Profile: Medley DeLeonibus
Most teens dream about the day when they can break free and move out of their hometown, but for board member Medley DeLeonibus, there was value in staying. Attending McDonogh School in her youth and attaining her undergraduate degree from UMD, the Maryland native now lives in Baltimore County with her husband David and one-year old daughter Dawson (with another one on the way), and has dedicated her career to deepening her Maryland roots.
As the Regional Vice President for Accelerent’s Baltimore market, Medley spends her days connecting Baltimore business leaders with each other and helping to foster relationships between them. Through this position, Medley has been able to work directly with the Special Olympics, Goodwill Industry, and the Baltimore Child Abuse Center. She also serves on the advisory board of Business Volunteers MD, where she graduated with the GIVE class of 2014.
Despite her deep passion for nonprofit work, Medley’s direct involvement with No More Stolen Childhoods did not come until long after she met Wayne Coffey early on in her professional life. “I leaned on him as a mentor and bounced many of my ideas off him,” Medley explains. After following the organization’s progress from a distance, Medley decided that it was time to “up her game.”
To help further integrate her into the nonprofit community, Wayne reconnected Medley with NMSC Executive Director, whom she had connected with at Business Volunteers MD. “Through conversation we realized that there was mutual interest in this mission and the desire to help,” Medley recounts.
In familiarizing herself with the rest of the board and the new, more focused mission of the organization, Medley says that she is most inspired by No More Stolen Childhoods unique mission of providing resources to adults who have been impacted by childhood sexual abuse.
“There’s an educational piece to all of this,” Medley explains. “We have this whole population of people who need help and don’t have resources, and letting them know we are a resource [is so important].”
Just as she is able to create bonds between business leaders, Medley is confident that she will be able to bring further awareness to NMSC’s mission in her ever-expanding professional community. “We’re not going to eliminate [the problem], but we can educate around it.”
With a growing family of her own and a secure network of colleagues, Medley has striven to live by the motto, “You are the company you keep.” As she’s proven, creating change does not always necessitate a radical uprooting of your life. Rather, it’s about cultivating a home you’re proud to live in; where, with others, making a difference is always possible.