Joy King, Executive Director, Be the Match Foundation, and Chief Advancement Officer, NMDP/Be The Match

What’s your current role?

I’m the Chief Advancement Officer at NMDP/Be The Match, an organization providing life-saving stem cells to patients with blood cancers and disorders. I also serve as Executive Director of Be The Match Foundation, a subsidiary of NMDP/Be The Match. I joined NMDP/Be The Match in 2016 to lead the foundation staff and its board of directors to significantly grow philanthropic revenue production to advance the life-saving mission of Be The Match. In my role, I have secured the first of many seven-figure gifts in the history of the organization, more than doubled annual revenue and launched a $100M comprehensive campaign. I’m also responsible for developing a coordinated strategy to strengthen the brand identity for NMDP/Be The Match by overseeing the cultivation of a cohesive brand and delivering an authentic brand experience for the organization.

When did you join the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST and what roles have you held within the TRUST?

I joined the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST in 2016 and joined the board of directors in January 2021. I joined because many colleagues recommended the TRUST because of the extensive network and opportunities of being a member. My experience with the TRUST has been beyond what I imagined. The support provided by the women I have met since joining has been inspiring, and I am grateful for every experience I have had so far.

In addition to being a board member, I co-chaired the 2022 Forum, am a member of the Leadership Development committee and serve as a mentor.

How has a mentor helped you the most?

I’ve been fortunate to have had several mentors during my career; each helped me in various ways when I needed it the most. I had mentors help me realize my potential, hold me accountable to my career development plan, tell me when I needed to look at things through a different lens, and support me through career and role changes.

What is the best career advice you’ve received?

If the role you want isn’t available or doesn’t exist where you are, find it somewhere else.

What support do you need now to evolve as a leader?

At this point in my career, I value honest feedback more than ever. I believe having trusted colleagues willing to be straightforward with positive and constructive feedback is important.

How do you support other women in their leadership journey?

I make it my business to support women interested in leadership and career development. I love to help women see their potential and have the confidence to go after what they want.

How do you cope with demanding aspects of your career, such as leading during the pandemic?

Honestly, not well. Being vulnerable with my colleagues and the team I lead helped me cope. I modeled behavior that it was ok not to be ok when everything around us seemed to be out of control or at least harder to do our work than before the pandemic.

How do you maintain or improve your health and well-being?

Exercise, Friday night date nights with my husband, and doing for others.

What is something that not many people know about you?

Cancer has impacted the people I care for the most for as long as I can remember. Cancer took my paternal grandfather when my father was in high school, and my great-grandmother died of leukemia when I was a child. My grandmother and grandfather were both diagnosed and successfully treated for their cancers when I was a young adult. My father beat Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma six years ago because of a clinical trial. He lives with prostate cancer and will likely be able to treat it for the rest of his life because of scientific advances. To say the mission of Be The Match is personal to me is an understatement. The impact cancer has had on my family created the advocate in me. The advancement of science drives me, and the patients and caregivers we serve as a cancer-fighting community give me hope that we will fulfill our vision of equal access and outcomes for all.

Who inspires you?

Our daughter, Jade King.

Words of wisdom to live by?

The golden rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you.