Realty Home Sales to Religious Home Visits

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What was your former job?

Economic Consultant/Real Estate Broker

What is your new job?

Director of Partners In Caring, an HIV/AIDS spiritual care and prevention program of Duke University Pastoral Services and Department of Medicine.

What or who inspired you to make the change?

My parents both changed careers in their late 40s, early 50s. Their example made my change seem timely and possible. It was also related to a spiritual awakening and frustration with the lack of progress that existing methods/programs have made in addressing social conditions/problems.

There are many resources available to address social issues through faith based institutions that remain untapped. There is such a stigma associated with HIV/AIDS as a disease, along with discrimination against those infected, and wide disparities in the health care they receive. Education and economic disparities and poverty are present as well, and often not addressed.

What was the biggest hurdle to making the change?

My children's educational needs had to come first. When they all finished college, I was able to begin working on the credentials/skills necessary to become ordained in the clergy and provide pastoral care.

What skills from your old job are useful in your new one?

Skills that I brought with me from past jobs included teaching/training, public speaking, organizational abilities, and collaborative skills.

Is there anything you miss about the old career?

Since funding for Partners In Caring is from federal, state and private grants, I miss the independence of the business world.

How do you feel now that you've taken the leap?

When I look back, each step of my occupational journey was appropriate for my stage of life. I cannot imagine going back, and I anticipate new adventures.

Now when you go to a party, how do you introduce yourself?

"Hi - I'm Dagney." Frankly, when I am pushed to state beyond the fact that I work at Duke University and reveal that I am a clergy person and I work with HIV/AIDS, it is often a conversation stopper.

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