When Jill Severn joined the Family Education & Support Services (FESS) Board in 2024, we knew we were gaining someone with an impressive résumé. What we came to appreciate even more was the heart behind that résumé.
Jill has spent much of her professional life using words to inform, connect, and inspire. Her career has included work as a journalist, columnist, editorial writer, policy analyst, and speechwriter for Washington Governors Booth Gardner and Gary Locke. She has worked with state agencies, served as the Executive Director of the World Affairs Council of Seattle, authored civics materials for the League of Women Voters of Washington, and held a leadership role in communications and community outreach at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
But Jill’s impact on our community cannot be measured by titles or accomplishments alone.
One of the most meaningful examples is her involvement with Camp Quixote, the grassroots effort that eventually became Olympia’s Quixote Village. Jill began volunteering with Camp Quixote in 2008, initially signing up for three-hour Saturday morning shifts.
What started as a volunteer commitment became much bigger.
Jill has reflected on that experience by saying, “I think there’s a way of living where if you just keep your heart open, opportunities to act come to you. I certainly never intended specifically to be an advocate for homeless people; that opportunity just revealed itself to me.”
That sentiment says so much about Jill.
She pays attention. She stays curious. And when an opportunity to make a difference presents itself, she is willing to step forward.
That same spirit was evident during her time on the FESS Board.
Jill brought an incredible depth of experience to the table, particularly her gift for storytelling and communication. She understood that the work happening at FESS deserved to be seen and understood beyond our walls. She wanted people to know about our programs, our staff, the families and individuals we serve, and the many ways our community comes together to support one another.
She helped us find the stories that demonstrated why this work matters. Jill wrote stories that brought the impact of FESS to life, not simply by describing what we do, but by helping others understand why it matters to children, families, and our entire community.
But Jill never approached that work as someone who already had all the answers. She asked questions. She wanted to learn more about our programs, our people, and the needs of our community. She listened to staff and board members and continually looked for ways to better understand the work of FESS and the people we serve.
“Jill was a great asset to have on our board,” said Shelly Willis, CEO of FESS. “She led with curiosity and was always looking for ways to learn more; more about our programs, our staff and culture, and our community as a whole. That is what made her so special. She brought so much to the table from her many impressive experiences over the years, but more importantly, she brought a genuine desire to understand and make a difference.”
Jill also understood that preventing child abuse and strengthening families requires more than the work of one organization. During her time on the board, she joined FESS in conversations with community leaders, including the Mayor of Olympia, Thurston County Commissioners, the Mayor of Tumwater, and the Tumwater City Council. She helped bring attention to the importance of child abuse prevention and the need for community-wide strategies and investment.
She didn’t simply sit around a board table and talk about change. She questioned how we would carry the message into the community. “Jill has been someone I could count on,” said Shelly Willis. “She has supported me both personally and professionally in my role as CEO and board president, and I have always valued her authenticity and honesty. Jill is the kind of person who will tell you what she really thinks, but she does it with thoughtfulness, respect, and a genuine desire to make things better. That kind of trusted relationship is incredibly valuable in nonprofit leadership.”
Jill brought that same integrity to the business of the board. She was thoughtful, engaged, humble and willing to ask difficult questions. She didn’t simply agree for the sake of agreement. She listened, considered the information, and offered her perspective. When she spoke, people knew it came from a place of experience, honesty, and genuine care for the organization.
“That is what makes a board member truly valuable—not simply attending meetings or lending a prestigious name to an organization but becoming someone others can rely on and trust for an honest answer. Jill became that person for FESS.”, said Shelly Willis.
As Jill steps away from the FESS Board to engage in other activities, we are incredibly grateful for the time, talent, perspective, advocacy, and compassion she shared with us, as her contributions have mattered.
Her professional experience may have given her an extraordinary ability to tell a story, but her heart has always been what makes those stories meaningful.
Jill has spent her career and her retirement years finding ways to contribute to journalism and civic engagement, to education, to local news, to people experiencing homelessness, and to the many organizations and community efforts lucky enough to have her involved.
At FESS, we have been fortunate to be one of them.
We will miss Jill around the board table, but we know she won’t be far from the work of making our community a better place. After all, Jill has shown us that sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply keep our hearts open and be willing to step forward when an opportunity to help comes our way.
Thank you, Jill, for sharing your wisdom, your words, your curiosity, your courage, and most of all, your heart with FESS and the community.
Your fingerprints are on this organization in more ways than you may ever know.
