A Message from our CEO.

When I stepped into the role of CEO in March 2021, I inherited a beautiful and complex organization. OF/BY/FOR ALL was born from a decade of transformative work by Nina Simon and the team at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH). The organization’s model for engaging communities with depth, specificity, and joy remains a model worth replicating, reiterating, and reviving.

During my tenure, OF/BY/FOR ALL had a number of successes worth celebrating, including:

• We guided over 180 organizations from 18 countries through our flagship program, the Change Network. They built healthy, thriving connections with communities that were close to them while improving their internal and external working processes. 

• We piloted the Learning Hive, an 8-week program for professionals of all levels to develop and practice values-based leadership skills, for 14 participants from all corners of the sector.

• We grew from a team of 4 to a team of 8, serving over 1,000 individual participants throughout the life of our programs.

• We doubled our social media presence and published 95 blog posts including “How Do I Take Care of Myself in a Toxic Work Environment”; “A Framework for Action in Response to Moments of Outrage & Crisis”; and, “Trust: A Crucial Element for Building Relationships.”

• We reimagined our values, organizational structure, and working processes to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and morale.

We not only remain proud of what we accomplished but also how we accomplished it by keeping kindness, community, and care at the center.

But the landscape has changed since 2021. The political and economic climate has increased pressure on organizations working in DEI (or adjacent) spaces. Anti-DEI legislation, shifting organizational priorities, and a challenging financial environment have created obstacles to continuing our work at the scale we envisioned. At the same time, we have watched as many other organizations that had previously committed to advancing equity and inclusion found themselves struggling to maintain momentum or honor those commitments. Participation in our programs dropped, funding dried up, and the arguments for actively pursuing this work were ignored or dismissed as new priorities rose to the top. For many, creating more equitable and inclusive working partnerships and processes turned into an optional daydream instead of a critical reality.

Thus, OF/BY/FOR ALL comes to an end.  

During my time as CEO, I’ve been deeply inspired by the commitment of our staff, board, partners, and program participants. Together, we created more inclusive, equitable, and resilient cultural institutions. Even at this closing moment, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished—the relationships we’ve built, the progress we’ve made in shifting organizational cultures, and the ongoing conversations about equity, inclusion, workplaces, and collaboration that we helped spark.

While OF/BY/FOR ALL may no longer exist as an entity, I know that the lessons we’ve learned and the resources we’ve shared will continue to shape the work of many organizations and individuals who remain committed to this vital cause. We are working behind the scenes to develop an OF/BY/FOR ALL archive to support any of you who want to build on what we’ve done. 

If you would like to receive updates about this archive please click the button below and fill out the form.

The fight for equity and inclusion is far from over. I encourage all of you to keep building healthy community connections and to continue creating spaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Our collective journey doesn’t end here—it evolves, it deepens, and it spreads. In a hostile world, offering care and building community are revolutionary acts. Keep doing it.

I want to recognize the current OF/BY/FOR ALL team: Lu Aya, Siena Beacham, Lauren Benetua, Beth Monroe, Vanessa Ramalho, Jana Lynne Umipig, and Andrew Aaron Valdez. This team has continued to bring their best while facing an uncertain future. Anyone would be lucky to work with any one of them and I consider it my great privilege to have worked with all of them at once.

I also want to thank the current OF/BY/FOR ALL Board of Directors: Dr. Antonia Franco, Ellen Moir, Nina Simon, Beck Tench, and G. Craig Vachon. I appreciate the faith and support you’ve offered as we’ve navigated tumultuous times.

If you have questions about the closure or wish to offer your support, please email us at info@ofbyforall.org. We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible and providing clarity during this time.

Thank you once again for everything you have contributed to this work. I remain deeply grateful for your partnership, your passion, and your work in building the beautiful, revolutionary, future.

With deep gratitude and hope,
Courtney Harge
CEO, OF/BY/FOR ALL

Ways to Keep Fighting For Liberation: