After three years (and a few days), today is my last day at Georgia Policy.
In the past three years, I’ve been proud to be part of a team that has championed important policy changes for Georgians, like the implementation of a flat income tax that lets everyday Georgians keep more of their hard-earned money and increased funding for charter schools that will protect educational freedom in the state for generations to come. None of these changes would’ve been possible without the generous support of Georgia Policy’s donors, and it has been a pleasure to work with them to achieve our mission: to improve the lives of Georgians through public policies that improve economic opportunity and freedom.
As I reflect on my past three years, it’s probably a good place to start at the beginning. I graduated from Samford University and was looking for my first job out of school. A good friend recommended that I apply to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation as a fundraiser. I wasn’t sure what a fundraiser was supposed to do, but it sounded good to me. And it let me talk to folks, which I loved to do. Kyle brought me on as a development associate to learn the ropes of fundraising. I quickly learned how passionate the team and donors were about our free-market principles, and it made me want to make a difference by seeing Georgia Policy grow to a point that it hadn’t reached before.
When people ask what I do for work, I don’t just tell them that I work for a think tank. I tell them that I work for an organization that helps individuals achieve their unique American dream by championing policies that give back their freedoms. As I look around the world, I am thankful that organizations such as GPPF exist to defend our freedoms and empower the individual. Without these organizations defending our founding principles, we may also suffer similar fates of citizens in so many fascist and communist countries worldwide. That being said, these organizations would not exist without generous gifts from selfless donors, and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to work with many great philanthropists to help them achieve their philanthropic goals.
Through trial and error, we’ve reached a point where I am happy with our fundraising success, and I know that GPPF will be in good hands once I leave. After three years of stewarding the fundraising for an organization that protects Georgians’ American dream, it’s time for me to achieve my own, unique American dream outside of fundraising.
Last, I want to thank Kyle Wingfield, Georgia Policy’s board members, Georgia Policy’s wonderful team and donors for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to grow as an individual at this organization. While I will be moving to Washington, DC, in the coming months, I will still be around to support Georgia Policy wherever possible. I look forward to seeing what’s next for this organization.
