Terry Whitt Bailey is admired as a community activist, arts administrator and advocate for educational equity.
Terry currently serves as Manager of Programs at the Center for Leadership Development in Central Indiana. Terry spent the previous 8 years as Director of Community Development for the City of Muncie (population 70,000), overseeing $7.5 million in government grants from the US Department of Housing & Urban Development, US Department of Treasury and Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority.
Prior to her appointment, Terry had a successful career as an arts administrator, serving as President & Chief Executive Officer of the Historic Madame Walker Theatre Center in Indianapolis and Cornerstone Center for the Arts in Muncie, Indiana. In both organizations, she was instrumental in creating arts and community partnerships, increasing grants and donations, and developing arts education opportunities for children and youth.
Terry previously held positions with Ball State University, most notably as the Director of Executive Staff & Administrative Affairs (Chief of Staff) for the Office of the President.
Terry has been actively involved in local, state and national organizations. She is a Certified Nonprofit Consultant by the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives; recently served as a Creative Placemaking Consultant for the Indiana Arts Commission; and now serves as Co-Chair of the Indiana Legislative Arts Advocacy Council. She has also received three Mayor’s Community Service Awards, the Indiana Community Arts Leadership Award, the Arts Achievement Award from Center for Leadership Development, the Very Important Volunteer Award (V!VA), the Outstanding Service Award from Muncie Rotary and the prestigious Athena Award from Women in Business Unlimited (WIBU), Inc.
Terry currently serves on the following Boards: IU Health-Ball Memorial Hospital, United Way of Delaware & Henry Counties and Meridian Health Services. In addition, she is a member of the Indianapolis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and is a founding member of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Team.
Terry earned two Bachelor’s degrees from Rutgers University and her Masters degree in Dance Education from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She completed post-graduate work in Management Development at Harvard University, and earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree (D.Min) from Newburgh Theological Seminary.
In 2019, Terry ran for Mayor of Muncie. Although she was unsuccessful in her bid for office, she will go down in history as the first African American of either political party to win a primary bid for Mayor in Muncie and to run in the general election.