Tai Muldoon on Fostering Leadership and Change at Girls Inc.
Nov 12, 2023
Kevin Shook
What if you could listen to a discussion that could inspire you, teach you about leadership, and offer insights about a unique organization's journey? Join us as we sit down with Tai Muldoon, leader at the helm of Girls Inc., as she unravels her journey, talks about her experiences at Ivy Tech, and shares how Girls Inc. has transformed her life. Tai opens her heart about the challenges of her leadership role, the organization's phenomenal growth, and her vision for Girls Inc.'s future. Hear her share touching narratives about how Girls Inc. has equipped her daughters with vital life skills and the role of community partnerships to effectively serve all youths.
Our riveting conversation takes an interesting turn as Tai lets us in on her favorite local hangouts in Wayne County and her active involvement in the community. Listen to her recount a memorable moment from her community service efforts and offer wise advice to anyone aspiring to make a difference. As our talk winds up, we take a moment to express our gratitude towards experiences that have shaped Tai's views, and how Girls Inc. has been a beacon of support and motivation for her. Expect a lot from this episode, as it embodies the transformation that passion, dedication, and community can bring about, and promises to leave you inspired. So, if you're a part of the Girls Inc. family, or simply looking for some inspiration, you won't want to miss this!
What if you could listen to a discussion that could inspire you, teach you about leadership, and offer insights about a unique organization's journey? Join us as we sit down with Tai Muldoon, leader at the helm of Girls Inc., as she unravels her journey, talks about her experiences at Ivy Tech, and shares how Girls Inc. has transformed her life. Tai opens her heart about the challenges of her leadership role, the organization's phenomenal growth, and her vision for Girls Inc.'s future. Hear her share touching narratives about how Girls Inc. has equipped her daughters with vital life skills and the role of community partnerships to effectively serve all youths.
Our riveting conversation takes an interesting turn as Tai lets us in on her favorite local hangouts in Wayne County and her active involvement in the community. Listen to her recount a memorable moment from her community service efforts and offer wise advice to anyone aspiring to make a difference. As our talk winds up, we take a moment to express our gratitude towards experiences that have shaped Tai's views, and how Girls Inc. has been a beacon of support and motivation for her. Expect a lot from this episode, as it embodies the transformation that passion, dedication, and community can bring about, and promises to leave you inspired. So, if you're a part of the Girls Inc. family, or simply looking for some inspiration, you won't want to miss this!
Welcome back to another episode of our community. This is Alfredo Diamond, and I'm here with a very special guest, Ty Maldoon Girls Inc. Welcome, Ty.
Speaker 2:
Thank you for having me my very first podcast. I'm very excited.
Speaker 1:
I'm so excited to have you. As much as I'm involved in the community and as much as you're involved, it's really nice to finally connect with you. So thank you and welcome for being here.
Speaker 2:
Thanks, I'm glad to be here and get the Diamond Class care.
Speaker 1:
Awesome. So a Actually I'm telling you after this because I get a full scholarship.
Speaker 2:
And I mean this is more like it. It's funny because I moved here around town a couple of years ago and then I don't have enough tutoring and oh yeah, I know you now. You know I love the partialramble that I learned to write to and go in college. I I'll tell you about this future job because you really have born here this first-time. Sure, rosie was aines with four kids. Yeah, she had a cat community so long. And to get to stay here and raise my family here.
Speaker 1:
So what was one of your favorite experiences at Ivy Tech?
Speaker 2:
Oh, as a student or an employee. As a student is probably Steph Hill Alexander. Everybody knows who she is, but she truly made the Ivy Tech experience for me. It was my first college class. It was Taco U. It will take a course on us and through the Ivy Tech Taco U program I actually graduated early from high school with honors and almost a full year of college done. So it was very exciting for me. And then as an employee, just getting to interact with the students that were just like me and trying to have a better future is always an exciting day for me. To be at graduation and see them walk across the stage.
Speaker 1:
Man, we have really similar paths. I started out at Ivy Tech and ended up at IU East, so I mean your path to now girls in Ivy Tech. There's a relationship there, so how kind of share that with us More?
Speaker 2:
stuff. I'll Alexander. I swear she has shaped my future. So I was a girls in girl. When I was younger, my mom needed somewhere for me to go that was not home, with my two older brothers after school and somewhere, and so I started girls in what is the building across from what is now lingual. And then I was the first year at the Becky Rosa Center on 10th Street. I was still a girl and then, when I turned 18, an opportunity presented itself to come back and work for the organization and it was the best decision I ever made. So I got to work there for four years and it was for the best years of my life. I loved working with the girls. I had to had the opportunity to grow our teen program and it just there is something special about girls in and so to start my adult career there really means a lot to me.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, girls Inc has a special place in my heart to. I'm very passionate about girls Inc. One thing about me is and I think I shared this with you when we sat down last week was I can't swim, so I believe it or not, but I'm very thankful because, being a father of two daughters and then things and my daughters can swim, and that was one thing I was really worried about and they learned how to swim from participating at Girls Inc.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I think people don't realize how many lives Girls Inc has changed, and sometimes it's something as small as a swim lesson through, as big as just being a safe place for them to go if home's not safe. So I'm really cool, I'm really excited that we get to share the opportunity you know with your girls at the same opportunity with girls we've got now.
Speaker 1:
So so CEO of Girls Inc.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I cannot believe, somebody gave me that title.
Speaker 1:
How many hats do you actually wear?
Speaker 2:
I feel like a lot, but it is probably one of my favorite hats other than being a mom and a wife here in Wayne County. Just, I get the opportunity to change lives every day and it is the coolest job in the world and I tell people this all the time. But the girls will drain your cup and fill your cup in the same breath and sometimes it doesn't matter what your title is or what you're doing like. You can be the world to those girls or you can be nothing to those girls.
Speaker 1:
I'm sure that makes it exciting. It's something new every day. Oh yeah, what kind of challenges do you have being a CEO at Girls Inc?
Speaker 2:
Balancing everything is always hard. Any nonprofit leader will tell you there's never enough hours in the day, there's never enough dollars in the bank and there's never enough staff on hand. And so trying to figure out how to do everything, you know, I feel like our staff are super women. You know, somewhere they've got an invisible cape on because they make miracles happen with next to nothing. So just you know, balancing all of that is probably the hardest, but I have a fantastic board and I have a fantastic staff that really understand. You know work-life balance and the family comes first, but beyond that, you know making sure the girls have what they need when they need it, and I'm just so excited We've seen a lot of growth in the last year and it's because people have started investing those dollars in the bank those hands on deck to really make a difference.
Speaker 1:
So you talk about growth. Where would you like to see when you think about your career and the company that you represent? Where would you like to see yourself within community in mind in the next five years?
Speaker 2:
I would love to see us serving more girls, more youth and stronger partnerships.
Speaker 2:
We have some great partnerships with other nonprofits and businesses in Wayne County, but we're not going to get better as a community if we're not working together and you and I had that conversation last week but I stand by it that you know we've got food banks that need volunteers, we have youth serving organizations that you know we're doing similar things that can come together to make it even better, and we have kids who are getting nothing in Wayne County and that, to me, is not okay. And so I think in five years you know, if everybody can sit at the table together, if everybody can invest resources together, it's just going to be even better for our kids, and a better community for our kids means a better community in the future.
Speaker 1:
Right, you said something there that stuck out to me. Really. You mentioned partnerships. I'm big on partnerships and though you are, so you think about partnerships. You know who is. What is an organization, what's organization or individual that you have not had a chance to partner with? That you really feel would help the advancement of your organization.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I thought long and hard about that one, because I've really had opportunities to partner with a lot of organizations in our community and a lot of nonprofits. But the area I've not had a chance to partner really are our political friends, not just here locally, but statewide, nationally. That I think, having some conversations with political leaders about how important it is to invest in our kids, how their mental health is vital and giving them quality and safe education, we can change the world if we invest in our kids. So that is one I really think. I really thought long and hard on that and I just kept coming back to you got to have the key players that make the decisions, that make the rules that everybody has to follow, and so I'd like to have a seat at some of those tables.
Speaker 1:
Okay, there it is, let's get her set up here. So you said you've been around here for about 30 years or so Almost Wow. So you're familiar with some of these topics I'm going to bring up here. So a little fun segment here I'm going to just kind of shout out a couple comparable companies or experiences around the community and just kind of share what your favorite one is and in in a while. Okay, so I call this the Roe City Hot and Ready or Cold and Steady segment.
Speaker 2:
Love it.
Speaker 1:
All right, so we've got several parks here. What's kind of partial to you? What's your favorite park?
Speaker 2:
We love going to the reservoir. So I've got two little boys and it's convenient for me because watching the water is restful and peaceful, Gives them plenty to do and they love to be dirty and so you know plenty of opportunities to be outside, to get involved with different things out there. And they're very active little boys, and so running up and down and over the hill and all around really burns energy. So as a mom I appreciate that, and they are also really partial to the Hayes Nature Scape. They love it out there. We just did an event with Hayes and Girls Inc and it was two of the happiest hours and then they came home and took a nap. So again, my mom's heart was very appreciative and I just don't think people realize how many amazing parks we have in Wayne County.
Speaker 1:
Several. So if you had to recommend a place for dinner, what would you recommend?
Speaker 2:
Oh how we were talking about this just before we started.
Speaker 1:
I love to eat. Yeah, I'm already starting to talk about it.
Speaker 2:
So picking one is hard for me. But, man, if you guys have not had the Onus Burger from Five Arch in Centerville, that is my favorite burger here locally. I'm really sorry to all restaurants and we really like going to Ainsley's because it's a nice way to squeeze a date in with the kids. They like to watch the boats and play and my husband and I can have some nice conversations while they're distracted at the table. But, man, I probably have a favor at every restaurant in town because this girl loves food.
Speaker 1:
So I'm getting hungry. To talk about food, we also have several colleges here, so you think about the big ones Erlam, iue, ivy Tech. Which one would you pick, and why?
Speaker 2:
I can't pick one because there's things I love about all of them. And you've got Bethany, you've got Purdue Poly, you got all of them, and so I was an Ivy Tech student and employee. I loved everything that they're doing. I'm an IU grad so of course I'm a little partial to IU too, but some of our employees and girls are Erlamites and Purdue Poly has done a lot of coding programs and things with our girls, and so I can't choose one. I have people, I love all of them and I put every banner on my wallet by good. One last one.
Speaker 1:
So if you think about when you travel away from our community and other places, I know you've probably got a favorite restaurant, favorite store. You're like, oh, I've got to hit this up when I get out of here. So what's one place that you really like that's not in our community that you would like to go? What's one place that you would like to see come?
Speaker 2:
here. That's another hard one, because I feel like we have so many great businesses you know, manufacturing to restaurants but I would love to see more locally owned businesses. That that's really what makes the community successful. You know, I'm the daughter of people that owned a restaurant downtown and put a lot of years in that, and to see the community rally behind places like that really makes me happy, and I would much rather support somebody local than a big chain. So you know, we've heard it all from Target and Macy's and all that, but how cool would it be to have more local things you know, art spaces and I'm just, I can't pick a big box store.
Speaker 2:
But yeah close to us. It'd have to be IKEA, because it's cheap. I feel like all my kids were just from IKEA, that's a great, great response.
Speaker 1:
So can you share a a memorable moment that sticks out to you from your involvement in the community?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it would probably have to be the first couple months after I took the position as Girls in C. Just the community support and the love. I cried in my office so many times the first month just by the cards that I received, the support flowers, people. I remember God of Spears dropped off a tin of cookies and it made me cry because I'm like, oh my gosh, people love that we're here. They're so happy to see the next step in our journey and so that's probably the most memorable. And just to think back all the times that this community has rallied around itself and rallied around everything that we do, just it makes me proud to live here.
Speaker 1:
Yeah Well, I've got a memorable moment from you, and that was a few months ago. I got to witness you accepting an award, so you got an award about three months ago. You want to talk about that?
Speaker 2:
I'm still in shock. I still don't know why they picked me, but I am so incredibly grateful. Yeah, I won the Athena Young Professional Award this past year and it blows my mind because I nominated other women that I just felt exemplified what it means to be in Athena.
Speaker 2:
But it was really impactful for me because some of my girls were in the room and so for them to see what's possible for them really meant a lot, and so it hangs next to my desk to remind me on those hard days like, hey, it's okay, people believed in you. And it was even more remarkable for me because I'd just broken my kneecap. I told you, and so in a knee brace for that event, but it just it blew me away and I'm so grateful for that opportunity.
Speaker 1:
And definitely well deserving and your involvement shows. And what advice would you give someone that was wanting to get more involved in the community? Maybe they're kind of modeling after you. What would you share then? To say, hey, this is where you price to start just to jump right in and get involved?
Speaker 2:
Call me because even if it's not a girls Inc volunteer opportunity, you know I'm glad to make connections for people that everywhere needs support and so just have a conversation with somebody, that's not scary. You know I'm glad to go to coffee with just about anybody and talk about what's going on in Wayne County and help them find the right way to get involved. You know, I think everybody jumps straight to you have to join a board and there's so much more than that. You know I'm part of Richmond Rotary Club and we have food distributions. You know, once a month I'm like two hours out of somebody's day can make a huge difference for somebody else all the way through. You know you can join a board, you can get more involved. So just, you know it's not scary. There's a lot of opportunity here in Wayne County and I'm glad to sit down and help somebody shift through what those options are.
Speaker 1:
How many boards are you on.
Speaker 2:
I just recently came off with my term to Richmond Rotary and now with Girls Inc. That's my only other board currently, but I've looked at.
Speaker 1:
I've looked at a couple.
Speaker 2:
and then I keep going oh, you can't do it all, you really can't do it all Right.
Speaker 1:
So this is kind of a tricky question here. So if you can give our community a letter, grade A through F report card, what grade would you give us and why?
Speaker 2:
A solid B plus, because I think we are a fantastic community. We always have work to do, you know. Yeah, people could be a little more kind, people could take care of their stuff a little bit better, but it just has shown in the last four years that we can rally when we want to and overall, you know, this community is filled with amazing people doing great things. And so you know, I own my part that I could do more, I could be on more boards, I could, you know, invest more in other ways, but you know it's a great place. I have chosen to raise my children here and chosen to work here, so that to me, you know, should say a lot to my investment in our community.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so you've got a, you've got a major project you're working on and there's an event coming up, a major event coming up next Saturday you want to talk about that.
Speaker 2:
I am so excited. I am also very tired because it's coming up. Our signature event is coming up next Friday and we have some amazing women that we will be honoring that night. So we have a strong, smart and bold award, and then a girl of the year and we have a very special project that's going to be unveiled. We have a video including some of our alum, and they will. They will be unveiling that that night and I'm just, I'm so excited because it's already set to be better than last year, and last year was fantastic. So I don't know how we're going to top ourselves, but I'm just stoked and it's sold out in three days. And I almost fell out of my chair.
Speaker 1:
Wow.
Speaker 2:
Three days was just phenomenal for us. So I'm excited to honor all of those women, and especially our girl of the year, that not too many times do they get to be put on a pedestal. Just for them.
Speaker 1:
And I'm excited. This is my first time attending. I'm looking forward to it. I'll be there. So one last question Is there anyone out there, too, that would like to give a shout out to family, friends, co-workers, staff, team members?
Speaker 2:
We'd be here for three more hours if I got to shout out everybody.
Speaker 2:
I loved Definitely just my family, because being a CEO of a nonprofit is a lot of work and a lot of long hours and sacrifices. And so you know my husband God love him. He told me when I told him I was doing this and he said jump with both feet. I'm like, who does that? No questions asked, just yeah, do it, you love it. And just you know my family that have stepped up. You know my mom who gets the boys when we have other things going on, and just my staff and my board. I truly don't think I'd be here and still be standing if it wasn't for them, that they all step up. So I'm just, I'm really blessed to have an amazing group of people around me.
Speaker 1:
Wow, so it's been a great time with you today, thank you and. I appreciate you coming here. I'm so glad I got the nerve to reach out and ask you to come. So I'm excited, glad we connected.
Speaker 2:
I'm not scary, I'm not at all.
Speaker 1:
This has been great, and I just can't thank you enough for being here, so I appreciate it. It's been great so.
Speaker 2:
I appreciate it. Thank you for being here, your welcome.
