This summer, I had the privilege of stepping away from my role as President & CEO of Horizon Foundation for a three-month sabbatical. What began as a plan to recharge with family quickly became something much deeper — a powerful period of reflection, learning and renewal. I returned with fresh energy and several lessons that I believe are not just personal, but meaningful for my leadership and for the Foundation’s work ahead.
- Get Outside Your Comfort Zone
I began my sabbatical by learning how to sail, which I have never done, for a week that pushed me far beyond my comfort zone. At times, I was nervous and unsure, yet the experience reminded me how powerful it is to take risks, try new things and embrace the discomfort of not being the expert. As leaders, we often rely on what we already know. But true growth requires us to stretch, take on new challenges and unlock new ways of thinking.
- Practice, Practice and More Practice
Sailing also taught me the value of practice. Maneuvers had to be repeated over and over, in different conditions and from different perspectives. In public health, tabletop exercises have long been proven to help disaster preparedness and response capabilities. They unveil strengths and weaknesses and improve coordination and communication between public health agencies and among community organizations. But what is the equivalent in philanthropy? We often refine our skills as individuals and our internal team — but how often do we practice, with community, in ways that allow us to learn from mistakes and grow together? We have begun to practice with community through listening sessions and co-creation. Our recent Food Insecurity Town Hall is an example of Horizon putting “practice” into practice. And we will be thinking more deeply about how we can create additional opportunities to “practice” our craft alongside partners, grantees and the community we serve.
- Move from Anger to Resilience
This year the ecosystem to support health equity has been decimated, with setbacks that threaten the progress we’ve worked decades to achieve. The attacks on public health, health care and diversity, equity and inclusion takes us backwards and will result in loss of human rights, human dignity and death. I am reminded that in our unique U.S. history, the twin sister of progress is retrenchment. For the past 250 years, we have seen periods of backlash and retrenchment after periods of great racial progress. We realize this is a recycled playbook and yet it is still painful. Yes, it is easy to feel frustration and anger. Cuts to Medicaid resulting from H.R. 1 will mean loss of insurance for an estimated 170,000 Marylanders. Loss of health insurance means loss of preventive and life-saving care, treatment and medication. Reproductive health cuts will be devastating to women. Cuts to SNAP will mean families will go hungry without access to food and nutrition services. And, the ongoing attacks that are meant to stoke fear and intimidation in our immigrant communities already means they already won’t seek vital health care services. Yes, it is easy to feel frustration and anger.
And my time away reminded me that, while those emotions can fuel movements, sustaining change requires resilience and hope. As a leader, I believe it is my role to help foster that resilience in our staff, board and community — so we can remain steadfast in advancing health equity, even in challenging times. We have much work to do in the upcoming months to build power and advocate for protecting Medicaid at the state level for all our residents, regardless of immigration status, restoring access to reproductive health for women and ensuring food security for our families. Building resilience and endurance, enlarging our tent of solidarity and supporting one another will be important for us all.
- Perspective Shapes Vision
Much of my sabbatical was spent in nature — hiking national parks, standing in awe of landscapes that made me feel both insignificant and expansive at the same time. That sense of perspective was grounding. It reminded me that we have the privilege at Horizon to think both short and long-term. As inequities deepen and community health is tested, we must imagine what rebuilding looks like — centering equity, listening to community and planning for resilience. I strongly believe that good health is a civil right, fundamental to human dignity and well-being and essential for individuals to thrive. We have an opportunity provide a new vision and a better alternative where all people and especially people of color and people who have been most marginalized in our society see themselves and see themselves thriving. Perspective helps us balance the urgency of now (which is responding to the barrage of unjust changes occurring daily) to also thinking about how to build a better vision for longer, inter-generational impact.
- A Moment for Philanthropy
At this moment in time, philanthropy can and should look at ourselves and ask how this moment calls us to act. We have an opportunity to further lean into our values and use our philanthropic influence and resources for social good. We have an opportunity to call out abuse of power and government dereliction. We have an opportunity to remain steadfast in our support of diversity, equity and inclusion and fight back against attacks on philanthropic organizations, attacks meant to reshape who and what we fund.
Horizon is listening even more to our grantees and our non-profit partners to better understand how their clients are being impacted by current and looming cuts to health, housing and food programs. Although philanthropy cannot fill the enormous gap caused by calloused federal government funding cuts, we can stop some suffering, and we will. We can also help our non-profit community build resiliency through supporting scenario planning for their budgets, their organizations and their staff and by building advocacy and power-building skills for the policy changes we will collectively need to advance in the coming years. And we can provide emotional support to our non-profit leaders, at all levels, to endure the upheaval and plan for an even brighter future.
A Renewed Commitment
I am deeply grateful to Horizon Foundation’s board, staff and partners for supporting this time away. I am especially grateful to our Board Chair, Chris Fortune, Vice Chair, Lisa Pearson and Acting CEO Glenn Schneider. Stepping back has renewed my commitment to our mission and reminded me of the importance of caring for ourselves as leaders so that we can better serve others. When I first began planning my sabbatical, I was worried about stepping away at such a difficult moment in our history as a nation, and as the forces that seek to undermine what the Foundation is working to achieve are gaining power. As I reflect on my time away, I realize how much I needed space myself to get clarity and build strength for all that lies ahead. Now more than ever, all of us who are working to improve our communities should build in rest and renewal, however we can, to keep going.
As I return, I do so with fresh energy, a deeper sense of purpose and an enduring belief in the power of reflection. I look forward to carrying these lessons into the Foundation’s work and to continuing, together, to build a healthier, more equitable Howard County and greater Maryland.
