Update: June 17, 2025

I have been selected for an interview on July 28. I am conducting a community listening survey to prepare a report on the community, for my interview. Please take a moment to complete the survey. Take the Survey, Wenatchee Valley Community Listening Survey

Thank you.

June 27, 2025

To: OVOF Staff & Board of Directors: Steve Maher, Ruben Betancourt, Maggie Richter, Alan Walker, Amanda Brack, Bob Bugert, Kevin Precht, Kim Hatfield, Lori Barnett, Norma Gallegos, Shayne Magdoff, Stacy Luckensmeyer, Alma Chacón, Becca Freimuth, Kevin Overbay, Laura Gloria, Lauren Head, Nik Moushon, Ron Cridlebaugh, Shiloh Burgess

Our Valley, Our Future
14 N. Wenatchee Ave. Suite 155
Wenatchee, WA 98801
info@ourvalleyourfuture.org

RE: Our Valley Our Future Executive Director Position

“Her energy, leadership and commitment to excellence is a tone setter. A polished, determined example of discipline… Takes a lot of people with her.” – B. Grimes.

Dear OVOF board of directors, staff, and residents of Wenatchee Valley:

The Wenatchee Valley is truly a unique and special place unlike any other in the world. I know this because for the past three years I have lived on the East Coast, which has made my heart ache for my home in Wenatchee. We often fail to realize the value of smaller towns, with main streets, and necessities nearby, bounded by the beautiful and powerful Columbia river, where the foothills rise up to meet the sky. This image stands in sharp contrast to the populated, flat landscape here in Florida where six lane roadways cut through towns and where traditional neighborhoods with cross streets are scarce.

Wenatchee Valley is a gem that must be cherished and preserved for future generations.

In reviewing the OVOF Action Plan, I recognized many of the same values and methods I’ve applied throughout my work—collaborative frameworks, regional visioning, and action-oriented metrics. I resonate with the OVOF mission, core values, Game-Changer Projects and the Big Vision. Over the past two decades, I’ve worked on projects including revitalizing downtowns, supporting veterans, and writing winning proposals in high-stakes federal defense contracting. At the heart of every project I’ve led—from small towns to federal programs—is a deep belief in the power of place, shared purpose, and collaborative action to shape a stronger future; and in fostering collaboration to create places worthy of our affection, as James Howard Kunstler envisioned. I am excited to participate in this mission.

Since my early days in economic development, I’ve continued to follow urban revitalization trends, including Main Street strategies, adaptive reuse, and equitable planning. I see OVOF’s work as part of this vital national movement—and a model of community-driven innovation.

When I moved to Wenatchee in 2009, I carried my passion for community building into my new home. Corky Broaddus suggested I meet Rufus Woods, who connected me with a number of organizations, and I was soon serving on the board of Write On The River, assisting in a City re-branding kick-off, providing public relations support for the Imagine South Wenatchee effort, and assisting the Initiative for Rural Stewardship and Innovation with communications projects. I also wrote and coordinated Wenatchee World’s community connections column, and launched Operation Petunia to beautify Wenatchee’s gateway, placing large whisky barrels full of petunias under the Apple sign leading into town. These experiences reflect my life’s theme of “caring, connecting, and communicating” to build community.

Before moving to Wenatchee, I was involved in economic development while serving on the Downtown Everett Action Committee, assisting in the $335 million revitalization efforts of the downtown core. I launched Upside Downtown, a community catalyst, to connect people within the community so that we could work together to make downtown Everett a more vibrant place to live, work, and play. Much like the work of OVOF, this required aligning diverse community priorities and guiding collective action across public and private sectors.

Development of this catalyst involved extensive research into community and downtown issues, and working with and developing relationships with Snohomish County, The Port of Everett, The City of Everett, Everett Area Chamber of Commerce, business owners and others. To foster collaboration, I wrote and published the popular Sparks for Innovation Newsletter, along with an accompanying website, hosted monthly meetings, and spearheaded events.

I also served on the board of directors for the Arts Council of Snohomish County, assisted with the Hewitt Streetscape effort, served on the launch committee for the Everett Events Center and provided public relations for the City of Everett Fourth of July committee as well as Brenda Stonecipher’s successful city council campaign. In addition, I assisted many non-profits and groups with public relations and marketing efforts, including projects for the Everett Chamber.

You might be asking, why I left Wenatchee. Life often has its twists and turns. At the end of 2021, my son and I moved to Florida so he could transfer to a college here. He’s since graduated and working in the aviation industry. I have been homesick ever since. So, you can imagine my delight when my best friend who lives in Entiat shared the job announcement with me; I have been looking for a way to return to Wenatchee, the place that I love.

I think my Florida experience could be beneficial to the OVOF efforts. Florida, like Wenatchee, faces challenges with urban planning and housing affordability. Working in this context has strengthened my understanding of the structural factors behind housing access and deepened my commitment to inclusive community planning—an essential focus of OVOF’s Housing Solutions work.

Here in Florida, I have been working in federal defense contracting, leading proposals and complex, strategy efforts for the Army MAPS and MSD billion-dollar IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts). This includes developing win themes, creating project pipelines, writing and managing multimillion-dollar proposals, and working closely with leadership to track compliance, budgets, and success metrics. These strategic plans require accountability and rigor; skills needed for carrying out the OVOF Action Plan.Navigating federal acquisition regulations has sharpened my eye for compliance and ethical stewardship. Whether it’s privacy rules, procurement statutes, or nonprofit reporting, building trust is the bedrock of this work.

I have also worked in AI and data analytics with the Central Florida Education Ecosystem Database (CFEED), where I helped plan and host a regional summit that brought together more than 100 education leaders from across Florida including UCF, Valencia College, and K–12 school districts to discuss policy and analytics. My role focused on building partnerships, translating data into clear messaging, and creating compelling content to spur collaboration and impact. That work reminded me how much I value helping diverse groups come together to shape a shared future.

In addition to working with IT defense contractors, I also launched the marketing/PR department for WaveLink, a growing software development firm focused on the wireless automated data capture industry where I developed the marketing plan and strategy; created the overall look and design of all marketing pieces; produced a direct mail campaign targeted toward strategic business partners which garnered a 13% response rate; plus established budgets and schedules for all advertising, PR, trade show, and marketing functions, and developed relationships with vendors and suppliers. This required building internal systems, managing budgets, and fostering cross-team communication—skills I would apply in overseeing OVOF’s day-to-day operations.

Earlier in my career, I was an award-winning manager at Nordstrom, where I received the Customer Service All-Star award, and led a team of 12-15 people at the downtown Seattle flagship store to increased sales from prior years, overseeing nearly $750,000 in annual sales. I’ve carried that same leadership ethic into my later roles—managing proposal teams, mentoring writers and technical SMEs, and coordinating across departments to deliver compliant, on-time work under tight deadlines. Whether in a counseling office in Wenatchee or a federal capture team on the East Coast, I focus on clarity, kindness, and results.

Throughout my career, I have had a passion for helping others achieve their goals, especially business owners and organizational leaders, and I believe I possess many of the skills needed to work with the board and staff to carry out OVOF’s mission and next chapter with purpose and accountability. At the heart of every successful project I’ve led is a simple principle: listen first. I believe strong leadership starts with hearing the voices of residents, honoring their lived experience, and translating that input into thoughtful action.

I’m a self-starter, quick-study person who loves people, challenges, and adventures, and who can see the big picture yet handle details. My ability to combine strategic thinking skills–plus maintain a sense of humor under fire–would be an asset to your team.

If the above description sounds like someone you’d like to have on your team, and you’re looking for an empathetic, energetic, hard-working, organized and passionate executive director—with proven ability in local economic development, community, and business relationships —I respectfully submit my resume for your consideration.  Please feel free to call me at 509-670-8272 (cell).

To give you a clearer sense of my work, I’ve included my Writing Sample Portfolio. I would welcome the opportunity to further discuss how I can contribute to Our Valley Our Future’s continued success.

Sincerely,

Leita Hermanson