Defender of Potential.

These are the words that define Sandy Morales. As the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County and one of the founders of Latino Professional Association of Greater Madison, Sandy has dedicated her life to uplifting others.

With an emphasis on cultivating strong, lasting, and meaningful relationships, Sandy enters each conversation with the goal of creating and maintaining genuine connections. She believes that this method of approach is key to the mentoring relationship, which has been such an important aspect of her life. Perhaps Maya Angelou describes it best by stating, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Mrs. Morales, takes these words to heart as she interacts and mentors those around her. As you speak with Sandy, her passion for mentoring and seeing others’ potential radiates from her. Sandy recounted on how mentoring has impacted her life in the past and how she now has the privilege and opportunity to mentor others.

Sandy started at United Way before moving to a Development Director position at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County (BBBS). Prior to this position at BBBS, Sandy was mentored by the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County. It was through this relationship that she was able to join BBBS and create a network that supported her as she pursued the CEO position.

This pursuit emphasized that being genuine and willing to learn outweighs the need to meet all requirements of a position. Sandy is thankful to those who believed in her throughout this process and recognizes that this empowers her to let the young people know that she believes in them and all they aspire to be in life.

Sandy’s profession allows her to foster relationships every day that makes a difference in the lives of others. Whether we are talking about those who participate in one-on-one mentoring through BBBS or the connections that members of the Latino Professional Association of Greater Madison make with corporate partners, Sandy’s dedication to serving others is evident.

Sandy notes that part of what makes her profession so great, beyond impacting the lives of youth and Latino professionals, is knowing that she works among others who share this same passion. Together they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their mission as Defenders of Potential.

Sandy lives out the words of Maya Angelou through her everyday interactions, as she sees what others have to offer and does what she can to help them flourish. This November, let’s be thankful for those who have helped us get to where we are while also considering how we too, can be Defenders of Potential.