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With a groundbreaking new funding initiative for childcare in Oregon on the horizon, First Children’s Finance (FCF) needed a dynamic State Director to lead the charge.
As FCF entered the Oregon market for the first time, it was clear that the right leader would play a transformative role in shaping the future of childcare across the state.
Challenge: Finding a visionary leader to launch public funding programs for childcare in Oregon
FCF, in partnership with the Department of Early Learning and Care, needed an entrepreneurial State Director to bring a crucial new funding initiative to life. The groundwork was set, and funding was secured, but finding the right leader to assemble a statewide team and execute the program was the next critical step.
The State Director needed to excel in relationship-building, have a deep understanding of the childcare industry, and navigate a complex legislative landscape.
This search would be pivotal to ensuring the program’s success and long-term impact across Oregon.
Process: A targeted search built on mission alignment and community connection
With FCF entering the Oregon market for the first time, Boly:Welch conducted an in-depth intake to fully understand the organization’s mission, values, and culture. This allowed our Executive Search Team to authentically represent the opportunity to prospective candidates and ensure those with the right mix of skill and passion were targeted.
We tapped into our network and built new connections within the childcare and nonprofit sectors, carefully vetting candidates to create a highly qualified pool. Through a structured interview process, we facilitated deep conversation between candidates and FCF, ensuring alignment on both vision and leadership style.
Outcome: FCF taps a proven leader to build their Oregon team
Dr. Jumesha Wade joined First Children’s Finance as the inaugural State Director for Oregon in July 2024, bringing her extensive expertise in nonprofit leadership and early childhood education to the role.
With a PhD in Educational Psychology and a strong background in early childhood programming, Jumesha’s leadership experience has been marked by a commitment to improving accessibility in Early Childhood Education. She previously led a thriving organization in Kansas City, driving impactful change in that sector.
Her strategic vision and passion for early learning make her an ideal leader to kickstart FCF’s Oregon programming.
Welcome to the team, Dr. Wade!
“Boly:Welch Executive Search was responsive and anticipated our every need throughout discovery, interviewing, and selecting a final candidate. They spent time researching our industry, making connections across Oregon, and identifying high quality candidates for our search process. Each of the candidates in the final pool of our search process — unprompted — commented on how much they enjoyed working with Boly:Welch.
Debbie and Jenn represented our values and culture to the candidates; Boly:Welch felt like a true partner to our organization.
As a national organization, we work with a number of search firms, and our experience with Boly:Welch was one of the best we’ve experienced.”
— Heidi Hagel-Braid, Interim President & CEO/Chief Program Officer of First Children’s Finance
Boly:Welch Executive Search knows that every organization is unique.
For over 35 years, we’ve been leveraging our deep network of relationships, industry knowledge, sourcing expertise, and experience to place top tier candidates.
We are currently working across the entire C-Suite in a range of industries from healthcare, professional services, nonprofit, consumer goods, manufacturing, and beyond.
Our approach includes:
Use the chat bubble to connect with us right away, or email us at [email protected]!
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