Meet Mariam

I’m thrilled to be working as executive director for Malachi’s Message Foundation, and putting my many years of nonprofit executive management experience to work for such a remarkable organization.

My first serious professional role in life was working in residential property management in 2004, and in 2006 I found myself running my own business as a professional photographer. By 2010 I held my bachelor of fine arts degree in photography and design (it took me nine years to get that degree!), and worked as a full time professional mixed media artist, wedding and portrait photographer, and graphic designer. By the grace of GOD, I was living my DREAM. I had quite the long bucket list of items to achieve, and teaching was next on my radar. In 2012 I accepted a position as an elementary and middle school art teacher, and taught the lovely children of Trinity Lutheran Downtown in Houston, Texas. This is where I developed many of my character building traits, and shed many tears after school had ended for the day. I didn’t know how stressful teaching could be, but still, I loved it and couldn’t wait to see how I could improve and make the next day better. Nights were spent researching project ideas, putting together supply lists, and getting mentoring from my compassionate colleagues.

I began my nonprofit career in 2014 as the the operations manager for Opera in the Heights, a beautiful little regional opera company located in the Houston Heights in Houston, Texas, where I was fortunate enough to call home. Within a year I was promoted to executive director and found myself thrown into a whirlwind of ALL things nonprofit. I had to learn on my feet in an extremely fast-paced environment, in charge of, or directly responsible for all fundraising activities, grant writing, gala planning, patron special events, oversight of all opera productions, including acting as front of house manager, ticketing manager, and even as creative director overseeing and managing all artistic staff and budgets, in addition to operations and administrative staff and budgets (did I mention there was also a musicians union, too?). Thankfully, I was healthy enough to DO ALL OF IT, and loved every second. My experiences teaching kindergarten through 8th grade certainly made me stronger and shaped my ability to handle absolutely anything thrown my way. I loved the world of nonprofits so much that when I was offered an opportunity to take on the role of managing director at the Houston Choir and work alongside the founder and artistic director, I jumped at the opportunity. During my tenure with the Choir, I was so blessed to be part of the team that secured the very first GRAMMY award nomination and subsequent win for the ensemble, and went on to many more incredible professional achievements. Having the opportunity to serve the hugely supportive and robust performing arts community in Houston, I can truly say I was blessed beyond measure. I grew up in a musical family, played bassoon, and marched in the drumline in high school, so I felt very much right at home surrounded by vocalists and instrumentalists, and after a year of building out my dream team, had absolutely phenomenal staff; the best I could have ever asked for. I was able to bring my photography, graphic design, and marketing skills to the Choir and breathe fresh ideas and concepts into the choral performances, being granted the opportunity to curate wardrobe selections, design props, and plan the most fabulous fundraising and stewardship events! Yet another dream gifted to me by GOD. I was blessed.

When covid hit, I had just had my first and only child, and we were forced into lockdown. During that first year, we had to think on our feet, and started a podcast. We couldn’t miss opportunities to connect with our beloved patrons who were used to our in-person gatherings and concerts, so podcasting became our new normal. The virtual world took over, and in the fall, we launched our virtual stage, an online concert viewing platform, and began to direct and record music videos featuring stunning choral performances. Once again, I was thrown into the unknown, and during this time, my life came to a crossroads due to the ever popular mandates sweeping across the country and the major collision with my holistic way of life, a place that led me to swiftly exit my position as managing director, and pursue one of the last items on my professional bucket list - REAL ESTATE.

While I was enrolled in real estate courses and working towards my license, I began to get sick, my vibrant, always happy and cheerful toddler began to change, and she lost her ability to say mama, and every other word she had learned. Her appetite changed, and her bright, cheery disposition began to wane, and become a sporadic gift that we would not see as often as we liked. In its place, we were met with night terrors, refusal to eat properly, head banging, aggression, and so much more. My health dwindled, and while I was excited to lose the baby weight I had gained, I began to look sick, and wasn’t able to find the answers I so desperately wanted. Brain fog, bone pain, lymph pain, itching, rashes, vertigo, dizziness, severe anxiety, severe diarrhea, heart palpitations, POTS, UTI’s, respiratory infections, ear infections, dental cavities, candida, muscle twitching, inability to recall names, places, or things, severe and rapid weight loss, and on and on and on.

Today, in addition to acting as executive director for Malachi’s Message Foundation, I’m a holistic Texas real estate agent and healthy home consultant. I’ve been through so much, three remediations, two very sick homes, and new construction battles with builders that have put me through the trenches. I look at my illness, my daughter’s autism and PANS/PANDAS, and what has happened to my family as valuable lessons to be shared with others, just like all of you who are currently battling mold, or who have been blessed to find the light at the end of the tunnel. When I was asked to apply for the position of executive director for Malachi’s Message, I suddenly realized GOD had a purpose all along for the years of work He put me through at the opera and the choir. It finally all made sense! This is my biggest blessing of all, to be able to take what I learned in rather joyous, healthy times, and bring it all to a radically important, CRITICALLY needed nonprofit organization that has the capacity to truly change the world we live in. Believe me when I say we are just getting started, and with GOD’s help, we will make a difference.

I’ll be adding more to this little biography of mine, and will be writing blog posts about specific topics relating to my personal journey, and the ongoing path to healing for my daughter and myself. Until then, keep your head up, stay focused on what is in front of you: the ability to heal, to change, and to get yourself out of this mess one small step at a time. Don’t ever give up hope, and don’t ever stop fighting for yourself, advocating for your family, and moving upward. You can do this. You are not alone.