Full-Circle Impact

Trailblazing alumna and donor Sabrina Bailey defines what it means to give back.

"You can’t always control what happens to you. But every morning you can choose your attitude,” says Sabrina Bailey, a George Fox alumna and CEO of Fiducient, a financial services company based in Chicago.

As a trailblazer for women in financial leadership, a space historically dominated by male advisors, Bailey’s advice surpasses navigating a bad day. “I’ve been told to answer phones because clients prefer a woman’s voice,” she remembers. “Once, a client fired me because he wanted to work with a man, but later I won him back.”

A University Love Story

Bailey, a self-described changemaker, grew up in Springfield, Oregon, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration (2000) and later an MBA (2008) at George Fox. Her commitment to the university may have begun as an undergrad, but her dedication to George Fox and its students has since grown into nothing short of a love story.

In addition to mentoring students in the business school, Bailey serves on the President’s Advisory Council and the College of Business Advisory Board, and recently established the S&J Bailey Scholarship for Women in Finance. She and her husband, Jeff Bailey (1999), are faithful members of the George Fox Cornerstone Club and the proud parents of two George Fox students.

“I have witnessed firsthand – through my own experience, my family, and the students I mentor – the transformative impact the university has had in shaping the next generation of leaders, both intellectually and spiritually.”

When her daughters applied to college, Bailey didn’t push George Fox, wanting the girls to decide for themselves. “It’s hard to tell your child they’ll be known. They have to almost see it to believe it,” she says. Her oldest, Jessie, developed a long college list but ultimately chose George Fox because of the connection she made with the cross country coach. Her youngest, Elsie, never questioned her college choice. After the pandemic, her priorities were clear: be near her sister and continue the family legacy.

Making It Possible

Despite earning an advanced degree in business administration and building a resume as a turnaround specialist, not everyone believed in Bailey’s future in finance. Even some well-meaning mentors felt she wasn’t cut out for it, saying she was too young and lacked the right family connections and university pedigree.

But their doubts only emboldened her. “The thing about me is when somebody says it’s impossible, I tend to make sure that it is possible for all those who come behind me,” she says.

Young women hoping to follow in Bailey’s footsteps should be advised that her approach is unorthodox. While some financial advisors specialize in one area, Bailey knew her ambition required a comprehensive background, “If I wanted to be in a senior leadership role someday, I knew I needed a range of experience across investments, technology, operations, and data and analytics.” But building a career that way wasn’t easy. “There’s a lot of risk in that because when you have a family your salary goes forwards, backwards and sideways,” she says.

To the students she mentors, Bailey hopes to pass down the wisdom she’s gained by focusing on people rather than money.

“You can seek after income or you can seek after positive impact,” Bailey tells them. “I wanted to have a positive impact on the people around me. I just ended up with an income tied to that.”

Paying It Forward

Her investment in uplifting women reaches far beyond her life in Chicago and Oregon. In 2018, Bailey founded Grow for Hope, a nonprofit that focuses on empowering and educating women and girls in Sierra Leone. Inspired by a local woman’s vision, Hawa, the organization aims to enable women to live with dignity and courage by providing sustainable farming opportunities that create employment. These jobs fund education for young girls, and the program currently supports 255 students. In January, Jessie, a senior biology and biochemistry major and Richter Scholar, will graduate and move to Sierra Leone with her husband to serve in the nonprofit before attending grad school.

Bailey has good reason to be passionate about creating generational change through girls’ education. She says she owes her own education to a long line of helpers. “I think about my great-grandmothers who were both single mothers who raised their families,” she recalls. “I saw how they led and how my grandparents and parents supported me, and the people who supported my family during hard times.

When asked why she supports George Fox students professionally and financially, her answer highlighted her belief in giving back and the opportunity to inspire young women to push boundaries, despite their perceived limitations.

“I believe we owe something to the communities that helped us,” she says. “And it’s really important to me that I show students that anything is possible.”