President & CEO

About the Maine Health Access Foundation

As an independent, private nonprofit health foundation, the Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) partners with nonprofit organizations working to ensure equitable access to health care and to improve the health of all people in Maine, guided by voices and experiences of communities across the state. In addition to funding, MeHAF shares information, encourages dialogue, and fosters collaboration with and among grantees, partners, and other funders locally and nationally.

Many of MeHAF’s current programs focus on building the capacity of community-led organizations to advance health equity in Maine. Past and current grantees have helped to improve systems to address critical health needs, coverage, and access to quality care.

Next year, MeHAF will celebrate its 25th year anniversary and will look to its next President and CEO to continue to both strengthen and broaden the organization’s impact, effectiveness, influence, and visibility in the state of Maine and beyond.

VISION: We envision a Maine where all people and communities are healthy and well.

MISSION: To promote access to quality health care, especially for those who are uninsured and underserved, and improve the health of everyone in Maine.

OUR VALUES:

• Integrity: We develop and share information and approaches to improve the health of Maine people. We use Foundation resources strategically and efficiently.
• Transformation: We build advocacy and decision-making power among organizations and communities to ensure responsive and sustainable systems change.
• Equity: All Maine people have access to quality, affordable health care. Together we produce fair and just health outcomes for everyone.
• Creativity: We cultivate ideas by bringing people together to jointly address common goals.
• Community Engagement: We learn from people in communities across Maine, welcoming perspectives that encourage new ideas and enhance understanding.
• Collaboration: Our success is built on honest and respectful relationships and shared purpose with partners from all sectors.

MeHAF's programmatic work is dedicated to improving health outcomes and promoting health equity across Maine through innovative, community-driven initiatives. Current programs include:

• Health Advocacy For over a decade, MeHAF has supported advocacy efforts aimed at preserving and expanding access to care as well as empowering diverse advocates (from statewide organizations to grassroots groups) to overcome barriers to good health.
• Health Equity Capacity Building Launched in 2018, this program strengthens community-based organizations in Maine led by members of the marginalized communities they serve, providing unrestricted funding alongside tailored technical assistance and a learning community to enhance their stability, effectiveness, and capacity in advancing health equity.
• Systems Improvement and Innovation Responsive Grants (SIIRG) Funds organizations enhancing or innovating services to better address community health needs in rural health, aging, behavioral health/substance use, and maternal and child health.
• Community Responsive Grants (CRG) Funds community-led projects in Maine that advance health equity and align with MeHAF’s Strategic Goals, based on the principle that communities best understand and can address their own needs.

The Nova Fund

At the end of 2022, MeHAF was honored to receive a $9 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Now referred to as The Nova Fund, this gift continues to provide opportunities for uplifting the organization’s mission.

The Board of Trustees made a commitment to distribute the gift over a three to five-year period (2023 - 2027). In 2023, $2 million of the Nova Fund was allocated to enhance existing programs and support ongoing strategic initiatives. Priorities for 2024 include collaborative work with grantee partners to identify priority investments for strengthening and resourcing a robust health justice movement for Maine, as well as developing strategies to address Maine’s healthcare workforce crisis.

Today, MeHAF embraces its critical role in prioritizing the voices of its grantee partners. MeHAF has a highly committed team of 10 employees and approximately $140 million in total assets.

Learn more on the Maine Health Access Foundation website.

The Opportunity

The Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) is seeking a humble, visionary, and dynamic leader to serve as its next President & CEO. This is an exceptional opportunity to build upon current organizational momentum, support the work of grantee partners, and uplift local communities in the effort to address pressing health care challenges and opportunities facing Maine.

The next CEO will be responsible for guiding every aspect of the foundation’s strategic initiatives, major programs, and operations. This leader works in close partnership with and is accountable to a highly functioning and diverse Board of Trustees and Community Advisory Committee (CAC). In collaboration with the Board, CAC, and staff, this leader will play a key role in executing and advancing MeHAF’s vision for the future, thinking strategically about fair and just health outcomes for all, and proposing ways to both innovate and deliver on the mission. The CEO will also proactively seek ways to enhance MeHAF’s role in continuing to nurture and strengthen collaborative relationships with tribal, state, and local government, health funders, and other philanthropic organizations in Maine, New England, and across the country.  

The ideal candidate will authentically represent the mission and values of MeHAF among a wide variety of constituents, serving as a spokesperson and leader in local, state, and national health care issues, systems change, and trust-based philanthropy.

Key priorities for the next President & CEO include, among others: 

• Lead, partner with, inspire, and empower a talented and highly engaged staff.
• Foster a positive work environment and culture, including but not limited to providing clear guidance and expectations for team members, along with support for professional development, goal setting, coaching, and performance evaluation.
• Support, develop, and cultivate a strong working relationship with an engaged Board of Directors and Community Advisory Committee.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to building trust, collaboration, respect, and transparency at all levels of the organization.
• Provide strategic leadership within Maine’s philanthropic sector, as well as regionally, and nationally.
• Ensure that MeHAF engages meaningfully with and is responsive to geographically and demographically diverse communities, continuously integrating their voices, perspectives, and priorities into its philanthropic agenda.
• In partnership with the Finance Manager, investment firm/outsourced Chief Investment Officer, and the Finance Committee, the CEO will provide oversight and support of the organization’s financial functions including overall management as well as investment of the endowment and other assets.
• Provide strategic guidance for the development and implementation of programs and initiatives, including assessment and evaluation.
• Balance long-term program goals and funding of short-term interventions that provide strategic opportunities to support MeHAF’s priority populations or that position MeHAF for future work.
• Collaborate and share knowledge within the philanthropic sector to promote best practices in grant and program development and execution, evaluation, and in advancing philanthropy’s role in shaping public policy.
• Build and maintain relationships with key health care and health-focused organizations, nonprofit leaders in Maine, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Maine Bureau of Insurance, tribal governments, as well as state and national-level Maine elected officials and their staffs.
• Establish strong relationships with local media outlets and identify opportunities to highlight grantee work and/or MeHAF expertise.
• Engage in continued learning to enhance skills, deepen knowledge of nonprofit and foundation management, and enhance creativity.

Candidate Profile

We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

Passion for the Mission

• Build on the organization's existing strengths and honor institutional knowledge, fostering a culture of respect and continuity.
• Understand Maine’s demographics and community needs, demonstrating enthusiasm for engaging with a variety of communities across the state.
• Bring energy to continue growing/strengthening MeHAF’s impact and maintain the organization's strong commitment to serving as a trustworthy partner in advancing health access.
• Possess a deep understanding of healthcare disparities and a strong commitment to equity, with a curiosity and knowledge for leveraging MeHAF’s existing programs to further this vital work.
• Demonstrate a track record of unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values — someone who can be trusted without reservation.

Champion for Health Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Accessibility

• Bring a demonstrated commitment to racial equity and trust-based philanthropy, driving transformative change in community engagement.
• Prioritize health equity and address social determinants of health through strategic initiatives and partnerships.
• Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion across underserved populations, particularly those that are generally under-resourced and marginalized within existing systems, ensuring MeHAF models best practices that engenders public trust.
• Champion an approachable and accessible organizational culture with enhanced transparency.
• Ensure internal equity and inclusivity in leadership practices, fostering collaboration and empowerment among staff and grantees alike.

Inspirational & Visionary Team Leader

• Be a decisive leader with excellent judgment and a guiding vision (north star) that aligns with the organization's values, mission, and goals.
• Adapt and evolve grantmaking strategies with an emphasis on progressive philanthropy models grounded in trust and partnership with communities, ensuring the organization remains at the forefront of innovation in the philanthropic sector.
• Collaborate strategically and thoughtfully alongside staff, Board, and CAC to financially steward the significant remaining funds from MacKenzie Scott, ensuring long-term sustainability and maximum impact.
• Demonstrate resilience, political savvy, and a forward-looking perspective, balancing energy for short-term initiatives with the endurance needed for long-term success.
• Lead, support, empower, and motivate a hybrid workforce to achieve organizational objectives effectively, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and high performance.

Effective Communicator & Ambassador

• Be a highly responsive leader for the team, willing to problem solve and understand challenges from a variety of perspectives.
• Drive innovation, advocacy, and transformative change, partnering with, resourcing, and empowering grassroots movements and pioneering solutions to complex systemic challenges.
• Maintain a non-partisan approach and foster alliances with statewide leaders, exemplifying a commitment to collaboration across diverse perspectives.
• Practice transparency and active listening, valuing diverse viewpoints and continuously evolving through self-awareness of strengths and growth areas.
• Possess compelling communication skills in writing, media, and public speaking, instilling confidence, both internally and externally, adeptly crafting messages that resonate deeply with diverse stakeholders and inspire action.

Exceptional Relationship Builder & Collaborator

• Cultivate enduring partnerships with grantee partners, emphasizing shared decision-making and mutual trust.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop systems of communication and decision-making that encourage participation, transparency, and innovation; and the ability to foster a culture of transparency, self-reflection, and mutual accountability.
• Delegate effectively and foster a collaborative atmosphere, promoting autonomy while ensuring cohesive teamwork, especially in a hybrid work environment.
• Demonstrate high emotional intelligence, compassion, and self-awareness, embodying human-centered leadership principles.
• Lead with empathy and humility, adeptly fostering genuine connections across diverse viewpoints and networks.

In addition, strong candidates may offer:

• Sophisticated leadership experience in health, public health, nonprofit management, public policy, or a related field;
• Exceptional organizational and management skills and experience leading and inspiring change in a diverse, mission-driven organization;
• Expertise in nonprofit budgeting, financial management, and strategic allocation of resources;
• Experience fostering policy change through a nonpartisan stature;

• Lived experience facing health inequities or lack of access to healthcare, informing an understanding of and passion for health access and justice.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with candidate’s background, including years of experience and scale of management expertise. The salary range for this role is $200,000 - $240,000 with a generous benefits package. This is a hybrid work environment.

Contact

Koya Partners has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Molly Brennan, Tiara D. Muse, and Gina Wrolstad. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ leaders.