. She's excited to see what her future holds, and to apply what NWHF taught her in new and innovative ways.

While Nadia was interning at NWHF, she helped our Community Engagement Officers plan outreach sessions about Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities throughout Oregon and SW Washington. She also made a video of kids talking about what health means to them.

Introducing our New Board Officers

Our staff leadership team and 2015 board, with a couple faces missing.

NWHF is excited to announce its board officers!

Vanetta Abdellatif follows Rev. Mark Knutson as chair. Vanetta currently directs Integrated Clinical Services at Multnomah County Health Department. She served as vice chair on our board for the last two years. We know she will lead our board with aplomb!

Philip Wu, MD is our new vice chair. Phil is retired from Kaiser Permanente of Tualitin, where he worked as a pediatric obesity specialist. He's been with our board since 2012.

Michael Alexander, MSS follows Carl Talton as board secretary. After a varied career across sectors, Michael recently retired from the Urban League of Portland, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Rebecca Graham continues as the board's treasurer. Rebecca, a retired Certified Public Accountant, has proven her skills as a treasurer again and again!

If you haven't met the rest of our board, meet them here.

We are so honored and humbled by the great work of our board, and the work that each member does in our community. In 2016, as we embark on our first year of Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Collaborate; as we facilitate our last Kaiser Permanente Community Fund proposal process; as we dig deeper into conversations about our equity priorities of disability and geography; and as we foster existing and new funding partnerships, this is the board we want to lead us! 

Nichole Elected to Grantmakers in Health Board of Directors

Northwest Health Foundation President and CEO Nichole June Maher has been elected to Grantmakers in Health's board of directors. She will serve a three-year term starting in March 2016.

Grantmakers in Health (GIH) is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the health of all people. Its mission is to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others, and to help strengthen the grantmaking community's knowledge, skills and effectiveness.

Nichole will join several other changemakers and foundation leaders on GIH's board. "I'm looking forward to building relationships with foundations across the U.S., sharing the good work and success stories of communities in Oregon and SW Washington, learning from my fellow board members, and contributing to the amazing resource that is GIH!" said Nichole.

Infographic: Grantmaking to Communities of Color, 2008, 2011 and 2016

2014 Year in Review

2014 WAS A YEAR FOR MAKING THINGS HAPPEN.

We welcomed four new staff members. We launched a new brand. We worked toward better representing disability in our conversations and organizational practices. We traveled all over Oregon and Southwest Washington for conferences and community outreach. We hosted gatherings for our funded partners. We revitalized and celebrated existing initiatives and launched new ones. And we had a lot of fun doing it!

We are looking for an intern!

We are looking for an administrative intern! Applications will be accepted until January 30th. The internship is available for a junior, senior or recent college graduate in/from Oregon or Southwest Washington. The intern must be available for 20 to 25 hours a week and will be compensated with a $1,000 monthly stipend. Although there is a good amount of administrative work, the Internship Program provides interns with multiple opportunities to develop themselves professionally, enhance leadership skills, gain real-world work experience, broaden their understanding of the nonprofit community and the issues addressed, and become familiar with concepts of racial equity and community leadership.

Introducing Our Two New Board Members

In 2015 we welcome two new members to our governing board: Andrea Miller and Marjorie McGee, Ph.D. They fill spots left by Mark Hass and Jim Meyer, who stepped down at the end of 2014.

Andrea became the Executive Director of Causa, Oregon's statewide Latino immigrant rights organization in September 2013. Prior to her current role, she was Causa's Associate Director and has been with the organization since 2009.

Read more about Andrea...

Marjorie is a disability studies scholar who received her doctorate in Social Work and Social Research at PSU. She currently works as a Research Associate in the Center for Student Success in the Graduate School of Education at PSU, where she conducts research intended to address the problem of educational inequities.

Read more about Marjorie...

We're excited to learn more about Andrea and Marjorie's diverse perspectives and look forward to their impact on the Foundation.

NWHF's IT Makeover: Before and After

Network Closet

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Before

After

The Machine That Plays Music While You're On Hold

Before

After

Conference Rooms

Before

After

Northwest Health Foundation's conference rooms are available to nonprofits and community organizations for meetings and events. Learn more.

NWHF Names Jason Hilton new Vice President of Finance

Northwest Health Foundation is thrilled to announce that we have found a new Vice President of Finance: Jason Hilton.   

Jason comes to us from Capital Pacific Bank where he currently serves as Senior Vice President, providing leadership and strategic support to their mission-related investment efforts. 

Northwest Health Foundation will use all of the tools in our toolbox, including mission-related investing, to advance health for Oregon and Southwest Washington. Jason's experience in this field, along with his skills in asset management and finance, means that we've landed the perfect person for this job. 

A native Oregonian, Jason grew up in Jacksonville and attended South Medford High School. He left the state for college, obtaining his bachelor's degree in business and finance, with a minor in economics, from the University of Montana. After college, Jason returned to Oregon to work for US Bancorp Securities, then US Bank, as a corporate credit analyst. In 1999, he joined a locally-owned financial services company where he rose to the position of Chief Operating Officer and eventually helped facilitate its sale to a publicly traded company. He joined Capital Pacific Bank in 2008 as a Portfolio Manager and Client Relations Officer, rising to his current position of Senior Vice President, overseeing a team that addresses troubled companies and bank-owned real estate. Outside of his career, Jason also co-founded a local nonprofit that focuses on aiding orphanages that rescue children from the slave trade.

Jason will start at NWHF on July 1st, succeeding NWHF's founding Vice President of Finance David Hooff who joined the Foundation in 1999 and is retiring after a 45-year career in financial management. Dave has been an irreplaceable part of NWHF's team and its legacy. He will be greatly missed!

Hello from our new Community Engagement Officers

We are excited to introduce you to our newest team members!

Jen Matheson and Michael Reyes Andrillon will help guide our grantmaking and community building.

We recorded their hellos this week. They'll be traveling throughout Oregon and SW Washington meeting our past, current and future partners. Meet them in this video, or in your community this Spring!

We're seeking a Vice President of Finance

Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF) has initiated a search for the Vice President of Finance. 

Due to the retirement of our long serving Vice President, David Hooff, we are seeking a seasoned finance and accounting leader and manager who will actively oversee our investment strategies and activities.  The VP will administer the Foundation’s $70 million corpus to advance, support and promote the health of the people of Oregon and Southwest Washington.  Ideally, this key individual will possess strong generalist skills with the ability to assess, manage and grow people, systems, and strategies while working with a diverse staff and board.  The VP will work with the Board’s Finance Committee and President to direct the organization’s investment portfolio as well as contribute to expanding external partnerships.

This excellent opportunity requires that the successful candidate align with NWHF’s mission, core values and cultural vision. S/he will offer demonstrated staff leadership and mentoring; exceptional financial, accounting, and investment literacy; external relationship management experience; and personal traits such as uncompromising ethics, strong interpersonal skills, a sense of humor and a team spirit.

Download a profile of the position here. 

Should you have personal interest or know of networking or referral sources, please contact:

Tyler Kendall | TylerK@tkaes.com | 503 936-0894 (direct)

OR

Melissa Ulum | Melissa@MSSsearch.com | 503-643-0440 (direct) | 503-730-7615 (mobile)

2013 Year in Review

2013 WAS A MOMENTOUS YEAR OF CHANGE FOR NORTHWEST HEALTH FOUNDATION.

We supported more than 30 community partners in their efforts to fluoridate Portland's water.

We welcomed new colleagues, took on new challenges, and set a long- term direction for the foundation. We committed to deeper partnerships, true statewide & SW Washington service, and a nimble foundation focused on action. Below is a snapshot of our 2013 activities.  None of these are possible without the work done by our many community partners committed to advancing a broad vision of community health across Oregon and SW Washington. Thank you!

WE CLARIFIED OUR COMMITMENT AND SET OUR DIRECTION.

• Our board of directors committed to a long-term endowment strategy to serve our communities for generations to come.
• We recommitted ourselves to serving our entire service area of Oregon and SW Washington and set about building relationships in new areas.
• We adopted a five-year strategic initiative, Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Communities, to guide our endowed investments through 2018.
• We joined with Kaiser Permanente to focus the Kaiser Permanente Community Fund in three key areas of economic opportunity, educational attainment and healthy beginnings.
• We committed to using all of our tools and resources to further our mission including Mission-Related Investments and explicit minority and women contracting policies.

NWHF President Nichole Maher joins Grout Elementary students in a game of foursquare during a Playworks site visit.

WE CELEBRATED OUR PAST AND WELCOMED OUR FUTURE.

• We celebrated the contributions and future of departing staff members and welcomed new staff leadership.
• We built a board and staff that is representative of Oregon and Southwest Washington by age, race, geographic roots, and LGBTQ identities.
• When asked by them, we joined an organized, committed coalition of community organizations working to fluoridate Portland's water.
• We committed to increasing our policy advocacy capacity and investments to change health outcomes.
• We honored health care transformation in making our final investments  within our committed healthcare reform cohort.
• We supported 150 Community Advisory Council members in attending the Coordinated Care Organization's Summit.

WE PURSUED LEARNING IN NEW COMMUNITIES.

• We pursued deeper understanding of the continuum of disability to increase relationships and opportunities to partner.
• We chartered the Board Community Engagement Committee and Equity Committee to oversee, advise and engage in our work across Oregon’s diverse communities.
• We sponsored a task force to bring stakeholders on both sides of water fluoridation to study actionable oral health improvement programs.

 We visited 17 counties to hear their vision for health.

WE INCREASED OUR REACH.

• We created an open sponsorship process to expand our support for community events in rural communities, communities of color and organizations led by and serving people with disabilities.
• We visited communities in Benton, Clackamas, Clark, Clatsop, Coos, Cowlitz, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Pacific, Washington and Yamhill Counties to build relationships and understand their vision for health.
• Beyond statewide-impact grants, we made grants serving more than 63% of counties in our service area of Oregon and SW Washington.

OUR FUNDED PARTNERS

Innovation Fund

American Leadership Forum of Oregon
The ARC of Benton County
Basic Rights Oregon
Center for Intercultural Organizing (CIO)
Chinook Indian Nation
City Club of Portland
City of Brookings
Committee for Safe and Successful Children
Consejo Hispano del Lower Columbia
Coos County Public Health
Forest Grove School District
The Jessie F. Richardson Foundation
Klamath Crisis Center
Klamath Youth Development Center
Leightman Maxey Foundation
The Lund Report
McKenzie River Gathering Foundation
Miracle Theatre Group
Muslim Educational Trust
Oregon Public Health Institute
Oregon Voice
Playworks
Portland State University Foundation
Potlatch Foundation
Togo Community in Oregon

Health Care Reform

American Academy of Family Physicians - Oregon Chapter
American Heart Association
Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO)
Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs
CAUSA Oregon
Center for Intercultural Organizing (CIO)
Central City Concern
Children First for Oregon
Coalition of Community Health Clinics
Health Care for ALL - Oregon
Human Services Coalition of Oregon
Main Street Alliance of Oregon
NAMI-Oregon
NorthEast Oregon Network
Oregon Action
Oregon Center for Public Policy
Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officials
Oregon Developmental Disabilities Coalition
Oregon Foundation for Reproductive Health
Oregon Latino Health Coalition
Oregon Primary Care Association
Oregon Public Health Association
Oregon Rural Health Association
Oregon School-Based Health Care Network
Oregon State Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG)
Portland Youth and Elders Council
Sisters of the Road
The Next Door Inc.
The-TREE Institute
Tobacco-Free Coalition of Oregon
Urban League of Portland
We Can Do Better

Kaiser Permanente Community Fund

Albina Ministerial Alliance
Catholic Community Services of the Mid-Willamette and Central Coast
Centro Cultural of Washington County
Coalition of Communities of Color
Colin McCormack
Cowlitz County Community Network
Craft3
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Hacienda Community Development Corporation
Incight Company
Latino Business Alliance
Latino Network
LGBTQ Community Center Fund
OneAmerica
Oregon Latino Health Coalition
Oregon Oral Health Coalition
Pathfinders of Oregon
Playworks
REACH Community Development, Inc.
Urban League of Portland
Verde

Water Fluoridation

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO)
Center for Intercultural Organizing (CIO)
Coalition of Communities of Color
Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
Latino Network
Native American Youth and Family Center
Oregon Latino Health Coalition
Oregon Voice
Upstream Public Health
Urban League of Portland

Sponsorships

All Hands Raised
Asian Health and Service Center
"Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon and Southwest
Washington (APACC)"
Basic Rights Education Fund
Bay Area Hospital
Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation & Development
Catholic Community Services of the Mid-Willamette and Central Coast
CAUSA Oregon
Center for Women, Politics & Policy, Portland State University
City of Portland Bureau of Transportation
City of Vancouver
CoActive Connections
Coalition of Community Health Clinics
"Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Portland Alumae Chapter"
DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon
Ecotrust
Familias en Accion
Family Access Network Foundation
Family Building Blocks
Financial Beginnings
Future Generations Collaborative
Highlands Neighborhood Association
Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
Incight Company
International Center for Traditional Childbearing
J Bar J Youth Services
Ke Kukui Foundation
Kukatonon Children’s African Dance Troupe
Latino Network
Legacy Health System
LGBTQ Community Center Fund
Mano A Mano Family Center
Momentum Alliance
Native American Youth and Family Center
North Coast Food Web
Office of Rural Health, OHSU
Old Mill Center for Children and Families
Options for Southern Oregon
Oregon Area Jewish Committee
Oregon Oral Health Coalition
Oregon Public Health Association
Oregon Public Health Institute
Oregon School-Based Health Care Network
Organizing People, Activating Leaders (OPAL)
Playworks
Providence Milwaukie Foundation
Red Lodge Transition Services
ShelterCare
Skamania Klickitat Community Network
Southern Coos Health Foundation
Spect-Actors Collective
Ten Rivers Food Web
The Asian Reporter Foundation
United Way of Jackson County
Urban League of Portland
We Can Do Better
Willamette Farm and Food Coalition
Womenspace, Inc.

Jesse Beason to Join NWHF as Director of Public Affairs

Northwest Health Foundation has named Jesse Beason Director of Public Affairs. Beason is currently executive director of Proud Ground, a Portland-based nonprofit. Beason will join the Foundation on August 1. He succeeds Chris Palmedo, who leaves the Foundation on April 5 to complete his doctoral degree at Portland State University.

Read the press release here.