W
By PAULA ALLEN
ROLE MODEL
A Heart for
Helping Others Tiffani Nair has found her niche in nonprofits
W
hen Tiffani Nair — “rhymes with
of scheduling volunteers for San An-
fire” — first decided to major in
gelo’s Meals for the Elderly, affiliated
communications
Angelo
with the national Meals on Wheels pro-
State University in San Angelo, “I didn’t
at
gram, which delivers meals to people
even know there was such a thing as
whose physical or mental disabilities
public relations,” she says. “I had to look
prevent them from preparing regular
up online what kind of jobs you could
meals for themselves. “My boss there
get with that major.”
told me, ‘This (job) is going to get into
As she earned her bachelor’s and
your heart; it’s going to become part of
master’s degrees in the subject, she re-
your life.’” At age 21, she was skeptical at
members, “My professors said, ‘Don’t go
first, but it happened: “This kind of job is
into the nonprofit area; you’ll never make
special; the volunteers and the people
any money.’” Her first job in the field was
you come in contact with become your
as the marketing assistant at a mall,
family,” she says. “The organization’s
where she used the writing skills she had
mission becomes your purpose.”
honed at the university’s student newspa-
After four years, Nair wanted new
per to craft press releases. She also man-
challenges in a new environment. Origi-
aged the website and coordinated health
nally from Big Spring in West Texas, she
fairs and an annual nonprofit community
says, “I’m a country girl who needed to be
day at the mall. “While I was there, I kept
in a big city.” She chose San Antonio be-
thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to do all
cause although it’s the nation’s seventh-
this marketing for something good?’”
largest city, “It doesn’t feel like a big city.
After graduation, she got her wish, stepping into her first full-time professional job as program director in charge
58 | sawoman.com
Photography JANET ROGERS
There’s a slower pace, a small-town feel, with all the advantages of a major city.” With the move, she found an execu-