Honoring local changemakers
Leadership Tomorrow
Leadership Tomorrow is shaping our region’s future by cultivating the next generation of culturally diverse, connected leaders. One standout example is Nykeesha Griffin, a Microsoft employee who graduated from the program in 2020 and now serves on Leadership Tomorrow’s board of directors. Nykeesha successfully balances a busy career with her volunteer work on Microsoft's Talent, Diversity, Inclusion, and Learning Team. She is a role model at Microsoft for her ability to build relationships across diverse teams and lead multiple projects.
Leadership Tomorrow helps talented professionals develop the skills they need to achieve significant professional growth. The program also connects leaders, encouraging each class to build lasting, supportive relationships. With a vision of a prosperous and more equitable region, Leadership Tomorrow has graduated 2,780 leaders from various professional backgrounds, all united by a shared commitment to making the region a place where residents have more opportunities to thrive.
To date, more than 800 companies and nonprofit organizations have sent employees through Leadership Tomorrow, and 84% of alumni say their experience has improved their collaboration skills and broadened their perspectives. By nurturing and connecting talented professionals, Leadership Tomorrow is creating a more inclusive and promising future for our region.
Medic One Foundation
No one ever wants to find themselves in a situation where they need an ambulance, but everyone is profoundly grateful when one shows up in a moment of crisis. The Medic One Foundation is the reason emergency medical service is so reliable in Seattle and King County. With a belief that no one should die from a treatable medical emergency, the Medic One Foundation has funded critical initiatives that ensure the highest standards of pre-hospital emergency care for 50 years.
Heather Kelley, a sudden cardiac arrest survivor, is a testament to the impact the Medic One Foundation has on our community. After her life was saved by the swift actions of Medic One paramedics, Heather became a passionate advocate and a board member.
Each year, Medic One paramedics serve over 50,000 patients facing life-threatening emergencies in King County. Medic One Foundation has also provided the funding to train over 800 paramedics and provide continuing education to 260 paramedics annually. The Foundation has set the standard for pre-hospital emergency care, providing first responders with vital funding and stewardship for our region’s world-class emergency services.
Northwest Center
Gene Boes, a Microsoft alum and a parent to a child with a disability, knows firsthand the challenges that come with raising a child with special needs. When his daughter was a baby, he turned to the Northwest Center for support. The critical help his family received opened a door for him to a loving and caring community. Leading with his heart, he jumped in with both feet, first as a board member, and in 2017 when he became the CEO.
Since 1965, the Northwest Center has been dedicated to promoting the growth, development, and independence of people with disabilities. The organization provides education, therapy, and employment to children, adolescents, and adults. Thanks to their powerful advocacy, and the efforts of others like them, children with disabilities now attend public schools today, and the field of special education was created as a new approach to serving these deserving students.
Northwest Center’s commitment to disability inclusion also touches our region’s business community. Their job placement program connects their clients to meaningful jobs with companies across the Puget Sound, including Microsoft. The Center also offers training and consulting to daycares throughout King County to foster inclusive early learning for young children with special needs.
Leading the way in creating a more inclusive and equitable society, the Northwest Center is showing the world that with the right support and opportunities, individuals with disabilities thrive and contribute tremendously to their communities.
Leadership Eastside
Kevin Espirito’s journey with Leadership Eastside is a vivid example of the program's impact. After joining the program in 2010, as the leader of Microsoft's global employee community engagement programs, Kevin rolled up his sleeves and joined the Leadership Eastside board. Not stopping there, Kevin and his wife then went on to found WeBloom.org, a program aiming to “catalyze health in communities" in the US and Vietnam.
"Leadership Eastside introduced me to adaptive leadership, a methodology for addressing complex, systemic challenges with flexibility and responsiveness, ensuring that all voices are heard. This approach has greatly benefited my community work ever since."
Developing transformative leaders and giving them the confidence to tackle complex community challenges is what Leadership Eastside is all about. The organization’s core values are bold: community building, shared responsibility, racial equity & social justice, deploying a systems perspective, and Thrival. Microsoft has been a founding partner and steadfast supporter of Leadership Eastside for all 19 years of its existence. The investment has paid off. Many Microsoft employees, like Kevin Espirito, have graduated from the program and gone on to make vital contributions to their communities. Leadership Eastside has taught adaptive leadership strategies to nearly 850 leaders from corporate, nonprofit, public, educational, healthcare, and religious organizations that serve the 700,000 people of East King County.
One notable achievement of Leadership Eastside students is their partnership with 79 community organizations on adaptive campaigns. For example, a 2015 team worked with Cascadia College to design an employee training initiative around equity & inclusion. This initiative led the way to Cascadia developing its first strategic plan around diversity, equity, and inclusion. By nurturing and connecting talented professionals, Leadership Eastside is building the next generation of capable leaders eager to raise their hands, roll up their sleeves, and serve.
Bloodworks Northwest
Bloodworks Northwest is a vital part of the community, ensuring that life-saving blood is available when needed. Their commitment to research, innovation, and education has made them a leader in transfusion and transplantation medicine.
Jenni McCoy has been with Bloodworks for 12 years, starting as a volunteer and progressing to phlebotomist and now community engagement liaison. She is a champion who connects donors to Bloodworks’ mission. "We're literally saving lives. People realize that they can spend an hour of their time and save the life of somebody else in our community—that's empowering and impactful to me," says Jenni.
In 2023-24, Bloodworks Northwest successfully collected 163,472 units of blood. In partnership with community partners, they held 2,720 mobile drives and provided blood to patients in 93 hospitals. Bloodworks also opened a new donor center in Puyallup in October 2024, a significant step in their commitment to the people of Pierce County. Puyallup is a crucial hub for meeting the growing needs of Pierce County's healthcare providers.
As they continue to grow and expand their services, Bloodworks Northwest remains committed to excellence and the well-being of the community they serve.
Odessa Brown Clinic
In underserved communities where access to healthcare can be a challenge, the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC) came up with a better approach: bring the vaccines directly to families and spare parents one more task by ensuring kids get their immunizations. It’s a strategy that works. In the past year alone, the clinic has administered 657 vaccines through its mobile vaccine clinics.
Making essential immunizations accessible and convenient is a passion for Dr. Shaquita Bell, the Senior Medical Director at OBCC. Her career has impacted thousands of young lives, earning her awards like the 2022 Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) Physician of the Year Award and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2023 Native American Child Health Advocacy Award. Dr. Bell often says, “Families at Odessa Brown make my job the best. We care about each other,” highlighting her deep ties to the community and the spirit of the clinic.
Located in Seattle, OBCC is committed to helping every child lead a healthy and fulfilling life. As part of Seattle Children’s, the clinic provides high-quality medical, dental, behavioral health, and rehabilitation care with a focus on compassion for all children regardless of their family’s ability to pay. In fiscal year 2024, the clinic facilitated over 44,000 care visits, which translates into thousands of strong, loving relationships between families and healthcare providers, ensuring children receive the care they need.
PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support)
Dana Guy's journey with PEPS began after her daughter’s birth and NICU stay. Navigating the challenges of caring for a new baby and the additional stress of processing a traumatic birth was hard. Dana joined a PEPS group and found healing by connecting with other new moms and sharing about her experience.
Since 1983, PEPS has been a lifeline for parents. The organization connects parents, creates communities, and strengthens families. PEPS envisions a day when no parent feels isolated, ill-equipped, or unsupported. They work to make sure parents feel confident in raising their families and that kids grow up in a supportive and caring environment.
Dana was so touched by what PEPS did to help her young family that she became a volunteer group leader, and later she joined the PEPS staff. Five years ago, she was promoted to executive director. Under her leadership, PEPS has expanded its programs across various parenting stages, creating groups for parents of adolescents and teens, working moms, LGBTQIA+ parents, and single parents. Dana has also championed equity, inclusion, and community values, advocating for policies that support family stability.
In 2024, nearly 5,000 parents benefit from PEPS programs and partnerships, finding a community they can rely on. Since its inception, PEPS has served tens of thousands of parents in the greater Seattle area. Under Dana's leadership, PEPS has grown into a powerful force, expanding its programs to support parents at every stage of their journey. As the organization continues to connect and empower families, Dana's vision helps ensure that more parents don’t ever have to face their struggles alone.
Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington
In 2021, when 14-year-old Make-A-Wish kid Asher wished to create his own video game, Ron Brown, Halo Studios Franchise Ambassador, jumped at the chance to help. “If someone’s wish is to see what we do and be part of what we do, that’s insanely humbling. Events like this remind me just how special what we do is and how much it means to a lot of people. Watching someone else come in and be excited, that just reinvigorates you,” said Ron.
Make-A-Wish plays a vital role in a child’s treatment, serves as encouragement to the family during a child’s difficult medical journey, and provides a source of inspiration for thousands of people across our region. It’s our vision to grant a wish to every eligible child.
More than 3,000 wish recipients, their parents, and medical professionals were recently surveyed on the long-term impacts of a wish. The results speak for themselves: 95% of the doctors reported that the wish improved their patients’ emotional and physical well-being. Most of the doctors went even further, saying a wish could improve a child's medical outcome. And people who benefitted by having their wishes granted as children look back with confidence and say the wish improved their quality of life, brought their family closer together, and gave them hope for the future.
Together with volunteers like Ron, Make-A-Wish grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, bringing a spark of joy and hope while transforming their journeys through the power of a wish and the magic of kindness.
United Service Organizations (USO)
Executive Director Don Leingang, a Navy veteran, has led the USO organization since 2008. He often shares a story from 2005 when his flight crash-landed at Midway Airport. Shaken up and seeking comfort, he was greeted by USO volunteers. The warmth and support he received left a lasting impression on him. Three years later, as he was retiring, the USO was the first organization to reach out about post-military employment.
USO Northwest's mission is to strengthen the well-being of military personnel and their families through programs in employment, education, financial readiness, mentorship, and transitioning to civilian life.
Despite not having a brick-and-mortar USO center outside of Seattle and Tacoma, the three Mobile Canteens provide programs and services to military units and family members at 14 military bases in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The USO measures support through Total Service Instances (TSIs). In 2022, there were 79,500 TSIs, and by 2024, that number increased to 115,000.
Each year, USO Northwest hosts three major fundraisers: a golf tournament in Seattle, another in Portland, and a gala and auction in Seattle. These events are historically sold out, with the Seattle Golf and Seattle Gala being two of the largest events of their kind in the USO organization.
USO Northwest makes an extraordinary impact on the lives of military personnel and their families, ensuring they receive the support and resources they need to serve our country, care for their families, and maintain their own confidence and well-being.
NAMI Washington
NAMI Washington is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all those affected by mental health conditions. At the heart of this mission is Deidra Burke, MSW, an innovative leader and advocate for youth and young adult mental health. Since joining NAMI Washington in 2021 as an Organization Development Intern, she has transformed the landscape of mental health support for youth across the state.
As the Youth and Young Adult Program Manager, Deidra has been a driving force behind NAMI Washington’s youth-focused initiatives. Her commitment to creating accessible and equitable mental health resources has been instrumental in expanding the reach and impact of the organization’s programs. Deidra’s leadership has led to the creation of several groundbreaking initiatives, including NAMI Washington's first-ever Youth Advisory Board, Ending the Silence Training for youth mental health presentations, and youth-focused mental health resources such as youth advocacy and inclusive mental health education.
Deidra’s efforts have ensured that youth and families have the support they need to navigate mental health challenges. Looking ahead, she is working on several exciting initiatives, including the development of a youth and young adult podcast, where young people can engage in open conversations about difficult topics such as mental health, identity, and resilience.
In 2023, NAMI Washington served over 36,500 individuals, held over 2,200 NAMI programs and support groups, and helped secure a historic investment in public advocacy of over $1.1 billion from the Washington State Legislature. Through the incredible work of leaders like Deidra Burke, NAMI Washington continues to make a profound impact on the lives of those affected by mental health conditions.
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