Celebrating Sally Mackin during Women’s History Month
Today, we are honoring Sally Mackin for her foundational role in co-creating Woodlawn United. As the organization’s founding executive director, Sally helped bring together residents and community partners to build trust, shape a shared vision, and lay the groundwork for the collaborative work that continues today.
At a time when the future of Woodlawn United was still being imagined, Sally stepped in not with answers, but with humility and a commitment to listen. She had spent years in business and finance, but felt called to more purpose-driven work. That calling led her to Purpose Built Communities, and eventually to a meeting with Mike and Gillian Goodrich—where the early seeds of Woodlawn United began to take root.
From the beginning, Sally understood that true change wouldn’t come from top-down planning, but through building relationships—with residents, leaders, and the women who had long shaped the neighborhood. She and the team spent more than two years in conversation with residents before any physical changes began. Those early relationships shaped everything that followed.
Sally was also clear-eyed about the complexity of her role. “I mean, clearly, I’m a white woman coming into a predominantly Black neighborhood saying that we want to change it,” she said. “You boil it down, and that’s what we’re doing. Our hearts were in the right place. We wanted to make the changes that would benefit and uplift the community. We wanted to do it differently than it had been done before. We wanted to include the residents. We wanted to empower the community to do what it wanted to do to better itself. But still, that narrative had been written and implemented so many times, and there was mistrust—rightfully so.”
“Building that trust was the most rewarding and beneficial part of the work because there was no shortcut.”
One of Sally’s greatest contributions was helping unify different organizations under a single, community-centered narrative. “Each group had their own story,” she said. “We came together to write a new one—together.” It was not easy work, but it was necessary. The women of Woodlawn, in particular, were central to shaping that story. Their questions, stories, and expectations helped keep the work grounded.
“The strongest pieces of that tapestry were the women in the community,” Sally shared.
“We’ve lost several of them over the years. But the stories they held and told are what made up that community. Anytime we wanted to do something to uplift or improve the neighborhood, that’s where you went. You go to the women, the leaders in that neighborhood.”
Their wisdom and presence helped guide every decision, and their trust was earned through time and consistency. Sally often described them as the strong fabric you reach for when mending something worn—the durable thread that held the neighborhood together, even in difficult seasons.
Looking back on her leadership, Sally reflected, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The work is hard and sometimes lonely, but if you stay committed, it changes you. And it changes everything.”
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we honor Sally Mackin not just for her role in the beginning, but for how she chose to lead—with openness, deep listening, and a commitment to community voice. The path she helped pave made space for others to lead and for the work to continue forward with care, vision, and unity.