On March 2, 2022, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust announced that Romanita Hairston will join the nonprofit foundation as its next Chief Executive Officer. She will officially begin her role in July 2022, stepping in as the foundation’s fifth CEO/executive director since it began in 1975. Steve Moore, the organization’s current CEO will continue to serve in his role until he retires, and the transition takes place.
Hairston currently works as the Global Technical Content Portfolio Director at Microsoft and has served the Pacific Northwest community for 25 years, including 20 years as a senior leader at World Vision.
“We could not be more pleased with or grateful for this outcome,” said Jeff Pinneo, trustee, Murdock Trust in a press release. “Romanita brings a robust leadership profile that is uniquely suited to the mission and work of the Murdock Trust. As a longtime resident of the Pacific Northwest and someone who has devoted more than 25 years of her life to roles that serve the common good of the community, she will be a tremendous asset to the future of the Murdock Trust and to those we partner with and support.”
Founded by the estate of Melvin J. “Jack” Murdock, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust is one of the largest private nonprofit foundations in the state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region. In 2021, the nonprofit awarded more than $110 million in grants.
