Leslie says farewell

WAGAP begins leadership transition

                                                                                                                                May 29, 2024                         

My Dear Gorge Community,

By now you may have heard that my time as Executive Director of Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is coming to an end. Even as I write that out, it doesn’t seem quite real.

I first joined WAGAP in a temporary position back in 2013. From there, I moved into Human Resources and then to Associate Director before becoming the agency's Executive Director on January 1, 2017. I remember it being a very scary time. The political world had just been turned on its head, and I had no idea what this meant for the nonprofit world and Community Action.

I found I didn’t need to be afraid. The team at WAGAP has always been outstanding, and they were up to the task. I will always be thankful for their trust and their willingness to jump into the trenches with me.

As often happens during a transition, some programs were discontinued, and some new programs cropped up. Perhaps my favorite program, Pathways HealthConnect, came to the agency in 2017 as one of the pilot programs of Southwest Washington Accountable Communities of Health (SWACH).  In this program, Community Health Workers engage in heavy case management to help clients navigate systems and get the help that they need to live happy and healthy lives.  I have seen this program work miracles.

I am also very proud to have been involved in WAGAP securing three separate youth prevention grants: Drug Free Communities, which serves all of Klickitat County, and the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiate, which conducts work in the Goldendale and White Salmon school districts.

Our client and staff demographics have changed since I came on board. Our staff are now much more reflective of the community that we serve. I am encouraged by the fact that more and more of the community has come to trust us and that everyone feels comfortable walking through our doors. They know they will be treated with dignity and respect and that our team will do whatever they can to help them no matter their situation.

March 2020 was my most challenging time here, as I know it was for many in the community and beyond. We had to change the way services were delivered on the fly, stay distanced and masked, and still let our clients know how much we cared about them. It was not easy. Those pandemic years felt like forever. They aged me and changed me, and they made me realize maybe it was time to get out while I still had my sanity.

My time at WAGAP has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. We have an incredible community that has supported our work, our mission, our clients, and me. I never once doubted that our community cares.

There were times I was accused of being political, but the fact is, this work is political. I know that some people, no matter what we do, will interpret our work as political. I have just always tried to hold steady to the fact that human rights will always be made political by those who feel threatened by others having rights, and there is no way around it but forward. 

I like to think of WAGAP as a living, breathing entity. It's more than an agency; it’s a community that belongs to all of us, each with our own perceptions and ideas. We’re at our strongest when we allow all of those individual things to have a seat at the table and be part of the conversation. I hope this will continue forward.

I feel lucky that the agency is in such a healthy place that I can feel good about leaving at this time. I know that Jennifer Pauletto is ready and able, and her commitment to equity amazes me every day.  I’m very much looking forward to seeing the next chapter unfold. While my time has been rewarding, it has also been exhausting, and I’m looking forward to being able to dedicate more time to my family and myself.

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to say thank you. Thank you to YOU, all of you, for being on this journey with me, whether it was serving as staff, volunteering, donating, lending a listening ear, or allowing us to serve you. This is work that I will forever be proud of.

Leslie Naramore
WAGAP Executive Director (2017-2024)
leslie@wagap.org
(509) 493-2662