Josie Heath, President of The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County since 1995, today announced her retirement at year’s end.
“I’ve loved this job and I’m proud of all that we’ve accomplished together,” said Heath of her distinguished, 21-year term. “I like to quote Katherine Graham who said, ‘To love what you do and feel like it matters, how could anything be more fun?’
“I feel like it has mattered. Together, we’ve built a foundation for the future.” Indeed, during Heath’s tenure, The Community Foundation has granted $68.9 million to nonprofits and established an endowment of more than $52.3 million.
“Equally important to me has been our leadership work,” continued Heath. “Guided by our TRENDS Report, we’ve invested in things that matter. We responded to fires and floods. We built permanent endowments such as the Community Trust, Millennium Trust, Arts Trust, Open Door Fund, BRAVO Fund and Veterans Fund.
“Additionally, Leadership Fellows Boulder County – a joint program of The Community Foundation and the Boulder Chamber – is a great resource to establish connections among another generation of talented leaders who are committed to making a difference in this community. As well, contributions from members of our Entrepreneurs Foundation have returned hundreds of thousands of dollars to the community.
“Now, we’re working hard to build a 25th Anniversary Fund so the foundation can continue its important leadership work and endow its early childhood commitment to better the lives of all children in this community.” This year marks the 25th Anniversary of The Community Foundation.
“The Community Foundation is in great shape and I’ve never been more positive about our future,” said Heath. “Through the years, our talented staff and board, our community-minded donors, hundreds of volunteers, and so many Boulder County nonprofit and civic leaders have worked together to make a big difference in this community.”
Heath will continue to serve full-time in her current role through December 2016. The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees will conduct a formal search for the foundation’s new president (see the position announcement). “I will dearly miss being in this role, but it’s time,” she added. “It’s been a wonderful privilege to work on things that matter with good people. It’s been a great ride … and the best is yet to come!”
Former foundation Trustees and community leaders have offered these tributes to the work and legacy of Josie Heath:
Liz Erley:
“Josie took the Lyons Community Foundation under her wing. We were always at the forefront of her mind – she helped develop the foundation into what it is today, and inspired individuals and organizations to donate $1M after the 2013 floods. Josie is a community influencer, and an incredible person – I would work with her anytime, anywhere.”
Stuart Kingsbery:
“Josie has inspired all of us to do more. Really, The Community Foundation itself is a tribute to Josie. At every important juncture in the history of the foundation, Josie has carried the banner – she is truly a community leader.”
Conrad Lattes:
“Josie’s passion is palpable and contagious. She’s taken this organization from being a small foundation with great aspirations to a mature and influential entity in our community.”
Jane McConnell:
“Josie is an icon in the community. From the grassroots to the grasstops, Josie is a tireless leader. She has devoted her life to making a difference and caring about the issues that are important to Boulder County. Under Josie’s leadership, The Community Foundation has become transformational and responsive to a variety of emerging needs.”
John Tayer:
“We needed a way to tackle our most pressing issues – like early childhood school readiness – through funding and volunteer engagement. Josie recognized the need to marry the indicators with the capacity to take action.”
Ann Cooper:
“There aren’t enough superlatives to describe Josie Heath. She’s a remarkable leader who instills trust wherever she goes. I have the utmost trust in her leadership, as well as her honesty, her respect and caring about others, and her genuine desire to make our community a better place. She’s smart, considerate and compassionate. She brings together people from all walks of life and gets them on the same page.”
About Josie Heath:
Josie Heath has served as President of The Community Foundation since 1995. As recently as December 2015, Heath was invited to speak at the White House in celebration of the 100th anniversary of community foundations.
Before taking the helm of The Community Foundation, Heath served as County Commissioner (1982-1990), the second woman elected to serve as Commissioner for Boulder County. During this time, she chaired the Consortium of Cities and chaired the Urban Caucus for Colorado Counties.
Additionally, Heath served in the Carter administration as the Regional Director of ACTION, the federal agency for national service. Her leadership responsibilities included Peace Corps recruitment, and supervision of other national service programs involving 18,000 volunteers in six Western states. She also taught at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (1991) and, later, served as Assistant to the Director of the White House Office of National Service in the Clinton administration. Heath was a candidate for the United States Senate in 1990, winning the Democratic primary; she was also a Senate candidate in 1992.
Heath served as a member of Harvard University’s Project Liberty team (1994-1998), working in emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2004, Heath was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. The same year, she was the statewide winner of the Colorado Nonprofit Association’s William Funk Award for civic contributions statewide. She’s also a founder of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado and a member of the International Women’s Forum.
Heath earned a bachelor’s degree at Eastern Oregon University and a master’s at the University of Wisconsin. She and Sen. Rollie Heath have been married more than 50 years, enjoying their three children and seven grandchildren.
For more information, and to arrange an interview with Josie Heath, contact Gretchen Minekime at 303.442.0436, Gretchen@commfound.org.
