Having accrued numerous years of experience in the field of nonprofit fundraising and administration, Amanda Mayhew Dealey has remained active as the board of directors for the James Dick Foundation since 1978. Concurrently, she has excelled as the chairperson of KMFA Classical Radio since 2014 and an advisory council member of the University of Texas’ Harry Ransom Center since 2009. In previous years, Ms. Dealey held a myriad of past positions of high leadership with a variety of prominent organizations.
While Ms. Dealey was a former foundation administrator, she primarily worked with two different foundations, one professionally and the other as a volunteer. Professionally, she entailed running leadership for the state of Texas, which was a leadership program that Ann Richards, Sarah Weddington and others started in the early 90s and was a way to help women become better leaders. Additionally, it was also a way to help them establish a network in Texas. Voluntarily, she was the secretary-treasurer and director of the Creekmore and Adele Fath Charitable Foundation.
Before embarking upon her journey through the field of nonprofit administration, Ms. Dealey pursued a formal education at the University of Texas, from which she earned a Bachelor of Arts in art history in 1972. Ms. Dealey concluded her academic efforts at the aforementioned university with a master’s degree in public affairs in 2003. She initially became involved in her profession due to the influence of her parents, both of whom were active community volunteers. In addition to her parents, she has drawn inspiration from various role models, including Dolores Barzune, Jean Andrews and Aida Anderson. In honor of her inimitable contributions to the field, Ms. Dealey was presented with the Tom and Robbie Ausley Leadership Award by Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Inc.
Moreover, Ms. Dealey has served as a member on the board of directors for the Mid-America Arts Alliance and the Planned Parenthood Foundation, an advisory council member of the School of Nursing at the University of Texas, a secretary-treasurer for the Texas Association for Symphony Orchestras, the vice chairperson of the Texas Art Alliance and the president of the Austin Mental Health Association, among many other lauded entities. To remain well-versed in the various intricacies of her profession, she has maintained her membership with various organizations of note, including the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the Texas Philosophical Society and the Texas Lyceum Association, for which she has held the posts of a past president and chairperson. Likewise, Ms. Dealey flourished as the vice president of the Mental Health Association of Texas between 1995 and 1998.
Ms. Dealey became involved in her profession because her parents were both active community volunteers. Her inspiration and motivation are that giving back really feels good. Her favorite part of the profession that she enjoyed the most is hard to say because she wore several hats and she loved everything she did. She really likes innovation and doing things in new ways. She doesn’t like it when people say, “We have always done it that way,” to justify their point. However, she does think that you have to keep re-examining what you’re doing and why you are doing it. The mentors who motivated and inspired Ms. Dealey were Delores Barzune, Jean Andrews and Aida Anderson.