Polly P Heath

Polly Povejsil Heath, a former Washington Post executive who later played a key role in several of the Washingon region’s major non-profit institutions, passed away at home on July 3, 2021, following a long illness. Her beloved husband of 28 years, Washington Post reporter Thomas Heath, was at her side.

An accountant and corporate strategist by training, Heath was valued in Washington’s corporate and non-profit world for her honesty, blunt talk, sound business judgment and ability to execute in challenging environments.

Heath worked at The Washington Post for 17 years, distinguishing herself as a business-side manager and a newsroom executive. She later served more than a decade as chief financial officer at WETA public television station in Arlington, Va. She was chief financial officer at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC before retiring in 2019.

She also served on the Board of CareFirst/BlueCross BlueShield, where she chaired the health insurer’s audit committee for several years.

Outside of work, she was generous and creative with her time and counsel. Her close circle of friends and family, particularly the younger generation in her family, appreciated her wisdom, guidance and the interest she displayed in their lives.

Polly met her future husband in 1989 on a blind date in Georgetown, arranged by a colleague and encouraged by their mutual friend Peggy Schiff. Polly was an executive at The Post at the time, serving in the newsroom under then-Executive Editor Ben Bradlee. Tom was a reporter for the Virginia desk.

They loved each other with uncommon devotion during nearly three decades of marriage.

The Heaths adopted Babe, a yellow Dudley labrador retriever. He rewarded them with years of devoted companionship.

Polly was born April 18, 1954 to Donald and Dorsey Povejsil and grew up the second-oldest of five children in Pittsburgh. Her father was a Westinghouse executive, and her mother was a homemaker and volunteer.

From an early age, Polly’s life centered on family, friends, work and books. She was an avid reader all her life after being coached by her older sister, Alice, starting at age 3.

Polly was known to friends and family for her independent spirit, as well as a gifted mind and kind heart.

The product of a childhood that emphasized independence and personal responsibility, Polly was a young woman when she began riding the bus from the Pittsburgh suburbs into the city. She was a fixture at the Carnegie Library and at the adjacent Carnegie Museum, which nurtured her love of books and ideas, art and design that remained throughout her life.

While her mild-mannered nature caused others to underestimate her, she was a pragmatic feminist before people really knew what that was, committed to getting a good education and doing something important with her life. Nightly family dinners were required and started with her father asking, “What did you do today to make the world a better place in which to live?”

Polly excelled on the Taylor Allderdice high school debate team, coolly deflecting her opponents’ arguments. In her early teens, she flew unaccompanied to New York City for YWCA teen leadership conferences. Exploring the gritty heart of early-1970’s New York, she developed a knowledge of and life-long love for the city.

She and Tom thereafter made frequent trips to Manhattan to enjoy the culture and food. They lived at Columbia University in New York in 2001-2002 while Tom was a graduate school fellow.

Polly was impatient. She left high school after her junior year to attend Brown University and earn a degree in economics and public policy in 1975. After considering a career as an analyst with the CIA, she entered a PriceWaterhouse program that trained liberal arts majors as accountants and managers. Despite a non-accounting background, Polly passed the CPA exam and maintained an active license through rigorous annual professional education.

A casual lunch meeting with Bruce Henderson, founder of the corporate strategy powerhouse Boston Consulting Group, led to a job as BCG’s first non-MBA consultant. When she asked why she earned less than other consultants, she was told it was because she did not hold an MBA. So she attended Harvard Business School, obtained her MBA and returned to BCG. Obstacles were challenges that strengthened Polly’s resolve to get beyond them.

While at Harvard, Polly met then-Washington Post publisher Donald Graham at a business school recruiting reception. The meeting ignited a desire to work in media and at “mission-driven” organizations that lasted throughout her life.

She later joined The Post, forging new roles and taking on tasks that helped the paper navigate the rapidly evolving media landscape. Very early on she recognized the power of the World Wide Web to change the newspaper business, and she pushed The Post to be more aggressive in developing digital capacity and products. A number of her colleagues believe she helped take the Post to places that it would not have gone without her brave and visionary leadership.

As Assistant Managing Editor of the Washington Post newsroom, she managed the budgets, modernized the IT systems, and encouraged business discipline that emphasized devoting resources to news gathering. She even discontinued the practice of allowing male Post journalists to expense tuxedo rentals - a benefit that had not been extended to women for their dresses.

One tricky and visible decision involved the streamlining of The popular Washington Post Comics page by removing several moribund comic strips, including Gasoline Alley and Mark Trail—much to the outrage of a small-but-mighty group of followers.

Polly’s large and loving family meant the world to her—and she to them.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her beloved siblings Alice Povejsil, Katie Povejsil (Bill Scull) and Jim Povejsil (Carmen). She was predeceased by her youngest brother, John Povejsil (Sue Campbell).

She is also survived by nine adored nieces and nephews: Ben Ziegler, Phoebe Kelley (David), Polly Von Dollen (John), Tyler Scull, Elise Povejsil, Alex Povejsil, Bruno Povejsil, Max Povejsil and Nora Povejsil.

Throughout her beautiful and productive life, she was a true rock for her husband, her family, friends and colleagues. Her remarkable wisdom, wry humor and generous love will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to So Others Might Eat of Washington, D.C. at www.some.org or to the Francis House hospice in Syracuse, NY at www.francishouseny.org.