Interview with Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director of Global Washington
May 11, 2010
We had the pleasure this month of interviewing Bookda Gheisar, the Executive Director of Global Washington. This dynamic and engaging woman was born and raised in Iran, and moved to the US in 1980. She has lived in Seattle since 1986, and has 22 years of experience working in the non-profit sector in the state of Washington.
Bookda joined Global Washington in the summer of 2008. Before coming to Global Washington, she was Executive Director of the Social Justice Fund (2000-2008). Her work there was dedicated to addressing the root causes of social, economic, and environmental inequities—through strategic grantmaking efforts to community-based organizations in the Northwest. Before this, Bookda was the Executive Director of Cross Cultural Health Care Program (1993-2000) whose mission is to help ensure underserved communities full access to quality health care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.
Between 1995 and 2000 Bookda taught at University of Washington School of Social Work, Antioch University, and Bastyr University as adjunct faculty. In 2007 Bookda received the Bill Grace Leadership Legacy Award from The Center for Ethical Leadership. In 2006, she was recognized by the YWCA and ACT Theater of Seattle in the list of “Seattle Women to Celebrate,” as well as being recognized by Seattle Weekly News, Best of Seattle Edition: Best Grassroots Philanthropist.
How did you earn your first dollar?
When I got to the US, I got my first job ever; working at Burger King for about 6 months.
What do you appreciate about being over 40?
Appreciating my mother and relating to her, and having more compassion than ever before for all mothers.
What or who inspired you to get where you are today?
A loving family, caring friends, a great sister, my fantastic kids, and friends who listened and listened and listened AND listened.
What advice do you have for the under 40 crowd?
No worries. It is all a state of mind and you have a lot of say over it.
What would you still like to achieve?
I would like to go back to school and learn something completely new and super interesting: become an acupuncturist, become a doctor, become a lawyer, OR open a book store with a laundromat in the back and call it “the Brainwash.”
What are you passionate about?
Justice, equity, gender equality, fairness, access to power, questioning authority, and quality public education. The examinination of our own prejudice and fears and movement beyond our comfort level; being a good parent and raising two amazing and joyful daughters devoted to justice.
How do you balance work and life?
It is just not gonna happen!
What book is on your nightstand?
- Three cups of tea
- Stones in to schools
- Three cups of tea for kids
- Half the Sky
- Poetry of Rumi
What is in your iPod?
- Adele
- Leonard Cohen
- Bob Dylan
- 80’s Disco
- Joni Mitchell
- Joan Baez
What other career would you like to try?
What wouldn’t I want to try? Being a Gemini, I think the possibilities are endless and I would love to give it all a try! Become a naturopathic doctor, or a lawyer, or a writer, or a painter, or just hang out on a beach and watch people walk by.
What other person would you like to meet – living or dead?
- Bono
- Rachel Maddow
- Arundhati Roy
- Mary Robinson
What superpower do you want?
- Read people’s minds
- Fly on a broom
- Make money come down from the sky instead of rain
- Twitch my nose and make make my house super clean and shiny
Favorite movie?
I am a movie fanatic and love so many movies. So hard to say what are my most favorite ever but one here are a few:
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Ma Vie en Rose
- The Bicycle Thief
- Persopolis
- Children of Heaven
- The White Balloon
- Waltz with Bashir
- The Lives of Others
- Cinema Paradiso
- Jesus of Montreal
Guilty pleasure?
But I do not believe in “guilty pleasures”. Do we think about it that way because it is so surprising when we take care of ourselves?
I believe in enjoying the things I like to do and not feeling guilty about it and not hiding it.
What is your favorite quote?
Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.
— Martin Luther King, Jr
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
— Albert Einstein
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