Last year, we celebrated how your support links us together. Like a friendship bracelet, each gift forms a thread in a larger chain of impact. This year, we’re going a step deeper—highlighting the people, the threads, who make those connections possible.

Meet Maya Ogden, the Clasp. As the CAP Foundation’s Executive Director, Maya is often the person helping bring all the pieces together. She sees connections between people, ideas and opportunities, turning individual threads into something stronger. And while a clasp may not be the most decorative part of a bracelet, it’s the piece that holds everything together.

Q: Tell me a little about yourself — where you’re from, what you love, or a fun fact most people don’t know.
Maya: I’m from Indianapolis, Indiana. Although my family has lived in Rio Rancho, New Mexico most of my adult life. I am someone who really values experiences, family, learning and seeing the world. I love traveling and discovering new places, and I am naturally curious. I’m usually the person who wants to understand why something works the way it does or starts thinking about how it could be done differently. That curiosity probably shows up in my work more than I realize.

Q: What’s a hobby or interest you have outside of work that energizes you?
Maya: Traveling definitely energizes me. I love experiencing new places, cultures, food and history. Music also plays a big part in my life. My father sang opera and sat on the board of the Indianapolis Opera so as a child I spent many weekends at opera competitions.

Q: If the Foundation were a bracelet, what kind of thread would you be?
Maya: I think I would be the clasp. I would be the piece that turned the bracelet from a standard friendship bracelet into something a little more. The clasp may not be the most decorative part of the bracelet, but it is what allows all of those individual threads to come together as one.

Q: Share one small moment at the Foundation that made you smile or feel proud.
Maya: I love seeing our events come to life, it’s something about watching our team brainstorm ideas and then each play a very particular role in putting it together. I am also extremely proud of our high school interns and all that they did with us during the school year and into the summer.

Q: What’s your unofficial “superpower” at the Foundation?
Maya: I can usually see connections between people, ideas and opportunities that may not initially seem related. I also love taking something that is just an idea and figuring out what it could become, who needs to be involved and how we can actually make it happen.

Q: How do you see the Foundation connecting people — whether donors, residents, or patients?
I think the Foundation sits at a really unique intersection. We connect generosity with opportunity.

Q: What does “connection” mean to you in the context of the Foundation’s work?
Maya: Connection means recognizing that none of our work happens in isolation. We are all part of something bigger than ourselves and I truly believe we are meant to leave things better than we found it- not for ourselves but for someone else.

 Q: How do your day-to-day contributions tie into the bigger picture?
Maya: A lot of my day is spent moving between very different things: programs, fundraising, partnerships, Board matters, staff conversations, strategy and new ideas. The bigger picture for me is making sure those things are not operating as separate pieces. My responsibility is to keep asking how they connect to our mission, where we are going and ultimately the impact we want the Foundation to have.

Q: How do you hope the Foundation’s connections grow in the coming year?
Maya: I want our circle to get wider. I want more CAP members to see themselves in the Foundation, more donors to understand the impact they make possible, more organizations to see us as a partner, and more residents, medical students, pathologists and communities around the world to have meaningful ways to connect with us. I also want the connections we already have to become deeper. Growth isn’t always about adding more people; sometimes it’s about creating more meaningful relationships with the people already around the table.

Q: If the Foundation had a theme song, what would it be?
Maya: This one is impossible for me to answer with only one song! My Foundation playlist would include “Run the World (Girls)” by Beyoncé because she is the Queen; “Keep the Faith” by Michael Jackson because so much of what we do starts with believing that change is possible; “Fly Like a Bird” by Mariah Carey because it speaks to hope and rising beyond circumstances; and “I Am Singing” by Stevie Wonder because there is something about joy, purpose and bringing people together that feels like the Foundation to me.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?
Maya: I’m sharing a picture of myself as a little girl taking care of my baby sister. When I look at it now, it makes me smile because in some ways, I don’t think I’ve changed very much. I have always found purpose in caring for people, helping something grow, and feeling responsible for something beyond myself.

That is part of what the Foundation means to me. I have had the privilege of helping nurture it, watching ideas become programs, watching people find opportunities, and watching relationships grow into something meaningful. But just like the little girl in this picture, there is also a lot of joy in it for me.

I think sometimes we talk about impact in terms of numbers, dollars raised, people served, or programs launched. Those things matter. But behind every number is a person, and behind so much of what the Foundation accomplishes is someone choosing to care.

Maybe that is the connection I value most. Caring enough about someone you may never meet to help create an opportunity, improve a life, or make something possible for them.

And apparently, I started practicing pretty early.

 Now Playing: Connected: The Foundation Playlist
As part of this campaign, we’re building a CAP Foundation playlist featuring songs chosen by our staff, board, awardees and donors. As the campaign unfolds, so will the playlist, with new songs added along the way. Listen along and hear the soundtrack behind the threads that hold us together.