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Córdoba, Spain (March 2023)

Makiyah Moody, Creative Genius & CEO

 

Daughter of Naomi and Robert Moody, and sister to Ade, Sia, Sy, Mensah, and Issa, Makiyah (mah-key-ah) is anchored by a loving and supportive family.

 

Over the years, Makiyah has lived in Chicago, New Orleans, Córdoba, Spain, and southern New Hampshire. She enjoys global travel adventures, collage, meditating on the beach, whale watching, quality time with nature, restorative mud baths, and her amazing friends. 

 

As a skilled facilitator and governance specialist who helps leaders navigate strategic planning, partnerships, and leadership development, Makiyah pushes organizations to interrogate their worlds in pursuit of deeper impact with an overarching focus on racial equity and capacity building. Her motivation to launch Kairos & Heart stemmed from a pandemic realization that being and doing are different and she wanted to redesign her life.

 

Former clients include The Education Trust-West, Children’s Defense Fund, Supermajority, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, BoardSource, The ALS Association, Greater New Orleans Foundation, Physicians for Reproductive Health, The Funders Network, Outward Bound USA, and The Endowment for Health. 

 

An avid writer, Makiyah has published several books, including: 

  • Recruitment Rhapsody: Harmonizing Boards for Success which provides strategies and tools to build nonprofit boards that excel.

  • From Tension to Transformation: A Board's Guide to Flourishing which focuses on restorative practices to navigate conflict in the boardroom.

  • Ayo Bayo's Adventure is about a playful and curious bee living her best life away from the hive.

  • Ayo Bayo Goes to Italy is about Ayo Bayo's adventures in Rome, Venice, Florence, and Tuscany.

  • Ayo Bayo Goes to Accra is about Ayo Bayo's explorations around the bustling capital of Ghana.

  • Steadfast in Faith: Prayers of Abundance, Thankfulness, and Provision, a 30-day prayer and reflection journal.

Superpowers

  • An intuitive and curious leader recognized for an outstanding track record of cultivating meaningful relationships, forging partnerships, strengthening boards, and executing strategy

  • Committed to collaboration and co-creation

  • Driven to advance equity across all organizational levels

  • Provokes critical reflection and provides a robust challenge to decision making

  • Analytical and discerning, capable of excavating meaning and accelerating purpose-driven organizations into the future

  • Confident in supporting organizations to develop strategies that prioritize racial equity

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Roles Before Kairos & Heart 

  • Bank teller

  • Supermarket cashier

  • Civil rights investigator 

  • Events manager

  • Finance and operations director

  • Development director

  • Executive director

  • Governance initiatives director

  • Creator and Curator, 2018-2021, Black & Bold: Perspectives on Leadership

  • Management consultant to nonprofits and foundations

  • College trustee

 

Learning Journey

  • B.A., Hispanic Studies, Wheaton College (MA)

    • magna cum laude

  • M.A., Humanities, University of Chicago

    • Thesis: Between Massacre and Memory: The Formation of National Identity in the Dominican Republic​

  • Executive Scholar, Center for Nonprofit Management, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management

  • BoardSource Certified Governance Consultant

  • 2017 Pahara Fellow

  • Courageous Conversations - Beyond Diversity Training

“I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am
and where I want to be to inspire me and not terrify me.”  -- Tracee Ellis Ross
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