At first glance, it’s hard to pinpoint what makes Maggie Young stand out from the crowd. Her dress is traditional. Her makeup is professional and never overdone. Her hair is always appropriate for the occasion. Then it becomes clear: she’s the leader of whatever pack she’s in.
She might be lunching with other ladies, but the conversation is often about business, since she runs her family company. There is a kindness about her, but there’s also a streak of irreverence, even if she only shows it with the closest of friends. This year, the wife of Chris, mother of 5-year-old Finley and president of Southwest EAP, will also serve as president of the Junior League of Little Rock.
The day we met for this interview, she was visiting with the owner of a bakery, Sweet Love. Kelli Marks brought in a handful of customers for informal focus groups to help better serve her quickly growing business. Young was able to sort through information quickly and pull from her own experience to make recommendations to Marks.
“As a business owner, time is one of the most valuable commodities I have, so for any person to be able to carve out some of her personal time and share her knowledge is exceptionally gracious,” says Marks. “For small businesses in particular, owners tend to have to wear many hats, from being a sales person to a marketer, to doing whatever it is your business focuses on – for me, baking. If someone can take a few minutes to help you avoid future pitfalls, their lessons can be invaluable.”
These kinds of interactions are important to Young, personally and professionally. So much so that she’s expanding the concept in the League. “Lots of things in my life were made easier or even possible because people were willing to take the time to help me. It’s only fair I offer that to others,” she explains. “Extending yourself is how communities start.”
Community volunteerism has long been a cornerstone of the Junior League of Little Rock. Young wants to see a multiplier effect of that involvement. Under her leadership, an advocacy committee will be seated for the first time in more than a decade. Members of the League will be present for Little Rock Board of Directors meetings, Pulaski County Quorum Court meetings and during the legislative session at the State Capitol.
“We need to publicly advocate for the needs of women and children,” Young says. “For example, we can help two or three dozen middle school girls through our GROW mentorship program in a year. If we put the weight of more than 1,100 voting, professional, involved women in this community behind an initiative, how many more girls can we help throughout the entire state?”
Young said the League’s advocacy focuses on two areas: nutrition and wellness and school preparedness. These were voted on by the membership based on a survey of community needs and the interest of members.
Jill Hartsfield has served on the Junior League board with Young. She describes Young’s leadership style as calm, effective, organized and thoughtful. “She works really hard. She doesn’t ask more from others than what she is willing to do herself,” says Hartsfield. “She empowers her board members to consider the long-term strategies of the League and how they align with other organizations in our community.”
To make the advocacy most effective, Young sees much more coalition building in the future with other nonprofits and companies in the city. “As more people understand what the League does, the more impact the advocacy has,” she says.
The JLLR, like so many aging institutions, is working to be sure its reputation stays relevant to potential members and the community it serves. Young hopes Little Rock is aware of the intenstive training available for members. “We do events and projects as a way for women to gain budgeting, supervising and planning experience they may not get in their jobs or any other place,” she says. “Then they can take those experiences and advance their own careers to serve a particular cause they care about with the confidence of knowing what they’re doing.”
Since joining the League in 2004, Young has used skills from her professional life in her volunteerism and lessons from the League in her job. The Auburn grad took control of the day-to-day operations of Southwest EAP when her father Dick Dewoody began to have health issues in 2000. The company, founded in 1978, provides counseling services, organizational consulting and training programs to both public and private companies. She took over fully when her father died in 2008.
Finding the balance between her many roles is difficult at times. Young says she and her husband sit down every week and examine how to make the schedule work for their family. “Something always has to give,” she says. “I just try to make sure it’s not the same thing two weeks in a row.”
The most important thing, according to Young, is to be willing to ask for help, take it when it’s needed and give it whenever possible.
UNITING VOICES
Maggie Young hopes the League can build coalitions with other nonprofits to strengthen their advocacy position. Dress and accessories from Dillard’s and Barbara/Jean Ltd. Motorcycle provided by Marcus Boyce.
POWER OF THE PURSE
Under Maggie Young’s leadership, the Junior League of Little Rock will seat an advocacy committee for the first time in more than a decade. Dress and accessories from Dillard’s and Barbara/Jean Ltd.