Two of the greatest influences on Angela Clements’ life have been her parents. She vividly recalls being a young girl attending Catholic elementary school because her parents wanted to provide her with a quality education. Clements’ father was a tool maker for GH&R, and her mother was a stay at home mom, who routinely shuttled Angela and her friends to different activities and events. Clements remembers a strict household where everything played second to Angela’s education. Early on Clements’ father taught his daughter to be bold and determined about her goals in life, he would say, “When you go to college, not if you go.” It was there that her parents were the first to teach her that anything was possible. Angela’s parents taught her that an important part of leadership is follow-through and real change is a gradual process.

With this upbringing it was perhaps inevitable that Clements would herself be interested in the not-for-profit world. She participated in various causes during high school and graduated at the top of her University of Cincinnati class. However, it wasn’t until she began her professional career at Battelle & Battelle did she get exposure to the world of nonprofits. Her work as a public accountant was eye opening. Most of the nonprofits that Clements worked with had impressive mission statements, however, lack of ample funding prevented most from accomplishing their goals.

Clements joined The Dayton Foundation in 2003 as the Legacy Partnership Development Officer. In this role, she helps Miami Valley not-for-profit organizations establish or build endowment programs through the Foundation to ensure the long-term stability of services and programs in the community. In a nut shell, Angela instructs companies and individuals on how to leave area nonprofits a lasting gift or a legacy. To date Clements oversees 30 philanthropic gift programs that will someday be worth nearly $5 million in planned gifts. According to Clements, one of the perks of the job is meeting interesting people in the Dayton community who have a sincere desire to make a difference in the lives of their fellow neighbors.

Entering the Leadership Dayton Program in 2005 helped to cement Clements’ strong belief in education and the need for community leaders. One of her best memories of the 11-month program was Diversity Day. According to Clements, like her, many of the participants’ ideologies and belief systems were formed very early in their lives. Exposing and expelling some of the stereotypes among the class allowed everyone to see past their own limitations and grow from others’ experiences.

After talking to Angela Clements for almost two hours I concluded with this question, “What makes someone a leader?” “Everyone is a leader,” she said. “Everyone has something to learn and to teach. Everyone holds a piece of the truth and has an obligation to share it.” I couldn’t agree more.