At Mission Partners, there’s a very important reason why our company values lead with people, first. Since our first day in business, we have upheld a commitment that Mission Partners is a place where people can thrive, leaders at every level can learn, and teams can advance bold goals, even in their most pivotal and important moments. 

Having this commitment and doing the hard work to advance it might not be for every company, but for us, it’s core. We constantly examine how we run our business to ensure it works for everyone, not just a select few. We seek to regularly improve processes along the way, such as when we updated our sabbatical policy so more people would benefit, ensured paid time off for civic engagement, and provided wellness stipends and company-wide days off during the COVID pandemic. Across operations, we actively prioritize and value each team member’s mental health and well-being, as we do for our clients and extended community. 

Today, we proudly announce the next step in our commitment, which reflects our collective work in fostering a positive and progressive workplace culture: Effective July 1, Mission Partners is formally advancing our commitment to salary transparency and pay parity through internal transparency of company salaries by role, and a values-led core competencies process that is designed to reduce biases often present in annual reviews and salary adjustment policies. The move to salary transparency and pay parity resulted from many months of diligent work across our leadership team, including participation in a national salary survey and research that allowed us to cross-check and adjust our salary bands and positions with other purpose-driven firms across the U.S. 

In addition to salary adjustments that go into effect on July 1, we are thrilled to share the following role adjustments across the firm: 

• Jessica Hassanzadeh moves from Managing Director to Vice President 
• Elena Hilton, Nimra Haroon, and Rachel Ware move from Senior Strategist to Manager 
• Eleni Stamoulis moves from Graphic Designer to Senior Graphic Designer 
• Sadie Lockhart moves from Coordinator to Manager of Community Engagement
• And Kaitlynn Joplin and Kaitlin Quigley move from Coordinator to Strategist 

At Mission Partners, we are just that—mission partners. These adjustments reflect enormous contributions and passion across our team and reinforce the importance of leadership at every level of our operation. 

While we do this work for our people first, we are humbled when we are recognized for the work. Most recently, Mission Partners was among a select few organizations nationwide awarded Mental Health America’s Platinum Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health. This highest-level recognition showcases our dedication to mental health and our commitment to our team and their well-being. 

The journey to achieving the Platinum Bell Seal has been collaborative and focused on continuous improvement. Over the past year, we have worked to make employee mental health benefits more accessible and expansive. The growth of offerings under the employee assistance program (EAP) and easy-to-use search tools for in-network providers are two examples of nuanced but intentional efforts to achieve a Platinum level of support.  Most importantly, we proudly promote an environment where mental health is openly discussed and destigmatized. The team actively builds a culture of well-being and support by encouraging open dialogue and offering mental health resources. 

A workplace that operates through a people-first approach by prioritizing salary transparency, pay parity, mental health, and well-being creates an environment for professional growth and development. This most recent set of changes at Mission Partners reflects the outstanding performance of our team and highlights our commitment to nurturing talent and investing in our team’s future. 

While this is progress forward, it’s not where we will end. We will continue to focus on leading-edge strategies, policies, and benefits that support our team’s mental health and well-being. Because we know that when we’re thriving, so too does our work.