Alesha Washington is the president and CEO of Seattle Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the country. In her role, she leads efforts to ignite transformational philanthropy to invest deeply in efforts to advance racial equity, shared prosperity, and belonging in the Seattle region.
Prior to her role with Seattle Foundation, she served as the program director for Vibrant Neighborhoods and Inclusive Economy at the George Gund Foundation. She led collaborative efforts of the program team to strengthen democracy building and civic engagement strategies statewide, and she directed grantmaking strategies to bolster community revitalization, economic growth, and resident leadership. Alesha was the Vice President of Government Advocacy for the Greater Cleveland Partnership, one of the largest metropolitan chambers of commerce in the country. In her role, she served as the lead advocate on local, state, and federal policy issues impacting the Northeast Ohio business community and economic development efforts. Alesha has held senior government relations roles with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and the Centers for Families and Children.
Among her civic endeavors, Alesha serves on the board of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Policy Advisory Committee for the W.E. Upjohn Institute and a member of the Brookings Metropolitan Leadership Council. Alesha is a 2017 Crain’s Cleveland Business “40 Under 40” honoree and 2015 American Marshall Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Alesha received her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and her Masters of Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve University.
