Beverly Holland

I think it's not just been one specific person, it's been a lot of people in my life that have kind of shaped the conversation and how I feel about nonprofits and giving back. I was taught, even through my media relations, that relationships are key - that people trust people that are trustworthy. So just making sure that you're always doing what you're going to say and saying what you're going to do, I think, was something that was influenced upon me at a very young age and reinforced by a lot of people in my life. Relationship building was really a big part of my career and the reason why I'm successful. It's about listening to what people actually want so that you're able to help them in a better way.

I think the biggest thing for me that I wish someone had impressed upon me at a young age is just boundaries - making sure that you value yourself and that you take care of yourself as well. I think sometimes in nonprofit, especially when I was very young in my career, I was kind of like, well, if I don't do it, it's not going to get done. But I think the biggest thing is, while it's great to have ambition, it's also really good to learn how to delegate and set boundaries appropriately too, or in the nonprofit world, you will just absolutely drown. You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of other people. Someone told me early on about the airplane method - you have to put on your mask even before you put on your children's mask to be able to help everyone else, and that has really stuck with me, especially as a mom.

I think the economy and what it is, the changing landscape in grants and opportunities, and just trying to figure out what that future looks like moving forward, I think is the biggest challenge that we're all going into right now.

Faith is really important to me - I've been grounded in faith from a very early age through our church involvement. Accountability, integrity, honesty, kindness, compassion, and empathy are all core values for me. Relationship building is critical - making sure that you're listening to what people actually want so that you're able to help them in a better way. Family is extremely important to me. Having kids gave me a lot of perspective and reminded me that it is most important to be there for your family. Being a mom is my most important title. Giving back to the community has always been really required in my family, not just expected.