Reflecting on Ericia Henry's Confidence and Courage Throughout Her TPF Fellowship

Each Fellow at The Patterson Foundation (TPF) is an individual who knows they will make a difference in the world. They are possibilitarians, meaning they are open to what is possible and embrace creating new realities.

As part of their winding path, TPF’s Fellowship is one stop to strengthen the intellectual muscles while providing an opportunity to develop new ones. But each of their journeys to TPF is different, including Ericia Henry’s, TPF Fellow 2024/26. 

In a recent Beyond The Blog podcast, Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, spoke with Ericia right before she launched to Kiwanis International Headquarters. There, she serves as a Stewardship and Engagement Officer and works within the stewardship and development team, supporting responsibilities across both areas.

True to who she is, Ericia Henry touches on the bravery many of us have witnessed that led her to leave her home in Indiana, just a few hours away from her friends and family, and come further down south to Sarasota, Florida, alone for a 2+ year, salaried, full-time opportunity for graduates of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s advanced degree programs (MA, PhilD, or PhD).

But what’s brave about it? 
Anyone who knows Ericia knows she is not one to shy away from a challenge, even if it’s hard and even if there’s fear. Behind the decision would be a lot of unknowns, from where she'd live to the community she’d have to build to exactly what the work with TPF would entail and what the day-to-day would look like. 

She did it nonetheless, but not by jumping into the TPF Fellowship experience unquestioningly. Instead, she did her due diligence by learning more about TPF and the work it does, both regionally in our four-county area of Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties and nationally. Initially, that was through following Avery Crews Prado de Lima, TPF Fellow 2023/24, on LinkedIn about her Fellowship experience. Seeing the stories, the connections, and the growth led Ericia to want to learn more and get a feel for not only the bigger picture but also an up-close understanding. 

The next part of her experience was participating in TPF’s Immersive Impact: Through Engagement, Experience, and Expertise (Aka Study Away), which allowed students from Indiana University Indianapolis Lilly Family School of Philanthropy to spend their Spring Break fully immersing themselves in our region. The experiential nature of the course offered a unique opportunity to engage in philanthropic work in real-world environments. 

That experience, coupled with the conversations she had with Dr. Donald R. Bowman, Ed.D., initiative lead for Advancing Philanthropic Leadership, gave her the nudge to feel like this was the right direction and the confidence that this would be right for her. 

And despite the fear, the hesitancy, she wanted to know what lay on the other side of this opportunity and the person she could become, the muscles she’d gain, and the connections she’d make by being open, willing, and brave to say yes. 

But to really understand who she is now because of her Fellowship and why she would recommend other eligible graduates of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s advanced degree programs (MA, PhilD, or PhD) to apply, you’ll have to watch or listen to the full podcast here.