Continuing Success through Succession - Safe States' Next Steps

In this very special episode, host Mighty Fine sat down with Rich Hamburg, Safe States' Executive Director, and Sharon Gilmartin, Safe States' Deputy Director. They discussed the upcoming leadership transition as Rich retires at the end of December 2024 and Sharon takes on the Executive Director role in January 2025. Rich shares some words of wisdom and we hear some future plans from Sharon as the organization prepares for the upcoming changes.

Transcript

Mighty Fine  0:04  
Welcome to the IVP INdepth podcast, a Safe States Alliance production. I'm your host, Mighty Fine, and I'm thrilled to have you here. This is a space where injury and violence prevention professionals come together to share ideas, spark conversation and dive into some of the most pressing topics shaping the field, whether you're here to stay in the loop, find inspiration, or to be part of a community that's about making a difference, you are in the right place. And to kick off, our first episode of the fourth season, that's four I was so thrilled to be able to interview two staff members at Safe States. We have Rich Hamburg, the current Executive Director, and Sharon Gilmartin, the Deputy Director. I had the opportunity to talk with them about Rich's retirement and Sharon taking over the mantle as a new Executive Director of Safe States. Sit back, relax and take a watch and a listen. 

Hey, I'm even more thrilled and excited about this conversation so Rich. I want to start with you and looking back at your tenure as executive director of the Safe States Alliance, knowing that you've done a lot in your short time there, but what are some accomplishments or initiatives that you're most proud of and why, and recognizing that you're leaving in one manner. But I'm curious to know how you plan to stay engaged with Safe States after your retirement. Sure.

Rich Hamburg  1:32  
Well, it's been, you know, it's just been a terrific almost seven years at safe state seems, sometimes seems a lot longer, sometimes seems a lot shorter. But you know, just proud of what we were able to accomplish as an organization, both organizationally, organization growth wise, and an issue wise. I think the first thing that comes to me is the incorporation of health equity into our work, into our strategic plan, leading to elevate the field through an anti racism and health equity lens has really helped guide us over the last many years, including informal activities like creating a safe place to discuss health equity issues amongst our members and our staff, seeking a leadership role externally as an organization, and bringing other health partners together to create a vision and a call to action for health equity and injury and violence prevention. And, you know, I felt strongly early on, and my colleagues did as as well, that, you know, we want to lead, you know, we don't want to follow. And, you know, and you also had to kind of walk the walk as an organization. So first, you know, really looking internally, establishing an anti racism and health equity work group, having literally dozens of conversations on a weekly basis over time at the staff level, just to talk about all the things that were happening, you know, that that we wanted to react to and, you know, just get a feel of where everyone was. So I think that's one key thing a second is, you know, I've always been externally focused and establishing us as more visible in the field of injury and violence prevention, expanding our communications, our outreach to a broader spectrum of of partners, literally 1000s of partners in public health writ large, and injury and violence prevention, identifying opportunities to lead the field through partnerships and thought leadership. And at the same time, have been really pleased to see the growth of our membership, which has grown substantially. Our staffing has grown our resources as and I think, you know, important key that more professionals in a variety of sectors have have, you know, found a home at Safe States. And that's always the best thing that we hear, and we're reminded of it on an annual basis at our annual meetings or annual conferences of just always say it's a family reunion. It's a family reunion. So if nothing else, and those that know me, you know, going to other people's conferences, and I do my best work in the hallways. So you know, if as wonderful as our presentations are, you know, still a lot of what goes on in the hallways. And you know, last thing I'll say is prioritizing advocacy and policy maker education. I mean, the bottom line is, it takes resources we need to raise investments for injury and violence prevention. I'm very proud of our publishing of a blueprint for national injury and violence prevention program and a vision for. A nation free of injury and violence prevention, you know, you know, a formal statement, you know that we promoted, you know, on a grand scale, you know, in the community, with other public health partners, with policy makers, just, you know, having, having, you know, still having to explain why these investments are important, why the work that we're doing is important? And, you know, I think that's, you know, people that know me, you know, my background is, is, you know, is advocacy. And I've just been excited to see our growth, leaving with multiple full time advocacy staff. And you know, we all know there's going to be some some threats to public health moving forward, so you need to be in it to win it, so to speak. And I'm glad that we've made those investments. And have, you know, really engaged our members and partners Absolutely.

Mighty Fine  5:55  
And I can say, as a member of Safe States, and I've been a member for quite some time, the accomplishments and initiatives that you mentioned, it was evident to us out I'll speak for members at this moment, but I think it certainly was evident to us those changes and the shifts that you mentioned. So kudos to you for your leadership in those areas, because it was very visible, visible to us as members and and we appreciated those shifts as well, and thinking about membership and engagement. How are you going to stay engaged with Safe States once you're once you're out of here? How do we keep you locked in?

Rich Hamburg  6:33  
Oh, my, my colleagues, members, partners, they can take this as a positive or negative, but you know, I'll still be around always interested will be, you know, one of our, one of our first retiree members. So I may pop in on a few calls here and there. And, you know, I want to stay engaged. Want to stay engaged on the advocacy side. And I'll give my opinion, you know, and now that they can take it or leave it, that's the only change. And but, you know, I love to see this organizational, organization succeed. It's in great hands to continue to succeed and grow. And you know, I've been a public health advocate for many, many, many years in a variety of of, of areas, and, you know, now totally focused on on injury and violence prevention. But, you know, just want to help my colleagues, you know, see the bigger picture and figure out, you know, the where, where I think, you know our role should be, but those who are those are in leadership positions moving forward, more than ready to find any challenges that come forward, whether or not I put my two cents in,

Mighty Fine  7:55  
Well, I'm sure your two cents will be appreciated, and you mentioned the organization being in good hands, so it's a great way to transition to you Sharon, and ask you first a hearty congratulations to you very well deserved. And thinking about what Rich just shared or just in totality, what aspects of his legacy do you feel inspired to continue or build upon as you assume the role as the executive director of Safe States.

Sharon Gilmartin  8:23  
Well, thank you, Mighty and Rich. I hope you know that you just volunteered yourself to create and lead our retiree SIG. So thank you for that

Mighty Fine  8:33  
A round of applause.

Sharon Gilmartin  8:37  
Yeah, you know, Rich is leaving a legacy, which I think is very inspirational in a couple of different areas, many of which he really just hit on right. He has advocated for a very strong, inclusive community with a culture of vocal support for key issues. And those are things that are very near and dear to my heart. You know, regarding inclusivity, one of the aspects of his work that I'm particularly inspired to build upon is just that commitment to fostering collaborate, collaboration and really creating those spaces where diverse voices are heard. I think Rich truly understands, and I deeply believe that impact comes from bringing people together, rather than fiercely guarding resources, which then honors different perspectives. And you know, that is the beauty that really drives change. So as I'm stepping into the role of Executive Director, I absolutely consider that the foundation of everything. And then I want to expand on that. I want to continue building strong partnerships. I want to amplify additional voices that we haven't yet heard in our field, but of course, make sure that our organization remains. Oh, I hate all the buzz words, but agile is the first one that comes to mind. It's just very responsive to the needs that we're hearing of the community. However you want. Define that, whether that's IVP practitioners, whether that's the folks in the actual communities, whether those are our partner networks, you know, we want to be here and be a part of that. One of the other things that I admire about Rich and will plan to build upon is his focus on empowering the team and really instilling that sense of ownership in the work that we do. This has similarly been a philosophy of mine, and I feel very strongly just how important it is to nurture that spirit of trust and empowerment with the folks that we work with. I mean, we are so fortunate, and I will sing this from the rooftops to have this incredible staff at Safe States making things happen behind the scenes. And then we also have our incredible yes applause for all, and that extends to our members and our partners. I mean, we really have the cream of the crop there, and we have people who are just working so tirelessly to advance the field and cultivate change on a daily basis. So to me, these are our greatest assets, and I intend to just elevate and advocate on their behalf and in conjunction with everybody else, because this is truly one of the greatest strengths that we possess as a field. And I guess that really leads to the other area that Rich mentioned, and I think I mentioned a little bit earlier, which is Rich's legacy, that vocal advocacy and the support, I think we haven't had a year go by where we don't have dozens of pictures of rich on the hill just being an unwavering advocate for all things injury and violence prevention. And I would love to honor that by staying forward thinking and steadfast and just really tireless in that support of IBP, and whether that's on the hill or whether that's with our stakeholders or our partners or beyond. You know, I think the best way to honor his work is by building on it, and I hope to push those boundaries, but so really upholding our values as an organization and just constantly looking for ways to do better for the people that we serve. So there's a lot of good stuff there. It's big shoes to fill.

Mighty Fine  12:09  
I know, I know, but I think you're totally up for the job and thinking about that and building upon his legacy and the foundation that he's added to. What are your plans for your first 100 days?

Sharon Gilmartin  12:28  
Oh, goodness, yes. Well, I hope to host an event at the White House with national press. No, you know, I have had the good fortune to serve this organization for a decade now, and that has given me a deep familiarity with our work and our members and our partners. But I'll say the but there that there is always time to learn, and when you are sitting in different seats, you hear different things. So first and foremost, my priority is definitely going to be to listen, to learn. I really plan to dedicate a significant portion of my time in the first few months to listening and sort of checking those assumptions and dedicating really fresh ears and eyes to things that are seemingly familiar. So I want to hear from as many people as possible. You included mighty you know what? What are our strengths? Where are the areas where we can grow. What opportunities do you see? And really, most importantly, you know, how can Safe States support your work? And what do you need from us? So that certainly means having one on one conversations with whether it's staff members, partners, stakeholders, just to hear about their insights, their experiences. I will be reaching out to many people, but I'll say it here on the podcast, everyone can hold me to it. I welcome anyone's thoughts, and I'm an email away, very much an open virtual door policy. You know, the other area, I would say for certain, is our collaborative relationships. You know, we all know in public health and especially in injury, that collaboration is at the heart of everything that we do, and Safe States has built and grown, right? But so many partners in so many spaces, and you know that carries across the advocacy space and the research realm and different practice settings and different public health topics. I'm a relationship person at heart. So I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with some of the familiar partners, but then also learning about new partners, and really getting to think strategically about how we make the most of our collective resources and energy to move the field forward. And you know, finally, I would be remiss not to note that we are moving into a new political era with our new administration. So one of the things that I really want to prioritize is having my finger on that pulse of the work that our members and partners are doing, so that I have those stories queued up and ready to go as I go to have conversations with our stakeholders and can really represent our field well. I. Uh, you know, with with all the changes taking place, I think there are a lot of ideas swirling about what may or may not happen, and we're not here to hypothesize, but what I will say is that I see an opportunity here. This is an opportunity for us to put a spotlight on the value of our field and how all communities benefit from our work and yes, yeah, I know it sounds bizarre today, but I'm kind of amped up. I'm ready. Like, let's get to work. We're not just, I agree.

Mighty Fine  15:28  
Yeah, it'll be a real test. And to your point about being nimble and flexible and adaptive, I think this so this arable showcase how we're well at how well we're bending and shifting and refocusing, but also galvanizing support for issues that fall under the IVP umbrella. I think

Sharon Gilmartin  15:48  
That's exactly it and I'm glad you showcased exactly the right word, right because we've talked a lot about defending the work of our field, but it's not just defense. We're there, like, let's be out in front and proudly show off the strength of our community, absolutely. So I know that was a long answer, but building relationships, let's get strategic. You know, I think we have a great history behind us, and we have all the opportunity ahead of us,

Mighty Fine  16:17  
Love that  that thinking about opportunity. And you know, I'm a glass half full kind of guy. Silver lining, I like to lean into optimism and asset based thinking. So with that, what's one hope or series of hopes that you both have for Safe States in the future? Sort of the immediate but long term is fine to reflect on that as well. And how do you think this transition of you assuming this new role Sharon will help in supporting any hopes or aspirations that you have for the organization?

Sharon Gilmartin  16:52  
Well, I can go first and then Rich. I would love to hear your thoughts on this too. You know, I think my biggest hope for our future is to continue to create this truly inclusive and collaborative space and really continue to expand that consideration of who and what constitutes IVP. You know, I would love to be in a place where affordable housing advocates and educators are considered prevention practitioners, just as much as our folks who are sitting in state government or local government, where research and practice align seemingly seamlessly, and where we're not just reacting to funding opportunities, but we're really sort of strategically putting together efforts for those upstream factors, and then that can be sustained across funding sources or political priorities, so that, you know, We don't feel as vulnerable. And I think this transition right now is an opportunity to take a step back, reflect on how far we've come in this regard, because we have, we've made a ton of progress in this and that's really exciting, but then we can also thoughtfully grow. You know, I think our members are such models for creating and maintaining these deep connections to the communities that they serve. And so I see the goal of Safe States as to establish and maintain those same types of connections across our own communities, and for us to really serve as the connector, and make sure that the professionals, whether it's a community, a state, or region you know, are working in coordination and where everyone has their own piece of the work, but by fostering these strong relationships between all the different players in a given area, the work is additive, and, you know, just really responsive to the needs. I'll take a break. I have some more thoughts. But Rich, you take 

Mighty Fine  18:34  
Yeah Rich, I'm curious to see as you're going out, but remaining engaged. What are you hopeful for, for the association?

Rich Hamburg  18:44  
Well, you know, definitely the ability to continue to be flexible and mighty. You use my word nimble, nimble, I am fined $1 every time I say that. So there's $1 Sharon. And you know, I think the importance is to adapt to the oft changing, professional, political, technological environment in a way that leads rather than follows. And before saying a couple things about Sharon, I'd be remiss if I didn't you know, double down on on the importance of our staff and our volunteers. We it's just a great staff. I mean, they're so smart and they're prolific, and there you go. And, you know, in my, you know, on the accomplishment side, overall, I didn't even go into detail on just how prolific we have been in our staff has been at putting out recommendations and direction to the field. And it's, it's, it's quite amazing what what we've been publishing the last several years. I think that has you. Geometrically expanded, including, you know, some, some you know, great new thoughts and directions, and then being smart enough to revisit recommendations from decades ago and to look at them through a different lens, sometimes an equity focus, lens, when you know when, when, when we you know, as we move forward, you know, we just, we just need to, you know, really, always, you know, revisit and rethink what we said 1015, years ago. You know, particularly as we set standards for the field and our volunteers are, are terrific. I mean, I, I've, I've been with membership organizations. I spent a lot of time with no members, which is kind of fun, too, in its own way. And and stepping back into this group of of truly engaged fun to work with, always looked at as a strong staff volunteer partnership and and, you know, I've had, we've had wonderful leaders for the organization, but, you know, the board, but also the committee, just the other so called rank and file members that have expertise that we need to call upon. And so I, I would hate not to highlight the importance of our membership, and then Sharon. You know, Sharon's uniquely qualified to be our next leader. She's steeped on how best to maintain our leadership, provide the resources that the field needs, and to lead what is an expanding organization we're multiple times larger than we had been, you know, just a handful of years ago, and that's a good thing, but that's also a burden, because a lot of people depend on us and our staff, our members and now a more diverse set of funders. So, you know, this past year we we took on a lot of programmatic responsibility, and you know, that's been Sharon's, you know, place to definitely shine, and so that's still going to be important, but she'll be able to balance the the inside, outside role of a of an executive director, so, and it's not all about expansion, and it's at this point with you know we need to, we need to accomplish some extensive goals that we have, while these threats to public health and injury and violence prevention, you know, are going to be out there for, you know, the foreseeable future. But hey, we do great things. The field does great things. It's important to everyone's health, life, families and and, you know, and I think over time, more and more policy makers will come to understand just how important the work that we do is

Mighty Fine  23:08  
Absolutely and I it's just again, kudos to the Safe States team, because, as you are you're growing now, but it's a relatively smaller organization. But when you look at the impact and the type of work that you all do. I folks are less familiar with the organization, I think they would be surprised to see how small of a team is that's behind making all these that's

Speaker 1  23:29  
Always the greatest compliment. I did not realize how small you are. That's all, yeah, big smile from both of us.

Mighty Fine  23:37  
Absolutely, absolutely. And you know, change comes with a myriad of of reactions, consequences, etc. And so as you're changing, Sharon, I'm curious, like, what do you and I you've alluded to us throughout the conversation thus far. But what's one thing you're most excited about being in this role?

Sharon Gilmartin  24:02  
You know, I think the thing that I'm most excited about is I mentioned I've been with Safe States for 10 years, and so I have loved the trajectory that we've been on as an organization, and I feel like my fingerprints are on all the different parts of our organization. I'm excited to really get to put my own stamp on things as an executive director, and build on this foundation that Rich has laid. Um, I think my team is sick of me hearing about this. But here's the this idea that I can't get out of my head. And I think I alluded to it earlier, but I just have this idea of this ecosystem, right, this injury and violence prevention ecosystem in which all of our efforts, no matter where we sit, no matter what our roles are, align and they fit into this bigger picture, right? So that within a given jurisdiction, we are this well oiled machine, and I think that this comes with expanding our definition of injury and violence prevention as we look more upstream, as we include more voices. Yes, I think this happens. So one of the things that I really want to do is map out this ecosystem and give us this destination where I want us to head. And that is something that I am very excited to work on. I'm really excited to pull in more partners. You know, I love the conversations that are taking place. Count me in. Count me in. Yeah, okay, well, Mighty, you just volunteered yourself. And that's my favorite kind of activity. Doesn't it sound fun to put it? Does it really?

Mighty Fine  25:30  
Does it really, does. 

Sharon Gilmartin  25:31  
And I think that will help because, you know, we have a lot of people who are either doing injury and violence prevention work who don't associate their work as prevention work, or we have people who are kind of falling into the field, and they don't necessarily understand how what they do contributes to this bigger goal and this bigger picture. So for everybody to it would just be my dream for everybody to come in and understand that this is their home and that they're a part of this. And you know, this is this community that we have. So that is probably the thing I am most jazzed about.

Mighty Fine  26:03  
Okay, I can totally get behind that, for sure. And speaking of you being jazz and being ready and up for the challenge, rich, I'm really curious to hear from you as you're handing over the torch. So to speak, what parting words of wisdom do you have for sharing as she takes on this new role?

Rich Hamburg  26:25  
Well, that's perfect. That's my that's my new role moving forward. Is, is just part, is words of wisdom. So yeah, I'll start now. How much time do we have? So I would say, I would say, continue to grow and diversify our resources to meet the needs of an ever changing field. And AI, there's just so much we need to wrap our hands around so there's short and long term opportunities and challenges. To paraphrase the oft used proverb, I'll butcher it up. There'll be some lemons that are coming our way as we talked earlier. The key is to turn those roadblocks into into lemonade and and, you know, as a cocktail optimist, albeit with a good dose of reality, I know, I know Sharon already is committed to maintaining a similar outlook. You know, being realistic, but you know, forward thinking. And you know, in times like we face now, you know, I do worry that there are organizations or people that that you know, are in, you know, full defense mode. You know, we're good. It's nothing good is going to happen, and we're going to protect what we have. And I don't think that's the, you know, my words of wisdom is, that's not the right approach. You know, we maintain dedication to our mission, to our members. It's, it's the long game, as they say. And, you know, and, and I think the last thing that also people are, people are tired of hearing me say of late is, you know, sometimes when things seem to be the most at at threat or threat the most threatened that you accomplish a lot of good things. It's just the way the world works. When, when, when everything is lining up for you and you're ready for the world to be your oyster. It doesn't always happen. But on the flip side, if you know there's some challenges, you end up being surprised, and so an organization, my final wisdom is, you know, just be prepared for those opportunities that you may not anticipate. And this organization, our members or field, will accomplish great things this year, next year, the next four years, the next 10 years, I'm confident of of that, and I'm confident that Sharon's ready to lead the organization in and take advantage of those opportunities, or creating opportunities that others didn't think existed,

Mighty Fine  29:14  
Absolutely, absolutely. But it's been a pleasure chatting with you both, and obviously I've been in your company previously and always a pleasure to share space with you. And you all know that Safe States is very near and dear to my heart. But before we close out, I want to open the floor to either of you, if there's anything else you would like to share with our listeners about this transition.

Sharon Gilmartin  29:41  
You know, I, first of all Mighty, you have been a dedicated member as long as I've been at safe state, so I imagine longer. So there's probably a legacy membership somewhere along the way for you as well. You know, first of all, just a heartfelt thank you to rich. It's been such a pleasure to work with you. You over these last years, and you have obviously left an indelible mark on the organization and on the membership and on the team, and I'm deeply appreciative for all that you've done for us and for me personally, to thank you for that you know, to our members and our friends, I'd just like to thank you all for the opportunity and for the work that you do, and I would love for you to know that I'm here to serve you I mentioned earlier virtual Open Door anytime. Please reach out just an email or a phone call away, and I look forward to all of the wonderful things that are ahead for our organization and for our field,

Speaker 1  30:44  
Absolutely. And then homage to the recent release of wicked, big secret, I'm going to share the wizard behind the curtain, sharing Bill Martin the wizard behind and in front of the curtain now and and mighty I got to say, I think it was seven years ago when I was considering the position. I was looking at the list of board members I see mighty fine as a board member, I said, that's a that's an organization I can I can work with. It seems like a fun organization, and I'm glad the relationship that we've had and built, and you know, definitely want to stay in touch, and you've done a wonderful job as you know someone in a leadership position for another organization, you know, you're a perfect example of the kind of volunteer leaders that we have with our association and and that's been kind of a wonderful thing of the over The years, where we're looking at leadership for different positions and like, Hey, have to have these people are leaders of other national organizations. I think that's a strong vote of confidence for Safe States that you know everyone's got a day job and significant day jobs and and you know for our volunteers, you know, like yourself and many others to have time to devote to an organization like ours is has been so rewarding over the years, and I know that'll that'll continue. So best of luck to Safe States. Best of luck Sharon, to to Lisa Roth, our president and and I will fill out my my retiree membership.

Mighty Fine  32:26  
I love it. I love it. I think that's a perfect way to end which which you pledging to fill out your retiree membership information. And certainly I, as I said, speaking for the members, being a part of Safe States is, is as equal as the rewarding is is for staff. It certainly is for us volunteers as well, and that's why I've been sort of tapped in for so long. But again, just want to thank you both for your service to injury and violence prevention, obviously, to the Safe States Alliance, and it's been a pleasure talking with you today as always, and I'm sure folks who are listening in found this equally as exciting and engaging. So thank you.

Sharon Gilmartin  33:12  
Thanks, Mighty 

Rich Hamburg  33:13  
Thanks.

Mighty Fine  33:18  
That's a wrap for this episode of IVP in depth, and thanks to you for watching A big thank you also to our sponsor, the American trauma society, for supporting this conversation and their overall commitment to injury and violence prevention. Learn more about the fantastic work that they're doing by checking out their website at www.amtrauma.org and if you're not already a member of Safe States, now is the perfect time to join, be part of a community working to create a safer, healthier community for everyone. Check out our website, Safe states.org for a range of resources, including toolkits, training opportunities and other useful information designed to support your work in the field. And lastly, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss another episode, whether that's Google podcast, Apple or Spotify. And while you're there, leave us a comment and let us know how we're doing. Thanks again for tuning in, and we'll see you next time. But until then, stay safe and injury free. 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai