United Way leaders work to build trust, transparency

It’s been an arduous couple of months for Northwest Montana United Way as the organization works to rebuild its reputation as a necessary resource for the Flathead Valley, and as one that can be trusted by nonprofits and donors alike.

But leaders old and new say the challenge doesn’t intimidate them, with new Executive Director Roxanna Parker even saying she “welcomes it.” And multiple affiliated agencies say they are already feeling positive about the changes they’ve witnessed following the departure of United Way’s longtime Executive Director Sherry Stevens.

“It has been a busy time listening to and learning from the agencies and the community” United Way board member Carol Nelson said. “I have worked to open the doors to transparency with the community and have received lots of support. The United Way board has been very active in all of this and I would say we are stronger and even more committed now.”

Parker stepped into her new role in late January, about three months after Stevens — who held the position for more than 30 years — resigned amid allegations of financial mishandlings and poor management.

Nelson said she is confident in Parker’s abilities and is looking at the shift in leadership as “an opportunity to look at new ideas and new approaches to help people and the agencies who help others.”

Parker’s arrival was then followed by a press release from Montana West Economic Development (MWED) announcing its director of business development and marketing, Kim Morisaki, would be temporarily assisting in property management of the Gateway Community Center.

The Gateway Community Center, which was brought to fruition by Stevens and is considered United Way’s legacy project, houses two-dozen agencies and is owned by Westside CCC. United Way pays rent to Westside CCC for the building’s offices and conference rooms, but the two entities operate separately.

Morisaki, who will assist the center for up to three months, has been tasked with updating and negotiating lease agreements with Gateway’s nonprofit tenants, ensuring maintenance tasks are addressed and aid in the development of policies and procedures moving forward.

“MWED’s hope is that we can help to create a system that makes it easier for the tenants to serve the community while also creating a strategy to maintain the building inside and out for the long term,” Morisaki said in a prepared statement.

United Way leadership has made it clear in recent months that maintaining the Gateway Center will be a No. 1 priority for the organization. The mission is one that is now shared by Parker, who said it was easy to recognize the center’s value immediately upon her arrival.

“The entire concept of the Gateway Center is amazing. Instead of driving across towns to different agencies, people can just go a few doors down,” Parker said. “I’ve been with other agencies that have wanted to do something similar to this [the center] but just haven’t been able to pull it off.”

Parker, who has worked in the nonprofit arena for the last 12 years, has experience in grant writing and is a self-proclaimed “data geek.” She recently moved to Kalispell from Missouri. After spending multiple summer vacations in the valley, Parker and her family determined they should officially move to the area, saying they were particularly attracted to “how welcoming and supportive the people are.”

Parker applied for and accepted her position months after moving, and while she seems unmoved by the obstacles in front of her, she acknowledges she has her work cut out for her.

“Yes, there are challenges, but I am looking forward to all of those,” Parker said. “I can’t personally speak to the past because I’m brand new to the valley. But I have an open-door policy, so I want to encourage people to come in and talk to us about their concerns and we are happy to address any questions that we can.”

Parker said moving forward, her focus will be maintaining an open line of communication with agencies and the public, and rekindling relationships with affiliated agencies in the valley.

And the beginnings of those efforts are already noticeable. That’s according to the leaders of several agencies in the Gateway Community Center who say so far, they are feeling positive about the changes that are afoot with the center and United Way.

Jamie Campbell, executive director of CASA for Kids of Flathead County, said she has spoken with Morisaki, Parker and Nelson multiple times and has been enthusiastic about her conversations thus far.

“There is a sense they are building transparency and that we are going to be able to trust them,” Campbell said. “Communication is already much improved and it definitely seems like it will continue to be that way.”

Flathead Food Bank Executive Director Jamie Quinn echoed similar thoughts.

“We are really appreciative of the board taking responsibility for the organization’s place in the community and the value they bring to the Flathead and the other counties they serve,” Quinn said. “They have all been a pleasure to work with since the transition both with United Way and at the Gateway Center.”

Quinn and Campbell are among several agency leaders to offer words of support for the changes — a sign the organization’s efforts to rebuild Northwest Montana United Way are not going unnoticed.

AS UNITED Way works to repair its relationships in the community, ongoing litigation involving United Way has been lingering in the background of those efforts. But a lawsuit brought against United Way and Stevens in October 2019 by Two Bears Family Center LLC of Kalispell, is in the process of coming to a close.

According to attorneys on both sides of the case, the parties recently reached a confidential settlement agreement and the case will be dismissed once the appropriate documents are signed. No further details could be provided as the parties are still in the process of finalizing those settlement documents.

Two Bears Family Center, which had been a tenant at the Gateway Community Center, alleged Stevens terminated its agreement with the organization for United Way to act as its fiscal agent abruptly and without substantial reason to do so. The founders of Two Bears, which provides various services to families seeking reunification, said the termination and subsequent ousting of its organization from the center disrupted vital services.

The termination was described by United Way leadership as “a business decision” because Two Bears had been operating at a deficit — a claim that had been a point of contention between the two parties.

Reporter Kianna Gardner may be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com