If anyone knows about the awesome power of a committed group of women, it’s Lucy Beard. Having served as the Executive Director of the Alice Paul Institute (API) for 9 years and being involved in the women’s organization in various capacities for more than 2 decades, and having earned a Masters Degree in American History with an emphasis on women’s history, Lucy has seen time and again that women have always been drivers of change – they just didn’t own it and didn’t get the credit deserved. So after learning about the Impact100 model in Philadelphia, she and her longtime friend and colleague Kim Moon sought to start a South Jersey collective. Little did they know at that time, an Impact100 SJ was already in the works at the Community Foundation of South Jersey. Kim jumped right into the planning and joined the founding leadership team and Lucy became a charter member in 2017.
Beyond membership contributions, Lucy served on the financial review committee during the first year of her membership and has provided key input to the leadership council as they continuously strive to improve the proposal process with nonprofit feedback. API was awarded an Impact100 SJ general operating grant in 2020 and had applied in the inaugural year as well, making Lucy an important voice in the process. She also enjoys attending member events and networking with the interesting and dynamic women who make up the membership.
When asked what she finds most rewarding about being a member, Lucy shared, “I love the members’ spirit, the shared excitement and enthusiasm they bring to collective giving and to making a difference in their communities.”
As a true champion of women and their collective power, Lucy views her membership in Impact100 SJ as an important part of her legacy because she feels, “Membership empowers women to play an impactful role in the community. Women have always held up communities but usually in the background, in ways that were often not recognized. Women’s contributions should be more visible, more valued and recognized! Impact100 provides the platform for women to do that.”
Lucy and her husband Tim are avid travelers. Tim is a recently retired American Airlines pilot which afforded them with a lifetime of exciting travels, both with their 3 children and as a couple. They have traveled extensively in Europe (including Russia), North America, and have been to Madagascar in Africa. When asked where her favorite place to visit was, without hesitation she answered Scotland. After a long career in the humanities, starting at the Philadelphia Alliance for Teaching Humanities and the PA Humanities Council where she worked with Kim Moon, Cliveden House in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Union League, and API, Lucy recently retired and looks forward to resuming travel with Tim as soon as the pandemic conditions allow. But, she will need to make time between the many volunteer board commitments she has in the region.
Lucy is active with the Moorestown Monthly Friends’ Meeting, serves as Treasurer on the board of the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites, is a founding member of the Kiwanis of Greater Mt. Laurel, recently joined the state board of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, and continues to volunteer at API archiving the organizational documents. In her “spare time” Lucy is an avid reader and is a member of 2 book clubs. In retirement, she looks forward to continuing to learn more about womens’ impact on American History over time and uncovering the many hidden stories.