ANNOUNCEMENT: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DR. STEPHAN BLANFORD WILL BE LEAVING CHILDREN’S ALLIANCE THIS SUMMER

By Stephanie Thorpe, Board Chair

I’m writing with bittersweet news that our Executive Director, Dr. Stephan Blanford, will be leaving Children’s Alliance in the summer of 2025. Stephan has served as our Executive Director since June 2020—during the height of the COVID pandemic. He has been an outstanding leader, building a strong policy team and strengthening our financial condition to a level we’ve not seen before.

On behalf of the Board of Directors: Thank you, Stephan, for your commitment to racial equity and your passion to do what is best for all of Washington’s children. You have led important work and we are proud to have worked by your side. Thank you especially for your leadership on the campaign to save the capital gains tax—a key funding mechanism for early learning programs.

This transition brings an exciting opportunity for growth. The board, together with the staff and our strong network of community partners and child advocates, is excited for the next visionary leader who can build on this legacy. Be assured that our active board is already strategizing and planning to ensure that we maintain our momentum as we seek our new leadership. We are grateful that Stephan is planning to overlap with the new director, ensuring a smooth transition.

As we move forward, you can count on us to keep standing alongside you as we raise our powerful, collective voice for Washington’s 1.7 million kids. Our commitment to racial equity and undoing institutionalized racism is ongoing. This work is multifaceted and hardwired into the work of both board and staff. The organization’s work will continue to be led by staff members who every day bring a robust set of skills coupled with a fierce commitment to justice for all of Washington’s kids.

There are no words to express how grateful we are for the hard work, commitment, vision and leadership Stephan has provided over the past five years. He joined us at the height of the pandemic and managed us through that. He has worked to build our financial position to the strongest it has ever been. He has been a strong, statewide voice raising concern about our children’s behavioral health, working together with coalition partners to pass the Fair Start for Kids (FS4K) Act and protecting the capital gains tax—an essential funding source for the state’s largest ever investment in early learning through FS4K. As a result, the Children’s Alliance is recognized as a model organization, one that walks its talk.

Saying goodbye to Stephan will not be easy. Nevertheless, the board will use this change as an opportunity to drive the organization forward. We have always depended on advocates like you, and we hope you will continue to stand with us during this transition and beyond.

We are planning an official send-off for Stephan during our annual Voices for Children fundraiser in the spring. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

Please feel free to reach out with any questions. I can be reached at BoardChair@childrensalliance.org


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