'Leading a Therapeutic Centre For Young People' Simon Fulford

Welcoming Simon Fulford, Executive Director at Parrott Creek in Oregon USA to Purposely Podcast where he talks about leadership, community, and making change that lasts.

Parrott Creek supports young people facing tough circumstances, combining therapeutic care with community-based programmes. Simon’s approach is shaped by years of working with youth and families in the UK, New York, and now the Pacific Northwest.

He believes leadership is about staying mission focused when things get hard and making sure purpose shows up in everyday work. The new $29 million residential campus is a major milestone, but Simon says the real test lies in delivering programmes that match the promise of the space.

He also talks about the realities nonprofits face - funding cuts, mergers, and the challenge of holding on to identity through it all. His focus is on keeping Parrott Creek nimble, learning from other sectors, and protecting the relationships and trust that make the work possible. Simon is married with three sons and a dog.

Simon Fulford's Journey in Detail

Living in New York from 1992-2004, Simon co-founded and directed Art Start, an arts-education organization serving socially-excluded youth. Art Start was honored with a President’s Service Award in 1997. During the same time, Simon also worked as a photographer and advocate in the disabled community, a role that brought him regularly to Oregon to work with local partners. Returning to England in 2005 Simon project managed the launch of the National Disability Arts Collection & Archive and joined The Prince’s Trust, one of the UK’s leading youth-serving nonprofits, spending three years as a Regional Director. In 2010 Simon became Chief Executive of Khulisa UK, an arm of Khulisa Social Solutions: South Africa’s leading violence-reduction, youth diversion and restorative justice provider.

Simon moved to Oregon in 2016 as both a freelance criminal justice reform advocate and Executive Director of Diagrama Foundation USA, a chapter of Foundacion Diagrama, Spain’s leading provider of juvenile justice and child welfare services with operations in several European countries.Prior to joining Parrott Creek, Simon spent a year as a senior Program and Policy Analyst for the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA). In this role, Simon led the development of an agency-wide equity framework and definition of an OYA culturally relevant service model. He also co-designed and co-led culture-building initiatives and leadership training for both the exec team and 100+ managers.

Simon was elected to the Restorative Justice Coalition of Oregon’s Coordinating Committee in November 2017 and as its President in 2020. Simon has chaired the Oregon Alliance of Children’s Programs Juvenile Justice Affinity Group since December 2018 and (in his spare time?) is also President of the Sellwood Moreland Improvement League – his local neighborhood association. In all three organizations Simon is actively involved in their diversity, equity and inclusion activities.