Turning Hardship into Strength – Episode 32
December 29, 2025
Listen to this episode on Spotify
In this episode of EmpowHER, hosts Nicole Graham and Tanya Dempsey sit down with Melissa Maddox-Evans, Esq., CEO and Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis, to explore her extraordinary journey through leadership, resilience, and advocacy.
A lifelong advocate and attorney, Melissa shares how her family’s immigrant roots, her experience raising a child with autism, and her early years in community development shaped her unwavering belief in education, empathy, and action.
Her leadership extends far beyond housing: as co-founder of the Social Justice Racial Equity Collaborative, she helped lead the City of Charleston to issue a historic apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade—a groundbreaking step in community accountability and healing.
They discuss:
- The power of education to overcome adversity• Leading with empathy while setting clear boundaries
- Navigating bias, politics, and the “ego sphere” of nonprofit work
- Building alliances that turn advocacy into real change
This episode is raw, honest, and full of lessons every leader needs to hear.
To catch up on past episodes or stay updated with new ones, visit our website at csgadvisors.com/podcast or follow us on Spotify. We appreciate your support and look forward to bringing you more empowering stories and insights from women leaders in the field.
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CSG Advisors Incorporated is a national, full service, independent financial advisor that assists public finance clients in the design, financing and implementation of affordable housing, urban redevelopment and economic development initiatives. Over the past 20 years, CSG has advised on more housing bonds than any other municipal advisor, as reported by Thompson Reuters. CSG Advisors is entirely employee-owned and independent. Employee owners include minorities and women.