Goodbye and Good Luck to our Senior Program & Operations Associate Stephenie Smith

Today, January 6, 2023, is Stephenie Smith’s last day at Northwest Health Foundation. Stephenie started at NWHF as our Executive Support & Operations Manager and shifted to the role of Senior Program & Operations Associate in 2020. Next week Stephenie starts nursing school at Oregon Health & Science University. It’s tough to say goodbye, but we’re also so excited for Stephenie to pursue one of her longtime dreams!

Stephenie and her daughter Izzy

A message from our President & CEO Jesse Beason

In just a few minutes, I’m headed off to a bittersweet brunch. We’re celebrating (with some tears, too) Stephenie’s next big chapter as she heads off to nursing school. It’s been her dream for awhile now. We’ve been excited to support her through it all.

Have you ever met someone and immediately felt at ease, merely comforted by their presence? Have you worked on a team where one person is always perceptive of how people are doing, how the team is gelling, and always doing small things to improve morale and increase connection? Do you know those people who, despite all they have going on themselves, always seem to have time to listen and empathize with you? Well, that’s Stephenie.

Stephenie has brought so much—and meant so much—to NWHF. (As has her daughter, Izzy!) Beyond her compassion and empathy, she’s often the one inspiring us through the many ways she supports her family, raises her child, advocates for justice and puts her nose to the grindstone to get the work done. We’re going to miss her dearly, but we know she will make one heck of a nurse.

Fun fact: Stephenie is a great singer and blows everyone else out of the water at karaoke!

Q&A with Stephenie

What drew you to nursing?

I’ve always wanted to be in the health field, for as long as I can remember. At first I thought I wanted to be a doctor, but the part of the health field I love is interacting with patients, getting to know people and helping them in times of crisis. After spending more time in hospitals, the people I saw do that the most were nurses, and that shifted my thought process. And then I applied to nursing school right out of college, didn’t get in, and I moved on with my life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, my grandparents left their senior living facility and moved into our family home, and I took over some of their healthcare. Also during the pandemic, I had the opportunity to take my prerequisites from home. All of that inspired me to try again.

What are you most excited about for starting nursing school?

All the colorful pens I will get to use! Just kidding. I feel like it is easy to be a little stagnant in your everyday life, and I’m excited about the opportunity to learn new things. I’m excited to bring the knowledge and skills I currently have--my activist lens--into the classroom and the hospitals, to use the knowledge I have and continue to build on that, and also develop this really amazing skill to support people.

What will you take with you from NWHF into your new career path?

Outside of all the friends I’ve made, friends that are like family, and connections I’ve made through different nonprofits and other organizations, I think one of the biggest things that I’ll take from NWHF is this idea that the people that have the solutions to the problems are the ones that are on the ground, the people who are experiencing the problems on a regular basis. Any opportunity I get to sit at a decision-making table, I’m committed to fighting fiercely to ensure that there’s representation at those decision-making tables from the communities most impacted.

What will you miss most about NWHF?

The people is what I will miss most: my coworkers, the people I get to interact with everyday, the people in this building, and our grantees.

Is there anything else you want to add?

I’m just so thankful for my time here at Northwest Health Foundation, because it really did shape the type of activist and advocate I am for my community. I think about if I did get into nursing school as that 24-year-old, right out of college, and I just don’t think I would have been as good of a nurse. All of the knowledge I’ve gained, that larger systemic perspective, will trickle down into every interaction I have and all of the decisions I make as a nurse.