Headwaters Foundation for Justice Announces Bilal Alkatout as Interim Executive Director
Bilal Alkatout, the new Interim Executive Director at Headwaters Foundation for Justice
As Interim Executive Director, Bilal will promote sustainability for Headwaters staff and provide additional capacity as we bring on new staff and continue to explore organizational structure and shared leadership models. He will be responsible for ensuring organizational stability for programs and operations as Headwaters continues our organizational development work. We are excited to continue collectively writing our next chapter together and to take this step forward in that journey!
Headwaters Foundation for Justice is thrilled to announce Bilal Alkatout as our Interim Executive Director.
Most recently Bilal was Headwaters’ Director of Program and Grantmaking and has been a key leader in creating stability at Headwaters as we’ve been co-creating our next chapter as an organization. He is an experienced leader with a deep commitment to equity, justice, and integrity. With more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Bilal has a track record of success leading strategic planning, financial management, and board development while centering strong relationships. He’s also been a longtime Headwaters community member having served as a board member, volunteer, fundraiser, and donor.
Get to know Bilal with us!
How did you first get to know Headwaters?
Like many others in our network, I heard about Headwaters through the Giving Project. My sister was in one of the early cohorts. Even beyond that, though, Headwaters always seemed to be a philanthropic leader in the region and I was fortunate to be in its orbit. As a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow at Minnesota Council on Foundations and Program Officer at Bush Foundation, I had the privilege of being the main contact for Headwaters where I learned a great deal about the organization and our values alignment. I continued getting to know Headwaters as a fundraiser and board member before joining as staff. It’s been a long and meaningful relationship.
What excites you about the work ahead?
I’m excited by the opportunity to work with a smart and passionate staff to build something that is even more robust and resilient than we were before. I love taking on a learners mindset, and we can often learn from things that don’t go as predicted. I want to celebrate our staff’s learnings whether they cause us to stay on track or pivot to a new course with our organization’s structure.
How will you support Headwaters in this moment of organizational exploration?
Primarily, I will support the capacity of our staff while we iterate on how we do our work. At our core, we raise funds to support movement through community-led grant making. When our work is strong internally, our work can be at its best in community. I’ll be making sure that staff feels strong and stable so we can keep our focus on that core work.
WHO
Bilal Alkatout, Interim Executive Director at Headwaters Foundation for Justice
WHERE
WHEN
Beginning March 2023
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