The Rose Foundation announces that Willard Brown has been elected as President of the Board of Directors
The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment welcomes Willard Brown, as President of the Board of Directors. This summer he succeeds co-founder and founding Board President Jill Ratner. The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment supports community-based advocacy to promote conservation, equity, and justice through grant-making and direct service programs.
“I am honored to serve in this important role,” said Willard. “I look forward to working together with my board colleagues and the entire Rose Foundation network to address the issues and advance community driven solutions most impacting those communities that we serve.”
As Board President, Willard will oversee the operation of the Rose Foundation Board of Directors alongside the current Board Executive Committee: Cindy Tsai Schultz, Program Development Consultant, Rose Foundation’s newly elected Vice President; Veronica Eady, Vice President for Equity & Justice at Resources Legacy Fund, Rose Foundation’s newly elected Board Secretary; and Amy Lyons, Executive Director of the John & Marcia Goldman Foundation, Rose Foundation Board Treasurer. Jill Ratner, Rose Foundation co-founder and former director of New Voices are Rising (a project of the Rose Foundation), remains on the board.
During his term, Willard will prioritize working with the Board to optimize the Foundation’s mission and finalize the leadership transition of its founding executive director. Also, as several board terms end this year and next, Willard will use his organizational change and management experience to facilitate the onboarding of new board members over the next year.
“I am constantly impressed by Willard’s understanding of community-based science and his commitment to in-depth community engagement,” said Jill Ratner, immediate past and founding Board President. “We are all grateful for his excitement, energy, and dedication as the Rose Foundation enters a new chapter. I look forward to seeing Rose continue to grow under his leadership, carrying forward the good work of the past 30 years.”
Willard’s first involvement with the Rose Foundation was as a grantee, he went on to serve on a funding board and joined the board in 2022. He currently volunteers on behalf of the community at two Rose Foundation funded projects in Seattle, the Delridge Wetland Park and the Roxbury Bog Re-hydration and Restoration projects. After retiring from Seattle Housing Authority, where he worked for over 34 years, Willard served on the board and as Director of Housing and Environmental Programs at Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association.
“I can think of no one better to lead our Board during this pivotal moment for the Rose Foundation” said Pam Fujita-Yuhas, Rose Board member and Program Officer, Andy Hill Cancer Research Endowment Fund. “His dedication to our most vulnerable communities and his experience and commitment to racial equity and diversity are what we need to envision a more inclusive future for all.”
Willard has vast board experience. He has served on the Advisory Council for African American Elders and currently serves as Board Chair of the Equitable Development Initiative, representing Seattle’s Delridge community. Willard is an Emeritus member of the Board of Directors of the Seattle Green Spaces Coalition and has advocated for keeping public lands in public hands.
“Willard’s leadership at this time brings a new voice and perspective,” said Veronica Eady, Rose board member, Secretary and Vice President for Equity & Justice at Resources Legacy Fund. “His considerable experience bringing people together and working on the ground in building coalitions provides him with valuable insights that will help us achieve long-lasting impact during this pivotal time of organizational transformation.”
Check out our website refresh!
Along with the addition of Willard Brown as our new Board President, another development of the Foundation’s growth during this transition period is the launch of a newly refreshed website at www.rosefdn.org. This platform highlights the breadth and impact of the Foundation’s work and serves as an essential tool for engaging more effectively with community stakeholders. Available in both English and Spanish, the redesigned site provides easy access to information about our partnerships with the legal community to channel restitution funds back to impacted communities, our Grassroots Environmental Funds and capacity-building trainings, our active Consumer Rights Funds, and New Voices Are Rising, our San Francisco-based youth environmental justice leadership program.
“Our new website reflects the Rose Foundation’s mission to have our community’s voice inform our work, with updates guided by this principle, with the aim of making our work more inclusive and accessible, to better serve our grantees, supporters, and community partners. embracing the most inclusive innovation,” said Aiko Pandorf Interim Executive Director. “We are committed to transparency, accessibility, and empowering the public to engage with our work more easily than ever before.” The website refresh and Willard Brown’s leadership are part of an exciting new chapter for the Rose Foundation as we continue to support grassroots activism, community-level capacity building, leadership development, and environmental justice.
Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment supports community-based advocacy to promote conservation, equity, and justice through grant-making and direct service programs. Rose Foundation’s focus includes grassroots activism, watershed protection, environmental justice, and consumer rights. Rose also hosts New Voices Are Rising, a youth leadership development and environmental justice advocacy training program. To learn more about the Rose Foundation, please visit .
Contact: Amy Holland, Communications Lead
aholland@rosefdn.org