Effecting Change at the Local Level: Wisdom From Community Foundation CEOs
Donors looking to make a difference in their local communities can turn to community foundations — local philanthropic institutions driven by giving “of, by, and for the people” and rooted in the goal of creating thriving communities. In this episode, Phil and Grace are joined in conversation by three community foundation leaders: Dick Ober, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, LaTida Smith, president of the Winston-Salem Foundation, and Alesha Washington, president and CEO of the Seattle Foundation.
In sharing their experiences and approaches, these CEOs encourage donors to embrace their power to engage and effect change in their own community. They reflect on thorny issues including working across ideological lines, supporting often under-appreciated nonprofits and their staff, and the proliferation of giving options for donors. They also explore how to ensure money doesn’t sit in institutions, but gets out the door to organizations working in communities.
Guest Info:
Alesha Washington is the president and CEO of Seattle Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the country. In her role, she leads efforts to ignite transformational philanthropy to invest deeply in efforts to advance racial equity, shared prosperity, and belonging in the Seattle region.
Prior to her role with Seattle Foundation, she served as the program director for Vibrant Neighborhoods and Inclusive Economy at the George Gund Foundation. She led collaborative efforts of the program team to strengthen democracy building and civic engagement strategies statewide, and she directed grantmaking strategies to bolster community revitalization, economic growth, and resident leadership. Alesha was the Vice President of Government Advocacy for the Greater Cleveland Partnership, one of the largest metropolitan chambers of commerce in the country. In her role, she served as the lead advocate on local, state, and federal policy issues impacting the Northeast Ohio business community and economic development efforts. Alesha has held senior government relations roles with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and the Centers for Families and Children.
Among her civic endeavors, Alesha serves on the board of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Policy Advisory Committee for the W.E. Upjohn Institute and a member of the Brookings Metropolitan Leadership Council. Alesha is a 2017 Crain’s Cleveland Business “40 Under 40” honoree and 2015 American Marshall Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Alesha received her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and her Masters of Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve University.
LaTida Smith is the president of the Winston-Salem Foundation, a 102-year-old community foundation. LaTida took the reins at the Foundation, which serves Forsyth County, North Carolina, in September 2021.
Prior to her appointment at the Winston-Salem Foundation, LaTida served as the first permanent president of the Moses Taylor Foundation, where she had the opportunity to build the $90-million health legacy foundation’s grantmaking strategy and define its role in improving the health of a largely rural 11-county region in northeast Pennsylvania. Her work in philanthropy also includes experience shaping strategies in urban communities, with 12 years at Saint Luke’s Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio and three years directing federal grants for the Cleveland Department of Public Health.
Smith holds a Master of Arts in English and Women’s Studies from The Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Women’s Studies from Ohio Wesleyan University. She has also served on the Advisory Board of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, the board of Highlights Foundation, the national board of Playworks, and has chaired the boards of Funders Concerned About AIDS and GEO.
Dick Ober leads the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the largest private provider of nonprofit grants and student aid in northern New England. The Foundation manages more than $1 billion in charitable funds donated by hundreds of families and individuals and awards some 8,000 grants and scholarships exceeding $70 million annually.
Dick has 30 years of experience in nonprofit management and civic affairs. Before coming to the Foundation, he held senior staff positions at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and the Monadnock Conservancy. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards and public commissions, including several Gubernatorial appointments.
Dick is the co-founder and past chair of the Community Foundation Opportunity Network (CFON) and a past chair of CFLeads. He has also served on the board of directors for the Center for Effective Philanthropy.
Dick has written and lectured widely on community philanthropy, civic life, and the connections between people and the places they live. His work has been published in books, book chapters, magazines, and journals. He has been recognized with awards from the Environmental Protection Agency, the State of New Hampshire, and Plymouth State University, and has repeatedly been named as one of the state’s most influential people by leading NH business publications.
Credits:
Podcast Production: Rococo Punch
Artwork: Jay Kustka
Resources:
CEP Report: What Donors Value: How Community Foundations Can Increase Donor Satisfaction, Referrals, and Future Giving
Community Foundation Locator, by Council on Foundations
Winston-Salem Foundation
Seattle Foundation
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Data on Declining U.S. Donor Participation, from the Lily Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University
CEP Reports: State of Nonprofits 2025, 2024, and 2023