MPA alum Kena Jo Mathews has built her life around volunteer and nonprofit work, though she started out on a different path. “Sometimes you end up where you’re supposed to be even if you don’t realize that’s where you want to be,” she says. While studying political science at the University of Utah, Mathews worked for a senatorial candidate. But when he lost the election, she changed course, volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, where she laid the foundation for her career.
After her first six years of serving with Habitat for Humanity, while employed with local nonprofit Neighborhood Housing Services of Provo, Mathews decided to go back to school to get her MPA from the Marriott School. Six months after graduating in 2004, Mathews was asked to apply for the executive director position at Habitat—and landed it.
Even as the head of a nonprofit focused on building homes for displaced families in need, Mathews is the first to admit she’s not naturally one to pick up a caulking gun. “A lot of people think they have to know how to build or enjoy building to volunteer for Habitat, but I actually am not good at building; it’s not something that I like to do,” Mathews says. “When I went to Habitat, I had some skill in public relations, so I was able to use those skills to help the organization and not have to use a hammer that often.” Instead, she spends her days hammering out the details of mortgages, donations, real estate development, and public relations.
The best part of her job? Watching the change that she makes in the lives of children. She has helped provide safe and affordable housing for forty-three families in need so far. One family that stands out clearly in her memory is a single father with five children, two of whom have autism. After moving into his new home, the grateful father sent Mathews a Christmas email with a picture of a hammock he had put in his backyard and a message: when you’re a homeowner, you want to better your home. Mathews treasures those moments that remind her why she does what she does—to help those in need improve their quality of life.
Her most recent project is a house with Women Build, an international program designed to get women involved in Habitat for Humanity. The homes are funded by female donors and built primarily by women. The house Mathews is working on now will provide a home for a local widow and her two children.
Mathews lives in Orem and has two nieces and six nephews. When she’s not working at one nonprofit, she’s volunteering at another. She currently serves as a board member for Intermountain Healthcare’s Women’s and Children’s Advisory Council, Utah Valley Interfaith Association, Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce, Extended Romney Institute Board, and the Democratic Women of Utah County, among others.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve been given so much that it’s really my responsibility to give back,” she says. “I’d like it to say on my tombstone, ‘She made a difference.’ I really think it’s important that everyone tries to make a difference in their world.”
