After ringing in the New Year, the United Way of
Pierce County team embraced some changes – healthier lifestyles, a
reinvigorated sense of purpose and most importantly, our new CEO Dona Ponepinto.
Dona hails from the great Motor City yet she is quickly becoming right at home
in Tacoma. I recently sat down with her to get better acquainted and her
enthusiasm for her new position and for this community was undeniable.
You’ve been with
United Way for a long time. What is your history with the organization and what
are you most proud of?
“I’ve
been with United Way 26 and a half years. This is my fourth community, my
fourth United Way. I feel like United Way has been a part of my family. My
parents supported United Way for 23 years when my dad was in the military and
gave to United Way every paycheck, and it really was my mother who told me to
check out United Way when I moved to California. I went in, interviewed for the
job and the next day they offered it to me and I thought ‘Okay this is a good
start. I’ve got a job and I can move now, and I’ll do this for a little while
until I figure out what it is I really want to do.’ Twenty-six years later,
here I am still doing the job. Once I got in it, I loved the fact that United
Way brings together people in the community and that has never changed. We fund
organizations, we raise money but at the heart of it we bring people together
and help improve, collectively, everyone’s lives. So that’s what I’ve enjoyed
the most about being a part of United Way. There are so many things I’m proud
of but I’m most proud of the teams that I’ve had over the years. The passion
and the commitment of the staff of every United Way that I’ve been a part of,
the partnerships that I’ve been able to develop in the community, those
relationships have impacted me forever.”
What made you want to
leave Detroit to come lead United Way of Pierce County?
“As
I’ve gone through my career I’ve always felt that if the timing was right, if
it was the right community, and if the community felt it was a good fit I’d
take everything I’ve learned over the years and bring that another community.
There was a point in time where I said ‘I like this macro-level work. I really
like looking at things from above and the strategy of how you make social
change happen in a community. I think United Way really is about inviting
people to the table and being this influencer, and if I can bring that to
another community then I would love the opportunity. And Tacoma, from the very
beginning when I started the interview process, I felt something that said to
me ‘this feels right’. There’s just this genuineness about the people I’ve met
here throughout the interview process, and when it was all said and done, I
knew that if they felt the same way, we were going to be a good match together.”
What are the issues
you are most passionate about?
“I
am most passionate about making sure individuals and families have the
opportunities and support they need to be successful; that children can grow up
in an environment where they see opportunity, where they see hope, and parents
can provide a better life for their children. I am a student of social justice,
I am a great believer in people having equal opportunity and there are so many
people out there who feel marginalized but every single person should have
access to tools and resources. Also, putting a stake in the ground in early
childhood development while keeping in mind that families need to be strong and
stable because children do not live in a vacuum, they live in families.
Children in poverty are living in families in poverty, so those families need
opportunities. They need self-sustaining jobs so they can keep roofs over their
heads and food on the table. I am an incredible believer that when you bring public,
private and nonprofit sectors together, we can get things done. Making that
happen is sometimes the biggest challenge but when it does, it is amazing. I
think United Way is in the best position to be able to do that.”
United Way of Pierce
County recently narrowed our strategic focus to four areas: Early Childhood
Development, Early Grade Excellence, Strengthening Families and Basic Needs and
Supportive Services. Do you think United Way of Pierce County is moving in the
right direction with these focus areas?
“Yes
I think we are. I think we need to continue to focus because all four of these
areas, there’s so much you can do. So our next steps are really to ask - what
do we want to be true of these four areas in five to ten years? We must be very
clear of what we are ultimately trying to measure; I call it the ‘so what’. We
can do all of these things, so what. How do we know that our children are
better off? That families are better off? I’m not just talking about the
families that go through an agency; I’m talking about all families because not
every family is going to go to a nonprofit, most won’t. So what are we doing to
make sure families in our community know where to go? Think about it, if you
need something you have a network. So do people that are struggling every day
because they figure it out. Someone who needs childcare may not be able to
afford childcare, but they figure it out and maybe utilize a neighbor. We see
so many of these informal networks in communities that tie individuals together
so the question is - how do we help strengthen those informal networks for
people?”
What is your
impression of the Pacific Northwest so far?
“Well
I’ll tell you it’s been a little rainy, just a little! I think it is just
beautiful, even with the rain. It’ll take some getting used to but I got here
late on a Saturday afternoon and that Sunday was just gorgeous. It was about 46
degrees out but there was sunshine and you could see the mountains; it was just
beautiful. Also just everyone I’ve encountered… it’s hard for me to describe
but it just feels really genuine here.”
Is there something or
someplace specific that you are looking forward to doing or seeing?
“I
want to see everything! I like to explore so I will need folks to tell me ‘Oh
you have to go see this or do this’. You know I’ll need some help with that but
I’m just looking forward to getting out and exploring the region. Not just
seeing Tacoma and the city core, but also getting a chance to see more rural
areas too.”
So will you take
Henry with you when you go exploring? Tell me about your adorable dog and your
husband.
“Aw Henry, my little dog! He is nine years old
and he loves squirrels. He’s caught a few chipmunks and squirrels, and he’s
tried to run after a few deer before but that’s not going to work. He likes
chasing and he loves critters! He’s about 25 lbs. but he thinks he’s 90 lbs. He
thinks he’s a pretty tough little guy. My husband is a writer. When we were out
in California he owned his own company for about 15 years, a communication
graphic design company. He loved it and had a really strong clientele base but
when we moved to Detroit he really wanted to write, so he went back to school
and got his master’s in fine art. He has written a couple books, one of which
he published himself, called The Face Maker.”
"Well I am not a homebody so I would be out
somewhere. I love to shop; I don’t always buy things but I love to shop, so
being out and walking around the shopping mall would be fun. Really just being
out – it doesn’t have to be anything exciting, even just driving to Target
because my husband is a homebody so I say ‘see ya!’ and I’ll go around,
occasionally I’ll stop somewhere or maybe go to a museum. Friday night is
actually the big night at our house, it’s date night!”
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