NAWA Names Neal Mizushima as New Executive Director

​The Nonprofit Association of Washington (NAWA) has selected Neal Mizushima as their new Executive Director (ED) after an extensive search to find the right person to fill the unique role. Throughout the process the NAWA Board sought a candidate who would be a heart-centered leader and strategic partner in building their shared vision of advancing the nonprofit sector in Washington State. 

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In speaking of the Board’s selection, Priya Jayadev, the Chair of NAWA’s Board expressed the following sentiment:

I am excited to welcome Neal to NAWA. He brings a calm, inclusive, well-considered leadership style to the ED role that will help to continue the building of NAWA's collaborative approaches, learning opportunities, and collective voices.

Over the course of his nonprofit career Neal has demonstrated success in advocating and promoting policy, equity, and justice initiatives throughout the community, making him an excellent fit for the role. In discussing his new role Neal has said, 

I'm beyond excited to be joining the Board of Directors, dedicated staff, and all of the engaged members of Nonprofit Association of Washington and look forward to supporting the incredible work of nonprofits across our state. The work of our sector is what helps to keep our water clean, our arts and culture vibrant, our wildlife thriving, our children educated, and those that are most vulnerable in our communities supported. The significant challenges of our lifetimes are all better addressed when we have a vibrant nonprofit sector that is a valued partner in strengthening communities.

About Neal

Neal has decades of valuable nonprofit experience across small, medium, and large nonprofits at various stages of growth that he brings to the role. Most recently he served as the Director of Programs at Bellevue LifeSpring and prior to that he was the Director of Equity Diversity and Inclusion at Hopelink. Neal also currently serves as a Board Member for the Babies of Homelessness organization in Seattle. He has a proven track record of designing and executing programs to address community challenges, advocate for meaningful change, and provide transformational learning opportunities. Neal’s main areas of expertise that he brings to the role are related to trauma-informed leadership, organizational change management, equity and inclusion, and culture building.
Connect with Neal >
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About NAWA

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​NAWA convenes a powerful network of nonprofit organizations across Washington State to help each other learn, advocate, and collaborate, to better equip nonprofit staff, boards, and volunteers to achieve their missions. They make nonprofits the center of everything they do because they recognize that strong nonprofit organizations contribute to healthy communities that are more collaborative, economically vital, and civically engaged. And the organizations they work with agree that working together in this way is essential, which is why many of Washington’s most effective nonprofits are members of NAWA. Their shared goals are to learn from each other, amplify nonprofit voices, and gather for meaningful interactions. Through these efforts NAWA strives to elevate equity throughout the nonprofit sector and broader community.

About ValtasValtas Group works as Interim Executive Directors, supporting organizations in times of transition and helps organizations navigate uncertainty during leadership change. We lead the search process in partnership with the board and staff leadership, as consultants for recruiting and executive search to support organizations identify the ideal Executive Director or leader. We also partner with board members and senior nonprofit leaders on a variety of strategic consulting assignments, offering comprehensive resources to guide your transition needs. Contact us to learn about our executive interim and placement services.

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