10 Years at NWHF: Q&A with President & CEO Jesse Beason
Jesse joined Northwest Health Foundation as our director of public affairs in 2013. Now, as our president and chief executive officer, he’s celebrating his 10-year anniversary with NWHF! Our current public affairs manager, Felicita Monteblanco, asked him a few questions to reflect on his time at the Foundation.
Jesse on his sabbatical in 2022.
Happy 10-year anniversary, Jesse! What keeps you in this work?
Thank you! I’ve never worked anywhere for ten years before. Three things keep me here: a great team, excellent pay and benefits, and the chance to help move our region towards freedom and justice for all.
Over the last 10 years how has NWHF changed, and what has remained constant?
We’ve gotten smaller in staff for good reasons, then bigger for good reasons. We’ve gotten more clear-eyed about using all the tools in the toolbox to make good trouble. But our commitment to advancing health for everyone in Oregon & SW Washington—and fixing the parts of our society that impede it—has been steadfast. Also, we have not wavered from the recognition that race is the most consequential form of societal bias in America, intersecting as it does with other identities.
What are your biggest learning lessons from your five years as CEO and president of Northwest Health Foundation?
I’m sure there are more, but here are three that stick out:
Both very little and so very much can change in the span of five years.
While my life has meaning, I don’t mean all that much in the scheme of things. This brings me a greater deal of comfort than I realized.
Philanthropy gets in its own way most of the time. We impede the scale, nimbleness and bold action that our communities deserve with mostly hot air and bric-a-brac that we created a long time ago and forgot why we created it in the first place. Then we wonder why, by most measurements, things are not demonstrably getting better for the communities we care about.
What is the biggest opportunity in our region right now?
To (re)build the structures, organizations and networks that level up the next generation of public servants and community leaders committed to a more just America.
You changed our sabbatical policy to ensure that all staff—part-time, any level—have access to this restorative practice. Why? And tell us about your sabbatical!
A sabbatical is a privilege so few people get to have. That is a shame. Whether you work full-time or not, work takes up a huge amount of headspace—too much headspace in this country. So, yeah, if NWHF is gonna have one, it seems like it should be for every staff member.
My sabbatical was luxurious, rejuvenating, wondrous and awesome. I went to three continents, two of which I had never seen IRL. I spent quality time with my sister. I made new friends. I missed my partner. I swam in many seas and ate all the foodz.
What would you tell a brand new CEO of a philanthropic institution?
I’d tell them to continually ask: “How can I push power and agency further down the hierarchy within my institution and how we fund?” I am not sure I’m doing it well, but I want to be.