September 28, 2020
Dear partners and friends,
Today I am privileged and excited to announce Alisa O'Hanlon Regala as The Intertwine Alliance's new executive director! The search for our next leader, begun in late 2019, took longer than any of us imagined, impacted by the health, racial inequality and climate crises we're all facing. But the wait has been worth it. In Alisa, we have exactly the leader we need for the healing work ahead.
With extensive city government and nonprofit experience, Alisa joins us with an ideal background for this leadership role. Most recently with the City of Tacoma, Government Relations, Alisa worked with the mayor and city council on issues ranging from transit, parks and open space, to the health of the Puget Sound region. She also led the mayor and council's engagement with Washington Congressional members.
Perhaps dearest to her heart, she spent the past 15 years as the liaison to the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, where she facilitated conversations and successful joint projects on clean water, the rebuild of a culturally and historically significant bridge, and the city's first Indigenous People's Day. This month the tribe honored her with a ceremonial blanket, its highest symbol of friendship and respect. (Masks were lowered for the moment of the photo only.)
Alisa knows nonprofit management through and through, with experience on both board and staff sides of the fence. Highlights include serving on the board of Tacoma Community House, which welcomes immigrants and others to the city, and five years as the program director of a community mobilization organization focused on safety and health. She's excited to lead the implementation of our five-year strategic plan and to help turn out the vote this November for several critical ballot measures.
Alisa's biracial identity as the daughter of a Filipino immigrant father and 8th-generation white Tacoman mother gives her an appreciation for balance and for the delicacy and importance of relationships.
"Our country and region are wounded in many ways," Alisa says, "and nature, we know, is an important part of that healing. The Intertwine Alliance is here and ready to dig in deeper to advance that healing work."
A proud mom of two grown daughters, Alisa loves dancing and doing cartwheels. She started out in classical ballet but knows she's "never to old to learn hip hop." As a devoted baker, she proudly displays the 3rd-place ribbon her apple pie won at the Washington State Fair.
Intertwine Alliance board and staff are having such fun getting to know Alisa -- and we know you will, too. She officially started the job last Wednesday, so please join us in welcoming her to the coalition. She invites you to reach out any time at alisa@theintertwine.org.
With warm regards,
Kathleen Brennan-Hunter
President, Intertwine Alliance Board of Directors
