Dear John,

In 2007, when Ai-jen and I first met, little did we know then that in the years to come, we would design and launch Caring Across into the campaign it is today. Through the hard won fight to secure minimum wage and overtime protections for care workers in 2013, to our recent policy wins in Hawaii and Washington, to moving the needle through our robust field program and pop culture collaboration, this campaign has truly taken on a life of its own. I couldn’t be prouder of where we are now.

That’s why, even though I am stepping back from day-to-day leadership of Caring Across, I am more confident than ever that our campaign will change the lives of caregivers across the nation — and I am deeply committed to seeing it succeed.

Caring Across Generations is not just a campaign or a workplace. It’s a community of people who care about each other, and who are working to make care more possible for all of us. And care is not just an issue — it’s a journey that so many of us are on together — one that is deeply personal to me.

Every day working on this campaign — while I cared for my parents and raised my daughter — drove home for me how real care is for 43.5 million Americans out there, and how far we have left to go to make care accessible, affordable, and equitable for all. I’m so proud of our team for designing Universal Family Care. In daring to imagine what caregiving Americans deserve — rather than asking them, like so many others have, to cobble together puzzle pieces of services that have never quite fit — we’ve created a visionary yet simple program that acknowledges caregiving as essential, skilled, and meaningful work.

Though endings are hard, there are exciting things on the horizon, both for me and for the campaign. In October, I’ll be starting a new position at the Ford Foundation, leading their new Future of Work(ers) initiative, where I’ll be continuing my mission to center workers and their well-being, which of course includes their ability to care for their families.

And the Caring Across team is evolving too: last week, we welcomed Beth Shipp as our campaign’s first managing director. Beth has spent her career in leadership at a number of nonprofits, focusing on empowering the next generation of social justice leaders, especially women and people of color, in visioning a progressive, equitable future for our nation. Plus, as a caregiver for both of her parents, who live in rural Montana, she understands firsthand the economic and emotional hardships that an inadequate care system can create for families.

Already, I’ve seen how quickly Beth has connected with the team, and how she’s immersed herself in our strategy and work around making Universal Family Care a reality. The care I’ve seen her bring to her conversations and learnings thus far has been phenomenal. The team could not be in better hands moving forward.

At Caring Across, I’ve had the chance to learn and grow with so many of you, and have made partnerships and friendships that will last a lifetime. From the worker organizations where I have my roots, to policy spaces, tech, philanthropy, Hollywood, and states, I’ve felt so welcomed by all of you who recognize how essential supporting caregivers is to create a more caring, just society. Your enthusiasm to jump in and build a more caring future — whether it’s through taking an action with us, sharing your story, making a call to an elected official, or supporting this campaign in countless other ways — has made our work what it is today.

Of course, my deepest gratitude goes out to Ai-jen, who built this vision with me and will set the course as our campaign heads into 2020 and beyond. Her inspiring leadership and ideas will continue to power the campaign in pushing the limits of our current care system into what we know all of us can demand and deserve.

And to the rest of our team — I’ve loved growing and learning with you, and will truly miss hearing your voices, insights, and laughter. There’s no better team than the one there now — so full of talent and commitment to winning Universal Family Care. I can’t wait to see how you develop and build the campaign in its next chapter.

With Love and Care,

Sarita Gupta

A note from the Caring Across Generations Staff:

As Sarita announces her transition, we want to express our deepest gratitude for her seven years of thoughtful leadership and incredible dedication to making this campaign a wonderful place to work, build relationships, and create lasting change for caregivers across the nation.

Sarita’s contributions to Caring Across Generations, and to our mission nationwide, are immeasurable. A fierce and steadfast worker advocate, she has always steered our campaign to address inequities facing working families and low-wage workers, and anchored us in the spirit of listening to the voices of those who are closest to the problems, because they are closest to the solutions. She has also powerfully modeled what it means to build a culture of care, both as a leader fostering connection, and as a caregiver openly sharing how caregiving has impacted her and her family.

Sarita may be leaving our campaign day-to-day, but she will never be far from our collective work. In her new position at the Ford Foundation, she’ll make sure that workers are centered as our economy changes, and lift up the care needs of workers at every stage of life so that they can live, age, and care with dignity.

We are celebrating with Sarita as she heads into her next chapter, and we know we’ll continue to work with her to advocate for caregivers everywhere. As we start this new chapter of Caring Across Generations, led by Ai-jen and guided by our new Managing Director Beth, we are building on Sarita’s enduring leadership that has prepared us for this next phase: making Universal Family Care a reality.

We wish Sarita all the best as she continues to make vital and lasting change for working families across the nation!

With Deep Gratitude,

Ai-jen, Beth, Janet, Josie, Mae, Ben, Susannah, Ishita, Paul, Vanessa, Namatie, Charlotte, and Antonia