By: Kendall Hill
Alice Ito, a dedicated professional with over 30 years of experience, has been an integral part of Seattle Foundation since 2014 and with mixed emotions, will be retiring at the end of September. As Executive in Residence for Equity and Inclusion, her commitment to advancing justice and belonging for all is deeply rooted in her personal history as a Japanese American raised in Bellevue, WA. Her hometown, once an agricultural community, witnessed the forced removal and incarceration of 300 Japanese Americans during World War II based entirely on their ancestry, an experience that shaped her perspective. This history fuels her dedication to justice, anti-racism, and a holistic way of living and working. While Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion frameworks have their merits, her work in philanthropy, particularly at Seattle Foundation, was driven by a larger vision. This foundation of her values continues to guide her toward a future marked by positive change.
To celebrate and honor her decade of service, I spent time getting to know her through the interview below. She is a committed advocate for racial equity, social justice, and inclusion. She has guided Seattle Foundation’s pioneering efforts to reshape community philanthropy through a lens of racial equity, anti-racism, and justice at both local and national levels.
Her extensive background includes roles such as Distinguished Fellow at Community Change, co-founder of key organizations in San Francisco and Seattle, and service on influential boards. With a Bachelor of Arts in human biology from Stanford University and a background in public policy, Alice’s dynamic career path exemplifies unwavering commitment to empowerment and progress. I’m honored to share her story with you.
Can you tell us about your career journey and how you got started in your profession?
I first began in philanthropy when I was doing activist work in California after college, trying to create things that did not exist for our communities.
The Vietnam War had just ended and anti-Vietnam War activism was still fresh, the women’s movement was on an upsurge, and the first shelters for domestic violence were being set up. At the same time, there were students of color in the San Francisco Bay area pushing for ethnic studies.
In both movements, we did community fundraising until some of us found out about foundations and that we could possibly get some funding from them. We started to learn about how to write government and foundation grants and how to present ourselves as a nonprofit organization. The responses that we received were so unpleasant that some of the women in the movement decided to start their own foundation and vowed not to treat people that way. That is now the Women’s Foundation of California which has its roots from these conversations.
Although I was not part of the initial founding, I volunteered to help develop the first grantmaking program. I became a board member and served as board president before returning to Seattle.
How has the world of philanthropy changed since you first started working in the field, and what do you think were the most significant advancements?
The work has evolved but many challenges remain. More philanthropists recognize the importance of centering the experience and leadership of people who are most affected by injustices. Global events have led to refugees with unique cultural and community needs. I think this is part of where Seattle Foundation has evolved in our community programs and discretionary grant-making, the Blueprint for Impact, and culture-based approaches. The most significant change is more awareness that to move the needle on our greatest challenges, we need strategies that advance equity and justice for all.
In philanthropy, were there any people who influenced your professional development?
Anne Farrell, one of the earlier President & CEOs at Seattle Foundation, influenced my view of institutionalized philanthropy. She and her staff listened to executive directors and others who were pressing for Seattle Foundation to increase funding in their communities of color, to address community needs. I think she was affected by a national report that named ten community foundations, including Seattle Foundation, that were severely underfunding low-income communities and failing to address poverty and related issues.
I imagine how difficult it was for her and the leadership at that time to read that. To her credit, in response she supported Seattle Foundation by applying for a three-year grant from a larger national funder which resulted in what is now our Neighbor to Neighbor program. If she had not done that, things could have gone in a much different direction.
We were different from each other in many ways, but at our core, we both really cared about the community and our region.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting their career in philanthropy or community-led work, what would it be?
For anyone entering this work, I would say learn and know the history of your community, and if philanthropy is going to become your community, know your philanthropic history so that you can better understand your present and be better equipped to build a better future. It’s like what our elders tell us “You have to know where you came from to better be able to go forward.” The older I’ve gotten, the more I understand that some of these sayings and cliches are cliches for a reason, because when you take them to heart and make it your own, it works.
How has the workplace culture evolved over the years, and what changes do you see happening in the future?
Over the years, both the structure and culture of the workplace have seen significant evolution. During my time on staff, there has been a deliberate move towards addressing access and equity, exemplified by the creation of a DEI Council. This council includes staff members from various departments and roles, aiming for diverse representation rather than being mostly comprised of managers. An example of this change is the holiday policy, the most inclusive and diverse holiday policy I’ve seen. It now offers options to accommodate staff’s diverse faiths and preferences providing staff members with the opportunity to identify for themselves the types of holidays that are most meaningful to them and not have to make a claim to explain why — thanks to the DEI Council’s influence. While progress has been made, other equity-related aspects in the workplace remain to be tackled. Looking ahead, I anticipate a continued commitment to strengthening the current path and further advancing equity for a more just future.
What will you miss the most about your job and the workplace?
What I will miss the most are my colleagues and board members with whom I’ve shared close collaborations. While my work has been dedicated to fostering positive change for equity and justice, I won’t necessarily miss that aspect as it’s part of a larger thread in my career and I have other ways of fulfilling that. However, the connections and relationships I’ve built are what I’ll truly miss.
What are your plans for retirement? Any exciting activities or hobbies you look forward to pursuing?
Mainly more family time. My mom is 93 and I am fortunate that she is still able to get around so, I look forward to spending more precious time with her and other family members. I’ve also always had an interest in Aikido so, I am going to look for a school. I want to explore the ideas of embodiment and ways of being in the world. A lot of my work life has been in the mind and what I’ve learned in the last ten years is that embodiment is very important. There are many transformative ways to be connected to the mind and body.
Reflecting on your entire career, what legacy do you hope to leave behind?
Reflecting on my career, I hope to leave behind a legacy that serves as a supportive foundation for others. I want people to do their work and be who they are with compassion, stand in integrity, and remain humble as much as possible. True humility is very important in philanthropy because of the long-standing power structures and assumptions about who’s a philanthropist and who has the authority to make decisions and influence change. These values have been important to me and the work that I do, and that is what I want my legacy to reflect.