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North Sound ACH

North Sound Accountable Community of Health

Executive Director

North Sound ACH announces incoming CEO

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Arlesia Bailey to succeed Liz Baxter as the organization’s leader on July 1, 2026


After a thoughtful search and interview process, the North Sound Accountable Community of Health (ACH) Board of Directors has selected Arlesia Bailey to be its next Chief Executive Officer. North Sound ACH is a nonprofit organization serving a five-county region in Northwest Washington which supports a diverse array of partners and organizations to meet the health, social, and other needs of community members so they can thrive.

Arlesia Bailey (left) will succeed Liz Baxter on July 1, 2026 at North Sound ACH. 

Arlesia has been part of North Sound ACH’s leadership team since March 2024, when she joined as the Chief Transformation Officer, leading work across the region’s five counties – Snohomish, Skagit, Island, San Juan, and Whatcom – spanning Medicaid waiver implementation, health-related social needs, and care coordination, with a focus on sustainability as conditions change. The Board’s decision reflects confidence in Arlesia’s leadership, deep commitment to health equity, and ability to guide the organization into its next chapter while staying grounded in North Sound ACH’s mission to advance community health and well-being throughout the region. She will officially assume the role of CEO on July 1, 2026.

Our regional partners are facing a tough economic climate along with reductions in public health and social services. Arlesia brings transformational leadership, with 30+ years at the intersection of healthcare, public systems, and community which will serve North Sound ACH and our network of partners well. She understands the importance of relationships among and with partners, especially with the tribes in the North Sound region – those relationships and shared wisdom have shaped North Sound ACH for the last 10 years.  

Prior to joining North Sound ACH, Arlesia served as a senior leader at Seattle Children’s, where she led major health equity investments, including the expansion of primary care into historically under-resourced communities. She is also a co-founder and partner of weAVS Collective, a health equity and social justice consulting firm that supports health systems nationally. Arlesia resides in Seattle and has served on the boards of Wellspring Family Services, Seattle Youth Recreation Foundation, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Seattle.

Arlesia often introduces herself first as “Charley, Geneva, and Marie’s granddaughter.” The stories and lived experiences of her grandparents — all of whom migrated north from the Deep South — profoundly shaped her understanding of community, resilience, and inequity. Their influence continues to guide her commitment to centering community voice, disrupting inequities, and improving health outcomes for all people.

There will be a thoughtful transition between outgoing CEO Liz Baxter and Arlesia, who already have a strong working relationship. “I cannot have imagined a better candidate for this role,” Liz shared. “North Sound ACH and its partners are very special and knowing that the work and relationships are in good hands means so much. We had incredible candidates, and to have Arlesia be the Board’s selection is inspiring. She will lead the organization into its next chapter and I’m excited to see what comes next.” 

“Arlesia brings the experience, relationships, and values-centered leadership needed to guide North Sound ACH into its next chapter,” shared Board Chair Kevin Riley.

The Board and staff also expressed deep appreciation for Liz, the founding CEO of North Sound ACH. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I also want to express our deep gratitude to Liz Baxter for her visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to this organization and region,” said Kevin Riley. “Liz helped build North Sound ACH from the ground up and established a strong foundation rooted in partnership, equity, and community trust. We are grateful for her leadership and for her support in ensuring a thoughtful transition into this next era.”

For more information, please contact us at Communications@NorthSoundACH.org.

Happy New Year

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I was looking back at the last few new year messages and they seem to bring up the same themes – hope, opportunity, challenges, and gratitude. North Sound ACH is entering its 11th year and partnerships with community organizations drive the work we engage with and how we approach our role as opportunities are presented.

We are always grateful for your trust and the aligned commitment you have to improve the lives and well-being of the people in communities across the region. 

For the past month, our team has been supporting efforts in Whatcom and Skagit counties related to flood response, and we offer huge thanks to those on the ground in flood impacted communities.  We made a commitment during COVID, and the 2021 flood response, that we would support the counties and local health jurisdictions during times of crisis like this. There are amazing folks who stand up emergency operations during climate events (flooding, extreme heat, cold weather), disease outbreaks, wildfires, and at other times. North Sound ACH offers to help with organizing the community organization response that surrounds the more formal disaster responders. We have been grateful to the weather that we have not yet had the deep cold of winter, but we know it could come at any time. 

A few years ago our team crafted concepts under a heading of Leading with Love – curiosity, courage, care, compassion, and connection. They help us bridge relationships, even when it’s not easy. It is more than adopting a set of principles though; it requires that we practice them every day, with each other and with our partners. It can help us get unstuck, and open our minds to new ways of viewing what happens around us. 

I try to imagine a country where these five elements were front and center – how differently would we respond to disagreement and conflict? Could curiosity replace fear and presumption? Could compassion take the place of judgement? Could connection help us prevent isolation and siloed thinking? Can we see and interact with each other without presuming the person in front of us intends to inflict harm?

I know we are not alone in being emotionally impacted by the recent deaths in Minnesota, No one should expect that their right to protest will be met with deadly force, especially without consequence. The continued ‘breaking’ into us-versus-them is causing harm to the fabric of communities, but also to the rights that we believe we have – to peacefully protest in the face of injustice. Disagreement in of itself is not a threat; but there is a growing climate across the country that people who protest are un-American, when it is the very essence of what makes – or should make – this country unique.

A colleague’s recent newsletter contained a reminder that none of us can sit on the sidelines. It might seem safer on those sidelines, but I am not safe if I stay behind closed doors and refuse to engage with the conflicts around us. If we stay in our own bubble we are putting the heart of our community and nation at risk. The Vital Conditions for Well-being have Belonging and Civic Muscle at the center. We have the knowledge and power to take care of people around us, and assure that their voices, as well as our own, are heard. It may contain risk, but we all face greater risks when we are silent.  

One of our partners shared a story on social media that pointed to what is possible when we use our civic muscle – seven months ago a person was stopped by multiple ICE agents as they were leaving a landscaping job. They were charged with ‘assault with a deadly weapon’ on four of the ICE agents. After months in federal detention, challenges to the family, expenses to retain counsel and stay in touch, the trial was completed in the past week. While the prosecution brought all eight ICE agents to testify, the defense brought one – a coworker who testified about the person’s role in the community. After five days of evidence, the jury deliberated for 27 minutes and found the person not guilty on all counts. (Seattle King5 news clip)

It does not diminish the harm to the individual who was detained and their family, but looking at national media we know that the outcome could have been much worse. As we begin this new year, I hope that we all continue to look for ways to stand beside each other, to offer support before and when it’s asked for. We will accomplish more together than we can when standing alone. 

I’m often asked about our organization’s commitment to belonging as if the concept is something soft and ‘nice.’ A commitment to belonging is both simple and hard, and the journey is long. But every day someone else joins this journey with us, and that makes all the difference. We stand together in this work. 

Thank you for all you do –

Last Week of October

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At this year’s Washington State Public Health Association conference, I had the honor of being on a panel with two incredibly brave and gracious human beings – Genaro Sanchez, with O.U.R. Journey, and Joseph Hunter, who works with a partner ACH, Thriving Together North Central Washington, where they shared their stories about what reentry and healing look like, and how often we put community members in one single box, and never let them emerge and grow. A farmworker is one box, but we don’t often think of them as leaders, business owners, and influencers. For Genaro and Joseph, they shared their lived experience in the systems of incarceration and addiction AND showed their journey of healing. Their ‘lived experience’ spans much further than one box – both are organizational leaders, mentors, trainers, board members, students, parents, and so much more. Sharing space with them provided me hope and sustenance which allowed me to prepare for the next day and the day after that. Feeling so much gratitude. 

As we head deep into the fall, many in the community are awaiting the next announcement about cutbacks, shutdowns, reduced benefits, and additional requirements for limited services. North Sound ACH is meeting with leaders across the region who work in spaces around food, especially after recent announcements that SNAP benefits will not be paid in November. We are preparing scenarios for our board’s budget decisions, trying to find ways that we can leverage any discretionary funds that we hold – asking where can we best be of help? In thinking of a possible January Convening, one possibility is to have it be focused around the question we pose often – who is looking for help, and who can step in and be of help? Because at the end of the day, it is most often communities that step in to help others in the community. 

Human beings hold many truths at one time, and it can be incredibly exhausting. For example, I want my family to be happy and healthy, and I am angry for what the future might hold for them. I want to enjoy the change of seasons, and I am so concerned about those who are in unstable housing, and how budget changes will only increase their vulnerability. I have hope for our future, not because of who might be elected, but because of you and the work you do, even when your own positions might be threatened with reductions and cutbacks. We see you and hear your voices. 

As you look to each other – whether in your own organizations or out in the community – know that many people are hurting, some which is visible, but often it is invisible. We/they bring brave faces and smiles forward. Humans have the capacity to hold multiple contradictions in place, and then sometimes one of those contradictions can topple us. Coming from a large family, it could be the birth of a new grandchild on the same day that another family member attempts suicide; another gets married while a cousin overdoses. Both of my parents passed on birthdays of a grandchild, and those young people talk about how the core memory of their birthdays changed. 

We hold a lot, and I ask that as we head into shorter daylight hours and a typically stressful time of year, that we give grace for the burdens we each carry. Be kind, be curious, be courageous, and most of all be present if someone needs us. In April of 2023, there was a New York Times article that stayed with me. It offered a question you could ask if a friend, colleague, or family member was struggling or upset – “do you want to be helped, heard, hugged?” Compassion comes in many forms, and we will need compassion as we fight the tangible and necessary fights to help communities get the food, health care, housing, and other supports that we desperately need. 

Congressman John Lewis is on my mind as well, encouraging us to engage in “good trouble, necessary trouble” to fight for justice, challenge injustice, and stay rooted in nonviolence and peaceful resistance. It is going to take us all to make this a reality, even – or maybe especially – when it is hard. 

Thanks for all you do –   

Stronger Together, This Summer and Beyond

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This past month I went to an event featuring Clyde Ford—an author, software engineer, chiropractor, psychotherapist, and boat captain (wow)—who shared stories about cruising the Inside Passage. On the surface, it was an evening about boating the Northwest waterways, but it was so much more: the history of people of color and sailing, who has a right to be on the water, the assumptions we make about privilege and inclusion, and how we build community.

Bryan Rust from the Community Boating Center and Denice Rochelle from The Bronze Chapter (two Network members!) opened the evening by speaking about expanding opportunities for people of color—of any age or ability—to get out on the water and build connections in this special place we call home.

It was a great reminder for all of us to say yes to the invitations we receive from each other.

On another note, Cynthia Andrews and I traveled to Concord, California, to talk about North Sound with community leaders there. After nearly two years of planning with community, Contra Costa was hosting its first ACH convening and invited us to reflect on what we’ve learned over the past nine years—especially around equity and leading with love. We came away with deep insights and inspiration from them as they embark on their own journey, and as always, it was a joy to share the incredible work you do.

Photos Courtesy of Stacy Wegley

Note: Washington is still the only state with ACHs (nine) covering the entire state, but California has funded 36 so far. This booklet outlines their work, with a map on page 3 showing where those ACHs are located. Washington’s ACHs also have a coalition where all nine regions collaborate to build a fabric of care and connection across the state. The WA Coalition of ACHs has launched a new website where you can explore the regions and our collective work.

Photos Courtesy of Liz Baxter

For the first time since moving north nine years ago, Nance and I visited the Skagit Tulip Festival—which, of course, inspired a flurry of garden cleanup and planting in our own little yard. Our trip came just one week after the ICE raid at Mt. Baker Roofing in Whatcom County. As we wandered the gardens in awe, we couldn’t ignore the knowledge that many of the farm’s workers were showing up under unimaginable stress. They are part of our community—and threats to them are threats to all of us.

We are surrounded by contradictions. Community members being detained and facing deportation. Global conflicts intensifying. Summer heat and wildfires already impacting parts of the country. Even when these issues feel far away, they are deeply local because of the diversity and interconnection within North Sound communities.

We’re also living through a growing backlash against equity and diversity. Some in our communities are at risk of losing jobs, housing, and even safety—facing a rising sentiment that they (we) don’t belong or haven’t earned what we’ve worked for. But we do belong. We are here, in every community.

Please take advantage of time together this summer and beyond. That’s the reason for the ACH and the Collaborative Action Network: to help us connect, see one another, and be seen. These connections are what will carry us through chaotic times and help us build toward the future we imagine.

Outside forces may try to divide us, but we must resist that pressure. We are not just trying to win campaigns—we are fighting for our collective future, and for those who come after us. That’s why we gather. We are stronger together.

CEO Search Launches

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The Seventh Generation Principle is shared by many Native American nations and tribes, which emphasizes the importance of thinking ahead and making decisions that will benefit future generations. North Sound ACH has benefited greatly from learning from the eight tribes in the North Sound, upon whose land we sit and work.

With that in mind, Liz has let us know that it’s time to begin the search for the next CEO for North Sound ACH. There will be opportunities for partner engagement as we launch the search, please see below to learn more about the recruitment and search committee processes. You can view the job description here on our website, and hope that you will share it within your networks. We are working with Diversity Recruiters to manage the search, a firm we worked with in a prior successful search. We anticipate the search process taking approximately six months.

I want to thank Liz for the thoughtful way she is approaching this pivotal transition, and for her extraordinary tenure from the early days with two staff, to where we are today: post pandemic and growing with a new Medicaid waiver. Liz continues to advocate for a stronger network of regional partners, working together to innovate in their work today, in ways that result in a transformed region for the next generation and beyond.

– Cheryl Rasar
Board Chair

“It is such an honor to shepherd the work of North Sound ACH and its partners, leveraging resources to strengthen the work across the region. Over the next six months, I’m looking forward to helping the board identify an incredible leader ready to carry this work and grow opportunities to make this a region where all feel they belong.”

– Liz Baxter

There are a few ways that you can participate in the search for the North Sound ACH CEO.

  • Read updates in newsletters and emails, and share the job posting within your personal and professional networks. Investment of time = 3 hours
  • Respond to online surveys regarding interview process design options and creation of sample interview questions. Investment of time = 3 hours
  • Participate on an interview panel. This will require consistent commitment to prep sessions, debrief sessions, and the interview sessions, which will be virtual and in-person. Investment of time = 8-10 hours
  • Participate on the formal search committee. This will require commitment to attend roughly 10 meetings (primarily virtual) over the course of late November – early April. The tasks that the committee will engage in are as follows: design interview process, review top six candidate profiles and select who will be invited to interview, participate in 1-3 round of interviews. Investment of time = minimum of 20 hours, not to exceed 40 hours over four months. 

If you would like to learn more about these opportunities or want to be considered for the search committee or interview panel, please send an email to Nicole Leckband at Diversity Recruiters (nicole@diversityrecruiters.com). The deadline for consideration is Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

From left, Board Chair Cheryl Rasar, CEO Liz Baxter, CEqO Hallie Pritchett, COO Nicole Willis, and CTO Arlesia Bailey.

Leading with Love 

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I see this phrase a lot now, so maybe it is a new trend emerging. But trends pass, so I’m curious what will stay in the long term. 

I remember when Leading with Love was first discussed with the board in 2022, half expecting that they would say “oh, Liz, isn’t that nice.” Instead it led to one of the richest discussions that year, with board members diving deep to unpack what it meant to them and why it aligned with the culture of North Sound ACH and the work we do in the region. 

We have multiple frameworks that guide our approach. Separately each is critical, but when intertwined they are incredibly powerful – honoring tribal sovereignty, advancing equity, using targeted universalism, centering belonging, using the vital conditions for health and well-being, and leading with love. It is the last one – love – that is on my mind this month. 

Leading with love can sound soft or even passive – a ‘nice to have’ concept when you’re sitting singing songs around a campfire. But it takes commitment to embed and use love every day. Especially when things are hard, confusing, or we feel like we, or someone we care about, is under attack (whether real or perceived). Our innate human tendency is to defend, counter-attack, and to look to active allies for protection. 

Embedding the notion of ‘leading with love’ emerged from listening to a podcast featuring john powell about grief. What I took away was this: you cannot grieve without love and you cannot get to belonging without love. The next week, we had our first draft of five principles – compassion, care, community, courage, and curiosity. But we recognized that it would be easier to lead in this way when in a room of like-minded people who are enjoying each other’s company. We would be tested when things got difficult. That is when we know whether we took the principles seriously or not, and were willing to spend time on them when pushed. 

Love is intentional, a choice we make, and it takes just as much work to embed as any best practice or new tool. We can lead with suspicion, or fear, or anger, or our own past experiences. And we can choose to lead with love even when those other emotions or experiences want to crowd out love. That is the opportunity we have within our network and within our own relationships. How do I want others to act toward me if they hear a rumor, a story, someone’s challenging experience with me? 

My mom had a phrase that she used when we were growing up – ‘there but for the grace of God.’ She didn’t say it in a religious way, but in recognition that any one of us could be that person on the news, the person being arrested, the person who lost their apartment, was facing illness without insurance, etc. Coming from a very large family there was always something going on with someone. We didn’t distance ourselves from hard times, we circled around the person and made sure they did not feel isolated, but instead surrounded by love.

We have colleagues, partners in the Network, who we hear things about, and when we do we reach out to them hoping to hear from them firsthand what they are experiencing, and offer support where we can. I’m probably not surprising you, not all Network partners support the open nature of the Collaborative Action Network. People know things about organizations, practices and people in personal ways that our team may or may not. The door to the Network is broadly open, and we think that those who stay in the Network do so because of the opportunity to build relationships, meet new partners and collaborate on work. 

We ask everyone in the Network to commit to the same things. Their actions will show how they embrace and embed those commitments. But we get asked “how do you hold members of the network accountable?” The truth is that we don’t have accountability measures. The Network is an opportunity for transformative change. North Sound ACH helps facilitate those opportunities, but assessing and measuring partners in their commitments happens when an organization is selected by the Review Committee for capacity building dollars. Then we have a role in assessment, monitoring, and reporting. 

The past month has been challenging for many to watch polarization around a partner organization play out in the media. It has caused pain and heartache. And it has allowed staff and partners to step in and lead with love. Not judgment, but compassion. Not assumption, but curiosity. Not shunning, but care and community. And that takes courage when others expect you to do one thing only. 

The past 10 days have also been nourishing when it was most needed. Infusions of energy helped sustain the weary days. Some examples to share:

  • – Being present for the launch of the Setting Sun Institute was inspiring and generated so much hope, not only for the future, but for now. Young leaders stepping into leadership roles, guiding us to a future that they co-design was incredibly powerful to witness. (see their release down below!)
  • – Alongside was an event hosted by Children of the Setting Sun at the Paramount Theater in Seattle – Netse Mot: One People Gathering. All I could think was how I wanted more of this! If you were not able to attend, you can watch the recording here. 
  • – Our colleagues at Thriving Together North Central Washington held their first partner convening, and invited Cynthia Andrews and I to be on a panel to talk about the North Sound experience. Being in space as they launched their journey was so powerful and we learned a lot from them throughout the day. Having space that allows collaborative discussion is a courageous thing to do, and the richness of dialogue and desire to work together around the Vital Conditions was amazing to experience. 
  • – And lastly, last night Nanc and I went to see a performance of “Come from Away,” a musical retelling of what happened on 9/11 when 38 flights were directed to Gander Newfoundland, a community of about 9,000 people that welcomed 6,800 stranded passengers. Going back to the emotions of 9/11 was hard, but imagining what it would be like for my community to replicate what Gander accomplished – providing shelter, supplies, food, medications, health care needs, in multiple languages – while dealing with their own fears and biases during that traumatic week. I don’t know that I can imagine Bellingham doing that same thing, yet I can hope that we could. 

All told, I’m reminded that most of us can choose whether we lead with fear, suspicion, distrust, or we leave ourselves open to opportunities for connection, humanity, and profound relationships. I hope that we continue to choose the latter, but it requires trust in each other. That is where transformation can occur, and lead us to all communities thriving. The past week of connections came when I most needed them. (I’m sure there is a message from the universe in that somewhere.) I hope you get to be infused with connections like that as well. 

Thanks for being on this journey with us –