Letter from the President

Dear community,

I am honored to serve The Ford Family Foundation as the third president and CEO in service to our vision of ensuring that rural children have the educational, family and community supports they need to be successful in life. Although most of my career has taken place in urban communities, I spent much of my childhood in a rural Indiana town of just 500 people. I feel at home among rural people and in rural places.

You know as well as anyone that America is in a period of rapid changes in our economy, demographics, environment, technology and more. How will each of us — in rural Oregon as well as in urban communities — navigate these changes to advocate for the children who urgently need us to speak up and act on their behalf?

The answer to that question is the story of our time. It is the story of Roseburg, the Foundation’s hometown, and of Douglas County. It’s the story of Southern Oregon, of rural Oregon and of our region. It’s the story of our nation.

All children deserve to grow up with the freedom to live, learn, work and contribute to vibrant communities that do their best to support them in reaching their potential. To make this happen, we will need to connect more deeply with each other and ask bolder and braver questions. It’s this boldness that will help us better overcome obstacles and seize opportunities that will drive us toward lasting change for our children.

As we write this next chapter in our story, I invite you to reach out. Creating spaces to dream big is what foundations like The Ford Family Foundation are uniquely poised to do. Bring your best, most bold and, yes, imperfect ideas as we shape our region’s future. What has the legacy of the Foundation meant to you? What could this organization be in this chapter, given who we are and what we know together? And what will it take to pave the way forward?

If not us, then who?

With hope for our future,

Kara Inae Carlisle
President and CEO,
The Ford Family Foundation