I come by it honestly. For 50 years my mom was part of a women’s group called the “Walkie Talkies.” You got it, they walked and talked weekly—seeing one another through personal crises, solving the world’s problems and cooking up a good deal of southern-woman mischief. It is no surprise that my response to almost every organizational crisis or transition is, “You want to take a walk?”
In my 15 years at the Maddox Fund, I’ve walked with long-term CEOs and young folx entering the nonprofit space. Walking puts people on an equal footing, creating a safer and more mutual environment for conversation. It also embodies what I believe to be true—we move forward together. ¡Adelante!
Walking also gets us outside, connecting us to nature and its rhythms. In the Spring, I choose Centennial Park, which is full of goslings and protective parents. In the Fall, Shelby Park’s colors make it my go-to place. And any season is perfect for Mill Ridge Park—our newest anchor park, thanks to the support of the Joe C. Davis Foundation and the excellent leadership of Darrell Hawks. The natural environment reminds us that seasons come and go—as do problems—and that our place in creation is both profound and insignificant.
In my final months at Maddox, I’d like say goodbye to everyone personally because you have shaped my life. But the closest I can get is inviting you on a walk–in small groups for cross-pollination and conversation. As appropriate, we might grab a coffee or a beer after our stroll. Recognizing that walking is not for everyone, and even ableist, I’ve included some times at the Maddox office for a bite of lunch.
Use the form to RSVP for one of the sessions. All the dates below are open, but we will keep the groups small so that I can connect with each of you.
I anticipate that, as we stroll together, I’ll say “thank you” a lot. For your inspiration and courageous leadership, thank you. For your boundless compassion and demand that systems be transformed, thank you. For your insistence that Maddox lead toward justice, thank you. For envisioning a more liberatory Middle Tennessee, thank you.
In the months ahead, the Board of Directors of the Maddox Fund will announce the name of our new Executive Director. We hope they will join the team in the 4th quarter of 2024 as I exit at the end of the year. I know the new leader will be motivated by the Middle Tennessee nonprofit community as you welcome the next season of Maddox philanthropy.
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Jen Bailey is the Executive Director of the Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund, bringing her deep experience in community-based leadership, philanthropy, and movement-building to the organization.
Jen is the Founder of Faith Matters Network, a national Womanist-led organization accompanying spiritually-grounded leaders on their journey to heal themselves and their communities. Since its inception, Faith Matters Network has served over 25,000 leaders through its programs and initiatives. She is Co-Founder of The People’s Supper, a global initiative that has hosted over 2,000 gatherings in 135 communities to foster conversation and collective healing across lines of difference.
Committed to advancing social change through philanthropy and nonprofit leadership, Jen serves on the boards of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the Fetzer Institute, and The Healing Trust, where she is the Board Chair.
An Ashoka Fellow, New Pluralist Field Builder, Aspen Ideas Scholar, On Being Fellow, and Truman Scholar, Jen holds degrees from Tufts University and Vanderbilt University Divinity School, where she was awarded the Wilbur F. Tillett Prize for accomplishments in the study of theology. Her work has been featured by On Being with Krista Tippett, CBS This Morning, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more. She is also the author of To My Beloveds: Letters on Faith, Race, Loss, and Radical Hope (Chalice Press, 2021).
