Maddy Clark is responsible for uplifting and strengthening JEI’s work via communications, marketing, programmatic, fundraising and administrative support. Before joining the JEI team, she worked on social impact communications at Metropolitan Group, where she witnessed the potential of voice and narrative to shift culture and strengthen advocacy.
Maddy is committed to building community and sees relationships as a vital tool in bringing about positive social change. She believes strongly in the power of storytelling to influence and impact hearts and minds.
Maddy was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and moved to Portland, Oregon, after a year of teaching English in Bilbao, Spain. In Portland, she teaches a poetry course at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, volunteers at a local animal shelter, enjoys hiking, skiing and scuba diving and is taking full advantage of the bustling food scene. In 2020, she graduated from Bates College with degrees in English and Sociology. She lives with her partner, Max, and two kittens, Pintxo and Otis.
Community, interconnectedness and transformation are at the heart of JEI. Which speaks to you most? Why?
At this moment in time, the value of community speaks most to me. As we slowly emerge from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have come to understand, more than ever, the intrinsic human need for connection and community. I was inspired by all that we were able to accomplish, as individuals and as a society, despite home-office setups and Zoom screens, and I witnessed how our mutual interdependence makes us strong. Community is the heartbeat of change!
What are a few things about you that would surprise other people?
- I’m a certified scuba diver.
- I write my own songs.
- I love weird plants – the lumpier and more misshapen, the better.
What movements for a just economy, past or present, inspire you?
I was inspired by the rise of mutual aid programs in my local communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I saw new coalitions, alliances, student clubs and organizations forming with the sole purpose of re-distributing wealth and resources to community members in need. Embedded in the fabric of each initiative was an honest recognition of power and privilege and an understanding of the necessity of community to build collective resilience.
