Her Story
About Gaye
As Executive Director of Wilson Rides, I oversee all aspects of our nonprofit transportation program that serves older adults 55 and older in Wilson County, Tennessee. We started in February 2021, and our mission has expanded beyond just providing rides to people who are not driving - we now focus on preventing isolation and keeping seniors connected to their family, church, and community through various programs including lunch bunches, Easter and Thanksgiving luncheons, food box deliveries, and support for the Angel Tree program. Before transitioning to nonprofit work, I spent my entire life in sports. I played four sports in high school plus band, went to college on a softball scholarship, and then coached at the high school level, community college, and the University of Florida before working in professional softball with National Pro Fast Pitch, which later became Athletes Unlimited. My inspiration for this career change came from my mom, who is 86, very spry and active, but had outlived her driving abilities. During the 2020 shutdown, while serving as board president for both the Mount Juliet Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Wilson, I saw the need firsthand when a tornado went through our community near a senior living facility. The mayor told me about an opportunity, and after interviews in December 2020 and January 2021, I was hired in February 2021. This role allows me to help people like my mom while making a difference in the community, and I approach it with the same team-oriented mindset I learned in sports - we are one big family, we lift each other up, and we work together to go further than we could alone.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Gaye
01What do you attribute your success to?
I credit my parents for who I am today. My mom taught me early on to volunteer, to give back, and to work hard. Both my parents worked extremely hard and helped put me through college. I was an only child, and we spent a lot of time as a family, which gave me a good upbringing. Being an only child, I was always looking for teammates, sisters and brothers, and that family environment, which shaped the way I went about coaching and how I always had people around me trying to either lift me up or I was trying to lift them up. Just being a good teammate has been one of the biggest things in my life. A lot of doors and opportunities opened up for me through sports, and I had a lot of influential people in my life, mostly through sports. I've always had a soft heart, and I think those values of teamwork, lifting each other up, and treating everyone like family have carried through to how I approach Wilson Rides today - we are one big family, we are teammates, and we help each other.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are teamwork, family, and lifting each other up. I approach Wilson Rides as one big family where we are all teammates who help each other and support one another. I learned early on from my mom to volunteer, give back, and work hard, and I've always had a soft heart. I believe that partnerships are big and that you go a lot further together than you do alone. I try to be in as many places helping others as I can because I know there are gaps that need to be filled, and when you do branch out and help others, it comes back tenfold. I want to make sure people know they're part of a bigger family, especially since a lot of the seniors we serve are by themselves. Staying busy, staying active, and being able to make my own choices about my work and life are also important to me, and I hope to stay healthy so I can continue doing meaningful work as long as it's my choice.
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