When she completed the job of raising her own five children, Maurean Adams stepped into the position of helping improve the lives of thousands more – as executive director of the Children and Family Resource Center in Hendersonville.   That was 2001 and now, six years later, Adams has:

-  built a successful collaboration that brings three child-serving agencies under one roof with shared administration and services and 27 staff;

-  finished a $2 million capital campaign and overseen construction of a new home for her organization;

-  raised and managed an annual budget of $1.5 million; and

-  “touched the lives of 6,000 children and families per year” through programs that help provide quality, affordable childcare; support parents and teachers; and help ensure children a healthy start before they go to kindergarten.

In October 2007, Adams will help host a community-wide process called United Agenda for Children, bringing together high-tech skills and local citizens to set goals so that children are a priority for Henderson County in the future.

How does she do it?  With lots of hard work and good relationships.  Every step of the way, Adams has stretched herself in the multi-faceted executive director role, using her life experience and resourcefulness to become a highly respected community leader.

Q.    What brought you to this leadership position as executive director of the Children and Family Resource Center?

• I had raised my children here, and done lots of volunteer jobs (serving on boards and as a school helper) as well as been a substitute teacher, an entrepreneur (owned a jewelry design business) and professional tennis instructor (coaching the local high school to more than one championship).  This was a new project and they took a chance on me.  When my children were leaving, I wanted to do more. I wanted a challenge and I wanted to contribute.  I guess I’m an example of “what’s written on the resume isn’t all there is.”  I had substantial people skills, self confidence, and believed that raising children well was the most important thing in life and in our community.
  

Q.    What influenced you early in your life to choose this direction?

• I remember as a child, when we traveled from Florida to New York by car to visit relatives, wherever we stopped, my dad always made us pick up trash.  “You want to leave a place better than you found it” was the message that stuck with me.  My mother and grandmother always volunteered and I began volunteering before I got out of junior high school.  It was part of the way we were taught to live in the world.

Q.    What helped you the most as you learned how to be a nonprofit organization leader?

• I wasn’t afraid to ask.  Whether I needed help in figuring out the finances, or getting board members to invest time in helping me.  I found people who knew what I needed to know.  I went to every training offered at the Community Foundation, then later I went to the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits sessions.  I bought books and tried to shore up wherever I had weaknesses.   The people part of the job was instinctual for me but the organizational part was a real challenge.  When we got a grant from the Melvin R. Lane Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, I was able to learn directly from (fundraising and organizational development guru) Kim Klein.  That was a real turning point for me and our organization.  Then we went for a Kresge Foundation grant for our capital campaign; there were horrific details to figure out.  The process helped me and our organization tremendously, even though they didn’t give us the money. 

Q.    What’s an example of how you’ve grown in your job?

• Last year, we did a total reorganization of our administration.  We have 30 different funding sources, each with a different set of requirements, so we had to get more depth in our finance area.  Then we hired someone to do annual fundraising.  We made the changes in a way that involved everyone – by asking the staff what were our strengths and weaknesses. What came out of it is a very committed management team.  It was selfish on my part, really, because I knew I needed help and if you get people’s involvement, then you have their buy-in.  Now this management team helps make all of our key decisions.
  
  Q. What advice do you have for others who want to be effective leaders of community organizations?

• Surround yourself with the right people.  Don’t be afraid to be wrong, or to ask for help.  You have to believe deeply in the vision you are working for.  It has to come from a real place because you need to impart that vision and passion and need to staff and the community.  That’s what makes nonprofit work different.  There’s so much emphasis now on nonprofits being business-like and we do have lots of rules, outcomes, business plans and personnel manuals.  But we are here because we’re passionate about what we’re trying to do.  I talk with everyone on our staff about the philosophy of possibility and opportunity, about how they must keep their eyes on the bigger goal rather than the difficult board member or the micromanagement problem of the day.  There’s something called the law of attraction.  If you have integrity about the way you present yourself, then you tend to attract that kind of person. 

      I also would suggest to others that they try to     
      find a better balance than I did in those early   
      years.  Try not to work such long hours–it’s      
      going to be there tomorrow.  Your staff  
      absorbs your attitude.  If it’s a healthy
      (attitude), then you have a healthy staff.

Q.    We’ve talked about what you give to the nonprofit sector.  What do you get back in return?

• The sense that I’m leaving the world a better place.  And I’m learning so much!  From how to read a financial statement with ease to being much wiser and better at running an organization.

Q.    Do you have some favorite leadership or management books to recommend?

Too many to name but here are a few suggestions:

• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• Anything written by Kim Klein
• 59-Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Staff and Volunteers Must Know to Secure the Gift by Jerry Panas

Q. What do you do for fun?

• I still love to play tennis or ride bikes with my husband.