The Thurston County Chamber Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of  Josefina Magaña M.A., PMP, CDMS, as the Director for Thurston Thrives.

Thurston Thrives is the community’s collective health impact organization. “I’m excited to engage in this work,” said Magaña. “The mission of Thurston Thrives is to eliminate health disparities so that optimal health is achieved for all, which aligns with my values and passion. Immigrating to this country as a child and growing up in Lewis County, I know the health challenges and barriers many in our community may face. It motivates me and hopefully others.”

Magaña’s first actions are to reach out to the diverse community providers working to close health equity gaps and improve overall health in Thurston County. She aims to renew efforts to convene and connect providers with shared resources and solutions to better address some of our most pressing community challenges.

According to David Schaffert, Corporate Secretary for the Foundation, “Josefina brings incredible lived experiences and skills to the role of Director.” Magaña has an M.A. in International Relations from the Brussels School of International Studies and a B.A. from Western Washington University. Magaña pioneered bilingual programs in Spain that allowed students to learn English as a second language. More recently, she served as Executive Chair for the Governor’s Washington State Interagency Committee of State Employed Women, improving the lives of state employees through advocacy, outreach, opportunity, and advising the governor on policies that affect state-employed women. She has also worked at the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, keeping Washingtonians safe and working.

In 2020, she joined the Washington Career Development Association (WCDA) as a member-at-large and is currently the president-elect.

As Director, Magaña will convene, coordinate, facilitate and inspire Thurston Thrives’ regional effort. She will drive the initiative’s internal and external functions, including strategy, community engagement, communications, and administration, serving as an ambassador for Thurston Thrives’ mission and vision.

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Thurston Thrives is a community initiative working to eliminate health disparities so that optimal health for all is possible. Our top priority is to close the health equity gap(s) between BIPOC and White residents in Thurston County. Thurston Thrives uses a collective impact framework and action teams organized around the social determinants of health or the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect their health risks and outcomes.

Historically community organizations and members have come together to form action teams in eight areas – Clinical & Emergency Care, Community Design, Education & Resilience, Economy, Environment (including Climate & Clean Energy), Food, Housing, and Public Safety & Justice. As a collaborative network of community partners and leaders, Thurston Thrives aims to create a platform to inform regional policies and develop innovative actions. Thurston Thrives works to align cross-sector efforts for measurable results and ensure Thurston County is a healthy and thriving place to live, work and play for current and future generations.

In 2021 Thurston Thrives aligned with the Thurston County Board of Health to refocus its’ objectives to address social determinants of health and, specifically, to address social determinants of health that disproportionately affect people of color. The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce and its Foundation serve as the backbone organization for the initiative and provide coordination and facilitation for its work. The Thurston Thrives Director will be a staff member of the Thurston County Chamber Foundation, reporting to the President/CEO of the Chamber and accountable for the success of the Thurston Thrives Initiative.