Moving from one culture to another can be quite an adjustment, even when you’re only changing states! As a bilingual child growing up in New Mexico, Cristina Allen didn’t think twice about the diversity surrounding her. “The minorities were the majority,” she says, describing how natural it was to see political leaders, school principals and others in positions of respect and authority from a variety of ethnic backgrounds — Native Americans, Anglos and Hispanics alike.

The 2000 “Status of Women” report said it all: Tennessee ranked 49th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia when it came to women’s health, education, economic level and political participation. Published by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the study found that services existed, but women weren’t using them — a phenomenon attributed to geography, language barriers and economics. The report caught the attention of many local groups, including the Junior League of Nashville and the Nashville Academy of Medicine Alliance.

We have a saying here that no two days at The Community Foundation are the same,” Ellen Lehman explains with a smile, attempting to describe a “typical” day at Middle Tennessee’s premier grant-making organization. From meeting with donors to planning new initiatives to signing thank-you notes, the president’s day-to-day activities are all deeply entwined with what she calls “the charitable goals and dreams” of the Middle Tennessee community.