This month, our Trustees will meet to review our most recent collection of grant applications. This quarter’s meeting will be quite bittersweet because, after a 20-year career serving nonprofits across the Pacific Northwest, the incomparable Jan Kennedy Ferguson will retire from her role as a Program Director with the Murdock Trust.
“We are so grateful that Jan has chosen to bring her passion for service, her talents, her leadership and her wisdom to the Trust for these two decades,” said Steve Moore, Executive Director, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. “She has helped so many nonprofits serve countless individuals and communities across our region while at the same time serving as a leader and a role model for all of us. She has been a champion for rural communities, women’s health and for helping organizations across the region. We are so happy for her as she enters this new season in her life, but our hallways just won’t be the same and we are going to miss her presence terribly.”
In today’s workplace, serving in one role with the same organization for 20 years is rare in and of itself. However, when we look at the physical numbers behind Jan’s tenure, her contributions to the Pacific Northwest and fulfilling the mission Jack Murdock left for the Trust are practically unbelievable.
Jan has personally guided the administration of $105,683,674 through 601 total grants in her tenure with our organization. This represents about 10% of our total grantmaking since the Trust was founded. Her expertise has helped ensure the distribution of grants to nonprofits serving a wide variety of sectors, including organizations in rural health, the arts, education, and human services such as the World Forestry Center, Ruby Valley Hospital, Washington State Smile Partners, Union Gospel Mission, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, Thrive, Teton Valley Healthcare, RiverStone Health Foundation, RE Sources, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and the Portland Art Museum just to name a few.
Jan, on behalf of your colleagues here at the Murdock Trust, the hundreds of nonprofits and their leaders you have served and the endless individuals, families and communities you have helped improve through your thoughtful guidance, thank you for all your hard work. We will miss you!
