Staff Spotlight: Lori Mayfield

At iACT, we have great appreciation for the wonderful staff who make our service work possible! In this Staff Spotlight Lori Mayfield tells us a little more about herself.

Lori Mayfield, iACT Financial Literacy Program Coordinator

Q: Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Victoria, Texas, a small city about 2 and half hours southeast of Austin. I love to frequently go back and visit Victoria, especially since many of my family members reside there. Throughout my years in Victoria, I had the opportunity to attend excellent schools, sustain friendships, and grow up with many of the individuals, specifically teachers and family members, who had a profound positive impact on the trajectory of my life.

Q: How long have you been in Austin?

I have lived in Austin for 3 and a half years; I have looked forward to being here for many years, especially because I have 2 brothers, 5 nephews and my fiancé who all reside in the Austin area. Prior to living in Austin during my adult life, I lived in San Antonio for 8 years and moved back to my hometown of Victoria for 4 years. I spent 10 years of that time leading within the field of education and 2 years serving as Director of Children’s Ministry within my hometown church community.

While in San Antonio, I attended St. Mary’s University – GO RATTLERS! – where I obtained my Bachelor’s in Business Administration within the Greehey School of Business and spent a significant portion of my time volunteering within local organizations including Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity, Communities In Schools and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. The influence of the education I received from St. Mary’s, my passions and abilities, and the needs of the youth that were highlighted during my time volunteering with Junior Achievement spurred me to join Teach for America within San Antonio. Teach for America spurred my passion for working to close the achievement gap for students living in underserved communities and providing students of all ability levels with an excellent education. I continued living in San Antonio for 4 more years as I taught elementary special education within both the traditional public and public charter sectors.

My time teaching inspired me to work towards addressing the larger challenges within schools and supporting the limitless potential in teachers and students while doing so. I then obtained my Master’s in Educational Leadership from University of Houston-Victoria along with my Principal Certification while serving as Director of Children’s Ministry. I went on to lead as Assistant Principal at the high school, middle school and elementary levels for a combined 5 years in Victoria and Austin. I am more than grateful for the time committed to leading within schools and the growth I experienced. My passion for education has been a constant thread in my life, and I will continue to be committed to working towards providing an excellent education for all children. Youth are our future, every child has limitless potential to achieve their dreams, and all children deserve an excellent education!

As I come into my fourth year living in Austin, I am ecstatic to embark on this journey with iACT to bring financial literacy education to our program participants!

Q: What do you do at iACT?

In December 2023, I began serving as the Financial Literacy Program Coordinator for iACT. This role has given me the opportunity to truly marry my passions for education, faith, and people development, my heart for serving and leading youth and partnering with families, and my knowledge of finance and business which were developed throughout my professional and educational careers. Within my role, I have the unique opportunity to utilize my passion and expertise to ensure our youth have opportunities to learn the basics of financial literacy and are able to make sound financial decisions that will be the foundation for lives of success and choice.

The Financial Literacy Program aims to provide financial education to vulnerable children, grades 6-12, and their families to help prepare them for a financially secure future. The program will consist of workshops and classes taught by financial professionals, bankers and educators within the iACT community. Students will have an opportunity to learn about career exploration and planning, budgeting, saving, low-risk investment vehicles, ways to find help with overdue bills and more. Starting their lives with the tools they need to budget responsibly, set strong career goals, make wise choices about debt and plan for savings and investment will help participants reach long-term well-being.

Q: What is the most challenging thing about the work you do at iACT?

Because the Financial Literacy Program is brand new to iACT, the most challenging piece is building the program from scratch and identifying the resources and support that will be necessary for effective execution. Many financial literacy curriculum resources are designed for specific target audiences, and I want to ensure that the information shared with our participants is engaging and relevant to their lives and individual experiences. Furthermore, identifying volunteers and community partners who are passionate about being involved with the Financial Literacy Program through presenting to participants will be both challenging and rewarding!

Q: What is the most rewarding thing about the work you do at iACT?

It is extremely rewarding to have the opportunity to develop a program that will bring needed financial literacy education to those who can benefit the most from it, especially because most students in Texas are not exposed to this vital content in school. I believe in the positive impact that non-profit organizations, in partnership with businesses, schools, churches and the larger community can make on youth, and I will get to witness that impact firsthand!

Also, all of the colleagues I have worked with and gotten to know thus far have been positive, encouraging and supportive. It is rewarding to work with a group of people who are so collectively dedicated to iACT’s mission of cultivating peace and respect through interfaith dialogue, service and celebration and who each work to bring that mission to life daily.

Q: Why would you encourage others to support the work of iACT?

I encourage others to support iACT because the work this organization does truly brings people together. In today’s world where there is so much division, negativity and hatred, iACT is a shining light and an example of how we can create systems that encourage people from all walks of life to come to a greater understanding of and appreciation for one another and our respective values and beliefs. Our mission is not just posted on the website – we create systems and ACT in order to live that mission out daily 😊