Staff Spotlight: Mary Kathleen Smith

Job title:  Program Operations Director

Years at Make-A-Wish:  10 (time flies!)

Work anniversary date:  October 9, 2012

What’s a typical day look like for you?  I stepped into this new role in August 2022, and while each day may look different, the goal is always to support our program team and mission integration efforts across the chapter!  Some of the recent recurring themes include creating reports and dashboards to support wish management, solving WVC mysteries (budget challenges, best places to document info, etc.) as we continue to transition to this new platform, chatting with families and Wish Granters during the wish discovery phase, partnering with Kim H. and development to pair wish families with donor opportunities, creating and updating SOPs as our processes evolve, and monthly processing of some of our bulk wish in-kind.  I love the variety!

Favorite part of your job:  Without a doubt – the people who make us who we are.  Everyone from our team members (all of you!) that make me laugh and think, our volunteers who give so freely of their time, our vendors and partners that bring wishes to life, and of course our wish families who are constantly showing me new ways to see the world. 

A memorable wish experience:  So many stories over the years (Lego workshops, transporting mini pigs and Labradoodles, exploding watermelons, oh my!), but the one I’ll mention here is from the first wish I granted as a staff member and the moment when I really “got it”.  We had just granted Anton’s wish for a violin (it was so tiny!) and were out to lunch with the family.  It was a relatively simple lunch moment, but right as we were about to start eating, Anton’s Mom started crying.  It was an emotional release at an unexpected time, and she shared how hard it had been to watch everything her son had been through and how joyful it was to see him so happy that day.  It helped me see what an impact our mission has not only on wish kids but also on their support systems. 

Hobbies:  family walks and outings, running, tennis, ping pong, piano, ballet (watching more than doing lately!)…although I’m really out of practice on most of these. Still love them all, though!

Something people might not know about you:  I think I say this every time and need to come up with something new…I love trains!  Which just might work out nicely with a toddler entering his prime train-loving years!