PORTSMOUTH – The Foundation for Seacoast Health has hired Blair Demers as their new Chief Executive Officer, replacing Deb Grabowski, the Foundation’s longtime and highly-respected CEO, who is retiring.

Blair, who brings extensive non-profit and grant-making experience to the Foundation, was hired to advance the Foundation’s mission to improve the health and well-being of people on the Seacoast. She will begin her new role on Oct. 15, 2024.

 

Blair has spent her whole career working in the non-profit sector, with professional experience encompassing nonprofit leadership, philanthropic advising, and strategic grantmaking. She currently serves as principal of BLD Impact, a philanthropic consulting firm, and previously spent six years as the executive director of Education for All Children (EFAC).

As chair of the Seacoast Women’s Giving Circle, a grantmaking organization with a mission to improve the quality of life on the Seacoast through collective giving and grassroots action, Blair built and implemented a strategic plan, refined the leadership structure, and raised significant funds. She has a passion for community-based grantmaking on the Seacoast, which will serve her well in her new position.

 

“The Foundation has a great opportunity to continue building trusted partnerships with the regional non-profit sector. In addition to our responsive grantmaking, the new strategic focus areas – mental and behavioral health and caring for older adults – will have a significant impact on biggest, most pervasive issues on the Seacoast,” Blair explained. “We’re granting between $800K and $1M per year, looking at how can we achieve the greatest impact and best meet the needs of our Seacoast communities. I’m excited to learn from people working in these sectors about how we can solve these problems together, convene, envision a way forward, and get more innovative in our grantmaking to support the important work that these organizations are doing.”

 

“I have so much respect for Deb Grabowski and the work she’s done, and I have so much to learn from her. I’m excited to work with her during the transition stage and will be sure to carry her legacy forward in the best way possible,” Blair continued. “I’m also eager to work with the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, a group that’s passionate, engaged, and very knowledgeable. The Foundation is sitting at an important inflection point, and I’ll work with our Board to implement the dynamic new strategic plan and take the Foundation to the next level.”

 

“The Board of Trustees for the Foundation for Seacoast Health is thrilled that Blair Demers has agreed to become the new CEO of the organization. This is an exciting time for the FFSH as we continue to transition to the role of being a regional grant maker, focused on improving the health of residents in the Seacoast area,” said Foundation Board Chair Stu Levenson.

“Blair brings a unique set of qualifications to FFSH. She has an entrepreneurial mindset, deep grantmaking experience, and well-developed skills in strategic planning as well as execution. Her exceptional interpersonal skills will be critical as FFSH continues to build partnerships with nonprofits and other funders throughout the region. But perhaps the most important qualification that Blair brings to this position is empathy. She cares deeply about our community and will work tirelessly to ensure that FFSH resources are maximized to improve the health and well-being of Seacoast area residents.”

 

“The Foundation has been very fortunate to have Deb Grabowski as the CEO for the past 16 years. She is leaving the organization with a strong base from which to move forward. We are all grateful for the positive impact that Deb has had on the organization,” Stu continued. “At the same time, the Trustees are all genuinely excited to have Blair lead the foundation into the future as it continues to evolve and make an even greater impact on our community.”

 

“We had an incredible influx of highly qualified applicants for this very important role, and we went through a lengthy and thorough interview process. Blair rose to the top for our search committee as someone who will not only help us fill the very big shoes of our outgoing CEO Deb Grabowski, but also navigate some new and exciting territory as grant makers and conveners for the health and wellbeing for all Seacoast area residents,” added incoming Foundation Board Chair Jenifer Cannon.

 

Blair has extensive experience serving on the Board of Directors for multiple non-profits, including The Music Hall of Portsmouth, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Regional Advisory Board, The Morse Hill Trust, Seacoast Women’s Giving Circle, Heronfield Academy, and the Clipper Foundation.

 

She holds degrees from Stanford Graduate School of Business, Johns Hopkins University, and Princeton University. In her spare time, she’s a marathon runner, pickleball player, and international traveler, who took her family on a 10-month global sabbatical.

 

About The Foundation for Seacoast Health

 

Established in 1984, the Foundation for Seacoast Health has been a catalyst for positive change on the NH Seacoast. The Foundation’s vision is to create a healthy community for all by championing initiatives that positively influence and enhance the well-being of every resident. Through grant allocation, convening, and collaboration, the Foundation strives to effect meaningful change by amplifying philanthropic efforts and supporting innovative solutions to the health and well-being gaps in our service area. For more information, visit https://www.foundationforseacoasthealth.org.

 

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