About

Mary Dailey Brown – Co-Founder and CEO of SowHope

Mary Dailey Brown began her career far from the nonprofit world. Raised on an Illinois dairy farm and trained in photography and psychology, she went on to serve as a White House Photographer for Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Watching the Carters treat every person with dignity shaped her lifelong belief in the value of each individual.

Years later, while directing missions work and traveling through developing countries, Mary saw a pattern she couldn’t ignore: women were doing the hardest labor yet had the fewest opportunities. Local leaders confirmed this reality and told her it was unlikely to change. When she couldn’t find a global organization focused on the holistic care of women, she and her husband, Doug, founded one with the help of a lot of friends.

In 2006, they founded SowHope with a simple, scalable idea: partner with local leaders who understand local needs, and fund the projects they design. SowHope exists to inspire women around the world by promoting wellness, education, and economic opportunities, an approach that strengthens families and communities from the ground up. Two decades later, it remains one of the only multinational organizations dedicated solely to empowering women in this way.