Shelby Mallory

My journey into the disability field started in high school when I completed a senior project working at a school for individuals with developmental disabilities, helping with their physical education class. That experience led to a summer job as a one-on-one aide for a young man with autism, which really solidified my passion for this population. I earned my degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Bowling Green State University in three years, graduating in 2017. I immediately started an internship at a Center for Independent Living where I developed curriculum from scratch to teach individuals ages 14 to 26 how to gain independence through courses on money management, sex education, employment, IEP advocacy, cooking, nutrition, and personal safety. I expanded that program over five years, partnered with schools, managed state grants, and oversaw all interns while also handling marketing and community outreach. After that, I became an assistant director of a nonprofit where I oversaw eight different programs ranging from prenatal and early childhood services to senior programming and youth recreation. In that role, I increased funding by $200,000, doubled a program size to serve 40 more families, and wore many hats from payroll and HR to even maintenance work. Now I'm back in the developmental disability field as a full-time development professional, focusing on fundraising and grant writing to help reduce our organization's reliance on government funding. I put on three major fundraisers each year, recruit volunteers, handle PR, and love the networking aspect where I can connect organizations and resources together to strengthen our community's support system.