Hobbs, New Mexico
JF Maddox Foundation, New Mexico’s largest, taps experienced CEO Ray Caraway to succeed Bob Reid, who retires after 25 years of service to the people and communities of southeastern New Mexico.
Read more on the announcement from JF Maddox Foundation below.
The Board of Directors of the JF Maddox Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Ray Caraway as CEO of the organization, effective September 18, 2020.
Mr. Caraway is currently President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, a role he has held since January 2003. He succeeds long-time CEO Bob Reid, whose planned retirement had been announced previously.
Ben Maddox, chair of the CEO search committee, summarized the entire board’s view: “After an extensive national search, the board is exceptionally pleased to welcome Ray and Mary Caraway to Lea County. Ray’s philosophy of leadership and his approach to place-based philanthropy have been honed over many years as CEO. We are confident he is just the person to build on the fine record created by Bob Reid and his team of devoted professionals.”
During Caraway’s 17-year tenure as CEO of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, the foundation’s assets grew nearly ten-fold to $132 million through the broad-based support of area residents. Noted Maddox board chair Ann Maddox Utterback, “While our foundation is not a fundraising organization in the way a community foundation is, Ray’s demonstrated ability to attract broad and deep support for community-based initiatives reflects a commitment to his adopted home that should serve the people of Lea County exceptionally well.”
Reflecting on his new mandate, Caraway said, “Ever since my first conversation with the JF Maddox Foundation’s executive search advisor, I have been intrigued by the Foundation’s commitment to the people and progress of Lea County.” Continued Caraway, “I have built my career serving rural communities, and the Maddox Foundation’s impact in its home region has been a joy to discover. I am honored and excited to be asked to succeed Bob Reid, and I pledge to continue the heritage of impactful philanthropy that informs all the Foundation’s work.”
Regarding the transition, board chair Maddox Utterback stated, “The Foundation and its staff have never been stronger or more committed. Bob Reid has prepared us well for the compelling work ahead, and all of us are indebted for his quarter century of leadership that made the opportunity so attractive to so many strong contenders.”
“Ray Caraway is both down-to-earth and confident, and his current foundation’s mission to ‘inspire and unify’ aligns well with our own,” said committee chair Ben Maddox. “Our board saw in Ray the sort of relationship builder that all of us expect of our CEO. His personable style and his creative record in Colorado suggest he will quickly become a valued leader for us and the communities we serve.”
Speaking of the search, outgoing CEO Bob Reid was complimentary. “The Foundation board exercised exceptional care in its exhaustive national search for a new CEO and was genuinely committed to securing an extraordinary candidate to assume this important leadership role. Ray’s path to Hobbs was quite different from mine, but we share a deep belief in the good that can be done when well-intentioned people band together in pursuit of a brighter future for all. He joins a devoted board, a wonderful staff, and a remarkable community. I look forward to supporting his success any way I can.”
A native of rural Louisiana, Ray Caraway holds bachelor and law degrees from Louisiana State University. He and Mary Caraway, artist, art teacher and graphic designer, have been married for 36 years. The couple has two sons: Joe, who begins medical school in Maryland this fall, and Nate, who is completing the ROTC program at Colorado State University before beginning active duty in the Air Force.
