Jon Fisher, Chief Executive Officer
With summer now well underway, I find myself reflecting on how quickly we have reached the midpoint of 2026. This moment in the year invites a chance to acknowledge where we are, what we have navigated together, and where we are headed. For me, that perspective is shaped by my 40-year career that began as a Direct Support Professional, walking alongside people with disabilities as they pursued lives of meaning, purpose, and self-direction.
There is no need to minimize the realities facing our communities. We continue to operate in unsettled conditions, including workforce pressures, funding and regulatory uncertainty, and a broader environment that can make the work feel more complex than it once did.
And yet, servant leadership asks us to hold more than one truth at a time. I have learned that lesson over many years in many roles. To borrow a maritime image, when a crew is working the deck of a ship, every person can look to the horizon and recognize the conditions ahead. The role of the person at the helm is not to stand above the crew, but to serve them: to listen carefully, help navigate the path, provide confidence in the vessel, bring clarity to the course, and earn trust through steady sailing.
That is why I want to say plainly what may not always be visible in the middle of our daily work: Mains’l is in a strong position in turbulent seas. I offer that not as a claim of certainty or self-congratulation, but as a responsibility of leadership—to be honest about the challenges before us while also naming the strengths we can rely on together.
We are supporting more people to live, work, connect, and contribute in ways that matter to them. We are financially solid. Our culture is strong. And the organizational decisions we have made this year, including within leadership, are positioning us well for the next leg of our voyage.
Across our organization, we are reaching more people than ever. Our mission to support people in living lives of meaning and purpose, defined by their own goals, choices, relationships, and communities is advancing in Minnesota, California, across the country, and as far as Zimbabwe.
That kind of growth and meaningful impact does not happen by accident. It happens because of an extraordinary crew.
To guide that next chapter, Senior Leadership is crafting a five-year strategic plan. That plan will serve as our compass as we navigate the seas ahead, keeping us true to our mission, making thoughtful choices, and moving forward together with purpose, clarity, and care.
Each year we participate in the Energage survey. This year, I am humbled to share that your feedback once again helped Mains’l to be recognized as a Top Workplace, both regionally and nationally. More importantly, your feedback helps us listen, learn, and understand how we can better serve one another and the people who count on us.
When I look at this year’s results—the themes, the comments, and the way people described what it feels like to be part of Mains’l—I see strong evidence that we are moving in the right direction.
That emphasis on collaboration, shared values, common goals, and a sense of meaning in the work reflects something I think about often: our culture is built by the people doing the work every day. I know this not only as CEO, but as someone who began in direct support and understands the significance of being invited into another person’s life with respect, humility, and trust. Servant leadership begins there: by recognizing the dignity, strengths, preferences, choices, and self-direction of each person, and by remembering that leadership exists to serve the mission and the people carrying it forward. That is something we will nurture as we grow.
In the months ahead, you will continue to hear more from us—not only from senior leadership, but from crew across the company and across roles—about who we are, what we do, and the culture we have built together. We will share these stories not to boast, but because we are excited to tell the world about the people we support, the families who trust us, and the communities we are part of. As leaders, our responsibility is to lift up the work, amplify/empower the voices of those closest to it, and maintain accountability to the people and communities we serve. In doing so, we can be a steady beacon of light in uncertain conditions.
Thank you for your commitment, your resilience, and the care you bring to this work every day. After 40 years in this field, I remain deeply grateful for the people who choose this work and for the difference you make as you walk alongside people in pursuing the lives they choose for themselves. It is a privilege to serve alongside you.
My Deepest Gratitude,
Jon