Susie Cavanaugh

Nonprofit program coordinator
Lexington, Kentucky

Susie Cavanaugh retired after 30 years as a public school teacher in Lexington, Kentucky, and stepped into a full-time paid role with United Way. She coordinates its Get on Board program and recruits, trains, and places people from underrepresented populations on the boards of nonprofit organizations in her community.

Why I chose this work & why I keep doing it:

And so at the last minute I sent in my application. And then I was called in for an interview and got the job.

I've always been concerned about the lack of economic, social, and political power of underrepresented people....I felt it was something that was so needed in Lexington. It was something that I could do, and something that hadn't been done before in Lexington, and I wanted to be a part of it....It was not by coincidence that this job came across my computer screen. I believe that I was called to the work, that this is what the Lord wants me to do. And that's what drives me in doing my work.

Impact of my work:

There are small victories that we celebrate. For example, we now have 46 people from underrepresented populations who have been placed, or are in the process of being placed, on nonprofit boards that were not very diverse at all. So it's a small victory that we can see. We're not able to see any long-term changes right now. But we're making that difference.

How I maintain the work/life balance:

My daughter is grown and married. She's 33 and she's a psychiatrist who's married to a psychiatrist in Baltimore, Maryland. I'm not married. I do have my church activity and my friends and that just balances out because the hours that I work here are flexible.

So I do get to see my friends and get my housework done. Of course, my church comes first. Serving God comes first. And I'm able to do that. At this stage in life, other than that, there's not a whole lot more that I need.

Role models for the work I'm doing now:

My mother is just such an inspiration for me. When I think about my momma, I can do anything. There are many times when I see things and I think that, "This is going to be a challenge." And I tell myself, "Now listen, Susie, you are the daughter of Nancy Brunette Martin Cavanaugh, you can do this." And that just really makes me go. And my daddy was just a good person. I can remember him packing up bags of coal and taking it to people to help keep them warm.