Madison Wood-Gonzalez
Q: Describe your career journey
Like many, my career journey is an unexpected one. I studied Hospitality and Event Management. After the birth of my daughter, I became a “stay-at-home mom.” I can genuinely say that was the hardest job I’ve ever done. I knew I wanted to work in some degree as I cared for my daughter, so I began building my own party-planning business while she was a few months old. My company allowed me to participate in hundreds of parties, including everything from birthday parties and festivals to events for the IU Health Foundation and the City of Westfield. I learned a lot about the power of networking, branding, and entrepreneurship during that time.
In 2015, I even won an entrepreneurial award from the Entrepreneurship Cohort at Ivy Tech with her business concept. I have always enjoyed “building” things.
In 2016 I had my second child, and like many other women, fell into severe post-partum depression and anxiety. In the midst of this in 2017, I decided to close my party planning business and change course by taking my talents to a non-profit. I accepted a part-time administrative assistant job at Morning Light, where I still am today. Morning Light serves terminally ill individuals without anywhere to live or anyone to care for them in their final stages of life. I knew I wanted to use my event planning skills to help raise money for a good cause, and Morning Light was just that. Through my first few months of Morning Light, I learned so much. Because I was the minute-taker for all the meetings, I really got a full picture of what it took to run an organization. I also realized I had a knack for public relations, communications, and writing. I worked to get our mission featured in the Indy Star, Fox59, The Smiley Morning Show, WRTV, LifeStyle Indy, and more.
In 2018, I won the Storyteller of the Year Award for telling the stories of the hospice patients served at Morning Light. I began writing fundraising articles for publications and public speaking in 2020 and was voted one of the Top 3 Speakers for my talk at the 2020 Raise Conference, a national event fundraising conference. Writing took on personal meaning for me during this time also. I began writing poetry to process my post-partum depression and raise awareness so other women wouldn’t feel so alone in their journeys. I was first published in the Indianapolis Review in 2019 for a piece she wrote called “The Pit.” From there, I wrote and published a best-selling poetry book entitled Dear Mirror. All the while, I worked hard to share and spread the incredible mission of Morning Light. In 2021, I was promoted to Executive Director of the organization. I believe success is a result of showing up with an open mind and heart in every situation. I am always seeking out opportunities to do more than what is expected and try my best to do things with innovation and creativity. I believe that at our core, we are all craving interesting and enjoyable experiences, and I seek to fill that need by creating special and moving experiences for people through storytelling and memorable events. By focusing on the experience of everyone I encounter, I feel I am able to create deeper connections. I firmly believe that at the end of the day, all we want as human beings is to feel connected to something that matters.
Q: What is your current position (title, job function)?
I am the Executive Director at Morning Light Inc., a nonprofit that provides free housing and care for the terminally ill in Indiana at our Abbie Hunt Bryce Home. Because I work for a smaller non-profit, I wear many hats. The most important hat I wear is to lead and inspire members of staff, volunteers, and our Board of Directors. As the face of the organization, is it my job to share our mission with the community through networking, presenting, educating, and fundraising. It is also my responsibility to oversee our financial health, program trajectory, and overall success of the organization.
Q: What projects are you working on / have you worked on with students?
Because my student expressed a talent and interest in administrative work and data analysis, we have decided to have her complete a data assessment for our organization in regard to both fundraising and patient census. Once we have identified clear trends and statistics, we will create easily digestible infographics to share our impact with the community. Infographics will also be used to help our staff understand our strengths and weaknesses in administering our mission. Having this data will improve grant writing, fundraising, marketing, and more!
Q: What do you like about precepting?
I have always enjoyed the opportunity to inspire others by helping them realize their potential and gain confidence. We all rise by lifting each other and if I can play a role in helping someone recognize the strengths in their skills and in their story, I can’t think of a better way to spend a day. This program is unique and outstanding because it also encourages the leader/preceptor to learn alongside the student. I have really enjoyed the Covey Institute and have taken and applied things to my organization that I have learned through this experience as well!
Q: Why do you serve as a preceptor/mentor for MSHM students?
I serve as a preceptor for MSHM students to further a mission of equitable, ethical healthcare. I believe we need strong leaders in the industry that are taught to lead with their hearts as well as their heads. Seeing humans as humans is the most important thing when serving others.