Forty Under 40: Mandy Macke

Her peers say Mandy Macke is the glue that holds the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation together, but a career in nonprofit was not originally in her plans.

“It was just a fluke of luck that I got this opportunity, and it’s just been amazing to be a part of,” she said. 

Macke met the Walker family when she was a “Diamond Doll,” a member of the Razorback baseball team’s cheer squad.

The squad was not sponsored by the school at that time, and the family financially supported it.

As one of the “Dolls,” Macke baby sat for the Walkers and became a friend of the family.

When the Walkers were looking to restructure the foundation, the family offered her a job in her third year of law school at the UA.

Before then, “Willard and Pat ran the foundation, basically from their dining room table,” Macke said.

She joined the foundation in 2003. Willard died that same year, and Pat, 96, is still active in the organization — ranked in the top five foundations statewide for annual giving.

Macke said that Willard’s legacy of giving and Pat’s “charitable nature and genuine goodness” are the biggest sources of inspiration in her career.

She is drawn to causes related to health care and education, as well as local organizations that support the arts.

“Philanthropy doesn’t have to be just giving them the money. Giving your time is just as important,” she said.