A Message from Thomas Aschenbrener on his Retirement
A transition into a new generation of leadership at NWHF in 2012
September 28, 2011 — As I reflect back on the past fourteen years, which happen to be the best fourteen years of my life, I am awestruck by the progress that has been made by Northwest Health Foundation since it began back in 1997. This success would not have been possible were it not for three factors:
1. The hard work and diligence of the NWHF staff
2. The leadership of the NWHF board
3. The inspiring work by people throughout our region and the relentless commitment of our community leaders to social justice and the common good
As a result of these three factors, I feel I can resign as president of the foundation in June 2012 knowing that so much capacity for future leadership is already in place.
Thanks to the board, staff, and our community, Northwest Health Foundation is stronger than it’s ever been, and I could not be more proud of where we stand today.
The staff continues to push this organization to new levels of community engagement, and I regularly hear from leaders of foundations and nonprofits throughout the nation that our staff has influenced the actions of their institutions.
The collection of individuals, beginning with founding chair Mark Hatfield, who have served on the foundation’s board over the past 14 years is, in many ways, responsible for the success we witness today. And when I look at our current board, I can’t imagine a more capable group to manage this leadership transition. Anyone with an interest in this organization needs to know that we are all in good hands with this diverse and impressive group of leaders.
Each and every day, I continue to be exhilarated and humbled by the community leaders that we have funded and partnered with over the past 14 years. Helping build the capacity of leadership in the regions we serve is an important part of our work at the foundation, and there are so many great leaders, so much capacity and a great deal of inspiration to be found in all the areas we have touched through our work. This includes every county in Oregon and Clark, Cowlitz, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties in Washington. Our work could never have had the impact that it did without the leadership of those with whom we have partnered.
Despite all these strengths, there continues to be great need in our region. We are still faced with embarrassing levels of inequality in our communities, including stark racial and ethnic health disparities. We still have a long way to go before we achieve a well-functioning and equitable health care system. Our public health system remains under-funded, and is not fully equipped to address all the current and future health issues facing our population. And our health workforce does not yet match the emerging needs of our increasingly diverse and aging population.
Nevertheless, when I look to the current and future leaders who will be addressing these needs, I am highly optimistic about the people I encounter, including the NWHF staff and board, to make real impact in these areas.
I also remain optimistic about one particular cohort in our society to help make our world a better place: those in the millennial generation. These young leaders, roughly in the 16 to 30 year range, are showing unprecedented levels of commitment to social change and the common good, facility with technology, insight into our increasingly globalized world, and comfort working with people of all ages. They are also more diverse than previous generations of Americans, which, I believe, is another reason for hope.
Some people have already asked me the inevitable question of where I will go from here, and the answer, for now, is “I don’t exactly know.”
I do know that I will have no less passion for working with community than I have ever had. I therefore expect to work with many of you on a wide variety of issues, all with a single theme: advancing the common good for current and future generations.
Thomas Aschenbrener
President