Q&A: Former Christine Ann director takes the helm as Oshkosh Area United Way's new CEO. Here's how she hopes to help her hometown
OSHKOSH – Oshkosh Area United Way's new CEO is proudly born and raised in Oshkosh, and her career has kept her close to her hometown.
After graduating with a business degree from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and working in that field, Beth Oswald made the switch to the nonprofit sector, first working with the Advocate Aurora Health Foundation and then as executive director for Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, where she had been for more than six years until August.
In September, she took the reigns as the Oshkosh Area United Way's next CEO and president. Oswald recently sat down with the Oshkosh Northwestern to talk about what she has learned in her career and how she will lead United Way. Some of her answers have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
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You said you found working at nonprofits provided you more passion than your previous work in finance. What aspects of the job spark that passion?
It’s being able to see the impact of people coming together to do something. While I worked in banking, my child, Jonah, needed to have brain surgery, but insurance wasn’t going to pay for it. We just went out and fundraised. Some people didn’t even know our family but were sending checks trying to help.
We were able to pay for the $125,000 surgery thanks to everyone coming together. (Jonah) is now working in the medical field and wants to help others because of the way people helped him. Working for nonprofits brings feel-good stories like that, and makes me feel like I’m using my powers for good.
You spent the last six years working at Christine Ann. What made you feel now was the right time to jump at this opportunity?
There were internal leaders developing and emerging, so it felt like the right time to step aside and let them take over with new, fresh ideas.
Additionally, the opportunity to not ask for money but to give out money was really appealing. Knowing the community, it was a perfect opportunity to work for United Way. I was on the inside of a nonprofit, so I have a better understanding of what nonprofits experience. I think, now, I can do a lot more work to help bring the community together to understand what they do.
Do you think your work at a smaller nonprofit organization will help you better lead United Way?
Yes. I’m now looking at the 10,000-foot view and can see the community funding piece. In terms of grants, I can now tell nonprofits, "Here is how you can enhance your requests. This is why we do the things we do." Before, I’d sometimes feel like ,"Why are they making us do this? Why are they asking us to make these quarterly reports?" That’s because United Way reports to the community what their money is doing to make an impact.
What other experiences did you learn from Christine Ann and what do you hope to bring in your new role?
I always tried to be humble and feel like I’m always learning, but that role humbled me immensely. I always thought I was caring and empathetic, but to see and hear the lived experiences of individuals in the abuse situations, instead of questioning, “Why don’t they leave,” I understand why they don’t. You might hear complaints in a grocery store like, “Why are they using food stamps but have an iPhone?” Some people got an iPhone from Christine Ann, and it’s an emergency phone. It did help me take a step back and come from a leadership perspective, understanding I didn’t know what they experienced. It opened my eyes to another perspective.
It’s Oshkosh Area United Way's 60th year. What is the significance of joining this organization that has served the community for so long?
When people talk about nonprofits in the community, they know Christine Ann, the Boys & Girls Club and United Way. There haven’t been a whole lot of CEOs for the United Way. I’m in this cool camaraderie of leaders that have helped the community.
I’m a townie. I’m proud of it. I love this community, and I am excited to be at the forefront of learning what I can do to help.
Why do you think United Way is an important fixture in the community?
United Way is a very unique situation because we don’t really run programs.
United Way Worldwide says health, finance and youth programs are the three pillars. Each community does listening sessions to find out things specific to Oshkosh: What are the issues, which could be mental health, steps to a living wage and early education.
We know the pandemic caused an issue with education, especially with younger kids. We know there is a gap in reading skills, so we’re funding programs that help bring those reading skills because if you don’t have those by third grade, career readiness and graduation rates drop.
Instead of just focusing on one problem, you focus on issues that intersect in different ways. By funding multiple programs helping kids that are seeing this issues, that's how we help solve them. We connect all the aspects of care.
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What are some goals you want to accomplish in your new role?
I think that messaging and building the collaboration to show the community is in this and we’re a part of it is probably one of my big overarching goals.
I still have a lot of friends at nonprofits who say, "Now that you’re with the United Way, you can tell me what they actually do." I know that is a huge piece, to message to the community the importance of the United Way (and what it does). It feels in the last few years, nonprofits are not as siloed. They are reaching out and collaborating with others, so I’d like to grow that.
What would you want to tell Oshkosh residents?
I want people to reach out to me. The only way I’m going to learn is through listening. Do we need to do different listening sessions for our funding initiatives because things have changed? Should we be looking at different focuses? Reach out and press me on if I can answer your questions. If I can’t, I’ll find out for you. The only way I’m going to learn the needs in the community (is) if people are open and honest.
Contact Bremen Keasey at 920-570-5614 or bkeasey@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Keasinho.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Q&A: Christine Ann's former director to lead Oshkosh Area United Way
