Small in stature but big in personality, Stacey Wedding is not a wedding coordinator like many assume. Yes, she has heard every joke in the book about her last name, which she inherited with her husband.

Stacey considers herself a professional do gooder, devoted to helping others help themselves. Her journey in the world of philanthropy began at the age of 5 when she used her mile-long smile and pigtails to raise dollars for Type 1 diabetes, a chronic autoimmune disease she was diagnosed with at the age of 2 that has given her the fortitude and resilience to take on new challenges and embrace whatever life brings.

After years of volunteering, graduating summa cum laude from UNLV, and doing some paid work in the nonprofit sector, Stacey expanded her horizons with work in corporate communications, public relations, and human resources at small businesses and large companies. It didn’t take her long to realize Corporate America wasn’t for her, so she transitioned to a life-changing role at the Nevada Community Foundation, one that forced her to leap from the first day on the job when she shared a desk with her boss! After six years of growing in her roles and eventually leading the Foundation, Stacey took her energy (and admittedly, her frustration with people who never seemed to work as hard as she did), and started her nonprofit management consulting and training firm, Professionals in Philanthropy, in 2006.

Stacey enjoys some guilty pleasures her entrepreneurship affords her like occasional naps, snuggling with her rescue pups, and enjoying wine tasting with friends when she takes a long weekend just because she can. She wasn’t gifted with a domestic bone, so she certainly doesn’t have an internal battle of wanting to do laundry and chores during any of her free time. Her greatest challenge is saying “no” to volunteer opportunities, of which she tends to always be over-committed. Fortunately, she has a few friends who have gifted her with “just say no” magnets she can place in strategic locations to remind her. She probably still needs more magnets, though, since she currently chairs two nonprofit boards (Wagging Tails Rescue and UNLV Honors College) and serves as a spokesperson and ambassador for two others.

With a little luck and some more hard work, Stacey’s future will include more family time with her two best friends—her mom and hubby, greater delegation (and as a result, more naps!), an African safari, business expansion, and a focus on self-growth that continues to shape her into the best version of herself.