My First 100 Days: Reflections from Stacy Smallwood, Faith COMPASS Center Executive Director
My first 100 days as Executive Director of the Faith COMPASS Center have been a time of fact-gathering, connection-building, and strategic evaluation. This period has been an invaluable opportunity to immerse myself in the work of the Center, experience the relationships and partnerships that help fuel that work, and start to identify exciting paths forward.
Orientation and Connection
Upon my arrival, I prioritized establishing diverse relationships—with the Center team, the WFU School of Divinity, and our amazing partners. It was humbling and exciting to learn all about the grantmaking, faith and health education initiatives, and capacity-strengthening work being done to support faith communities in combating stigma and promoting healthier narratives regarding HIV in the South. Our team may be small, but it is also mighty!
Center Programming
In only a few short months, I’ve gained the privilege of witnessing firsthand the incredible work of the Center. Some key milestones in our recent efforts to support faith communities include:
- A four-month Summer Learning Collaborative
- Onboarding of a new cohort of 30+ HIV & Faith Ambassadors from across the South
- Awarding of nine grants totaling almost $600,000 to organizations in the South
In addition, one of my most memorable and impactful opportunities thus far was participating in the 2024 Summer Institute, “Re-Storying and Restoring: Theology, Sacred Memory, & Health in the African American Community,” hosted by the Center. Each day, more than 60 members of our extended FCC community came together to do the Sankofa work of invoking sacred memory to find strength and exercise imagination to tell different stories about HIV vulnerability and lived experience. Witnessing the narrative shift from colonized imagination into healing and strength was affirmation that the Faith COMPASS Center is doing innovative and powerful work that deeply resonates with my passion to see lives positively impacted in communities that are too often pushed to the margins, excluded, and exploited.
Partnerships
Building strong collaborative relationships with local and regional organizations is one of my top priorities and has been a cornerstone of my early efforts. My intentional engagement with community and organizational leaders, clinical providers, academic medical centers, and public health departments, provides an opportunity for the authentic growth of relationships essential to the Center’s sustainability, influence, and direct impact.
Looking Ahead: The Way Forward
As I look to the future, my focus shifts towards strategic initiatives that propel the Center forward:
- Expanding research and evaluation capacity
- Enhancing communication with stakeholders
- Establishing new partnerships and nurturing existing partnerships
- Pursuing new and diverse funding opportunities using a syndemic approach
As we continue to support faith communities with the knowledge, tools, and support necessary to enact positive change, I am committed to maintaining an open dialogue, welcoming feedback and suggestions, and journeying alongside the Faith COMPASS Center team and our partners. I am excited about the possibilities ahead and look forward to working to advance the goals of the Faith COMPASS Center.
Best Regards,
Stacy W. Smallwood, PhD, MPH
Executive Director
Faith COMPASS Center
Categories: Compass In The Press, News