Caroline Aderholt is a shining example of the incredible impact that can come from a lifelong dedication to the industry.

From an early age, Aderholt was interested in politics, economic development, and agriculture. She traveled with her parents, Albert and Shirley MacDonald, and she spent time on the campaign trail, and she remembers that by the time she was six years old, she attended political rallies. .

When her father was elected to the state Senate, she fondly recalls paging in the Senate and attending rallies with him. Her closeness to many of the politicians of her time, from George Wallace to Chief Justice Beau Torbert, motivated her early in her career.

She cites her parents' continued dedication to work and service as her main inspiration. Aderholt had the opportunity to witness the amazing effects of her parents' love for agriculture and agribusiness. This made her lean into her work and believe in its potential to bring about positive change.

Most of all, her parents' service showed her that it was possible for average citizens to effect policy change. This work solidified the idea that public services are for everyone, not just the powerful few.

“I believe that our system of government allows people to effect positive change. My belief in our form of government and having seen my parents serve in it , I think instilled in me the desire to help others run our government system.”

Aderholt's family, who grew up on a cotton farm in north Alabama, had a long-standing relationship with Auburn University due to its important work in agricultural research and development. So, naturally, when a position on the Auburn Board of Directors came up in Ms. Aderholt's district, she was very interested in it. Aderholt considers her position on the Auburn Board of Trustees a great honor and a great opportunity to serve not only Auburn University but the state of Alabama.

Regarding Aderholt's approach to strengthening and refining her professional skills, she talks about the importance of connection: Building relationships is essential to problem solving and growth. ”

Aderholt aims to stay abreast of emerging policy trends in culture, politics, economics and higher education. She is an avid reader, and she accomplishes this by listening to those around her rather than just consuming media, and by engaging with diverse people across Washington. Together, these efforts hone Aderholt's ability to predict trends more effectively. She believes this skill is the key to being prepared and successful.

For Aderholt, her personal and professional journeys are deeply intertwined, and in this way she finds professional inspiration in her personal life.

One of her biggest personal inspirations is her mother, Shirley McDonald, who was a leader in agriculture, politics, and business. She was a national leader in promoting Made in America and cotton products, a delegate to several Democratic National Conventions, and a very talented political campaign strategist at the time. Aderholt respects her mother as a visionary and a woman of strong faith.

“I grew up watching my mother take care of her family, support her father's career, and not be afraid to take on more jobs and try new things. In many ways, I followed my parents' work. I feel like it just took over.”

Regarding her most significant professional accomplishments, Aderholt finds greatest satisfaction in the behind-the-scenes work she does to connect with others and solve problems for individuals and their organizations. Among the projects and accomplishments she predicts will have a lasting impact is her work on the 2017 confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch.

At this time, she was serving as America's chief of staff for women's issues in Washington, D.C., where she also oversaw the lobbying team. When the time came to nominate the next Supreme Court justice, she called CWA CEO Penny Nance and told her that CWA needed to work on the process of nominating the next justice. The team immediately began vetting potential candidates that President Trump might consider.

“As CWA Chief of Staff, I developed a campaign strategy for Justice Gorsuch’s nomination that CWA implemented. A purposefully multi-layered strategy for national conservative organizations to support Supreme Court nominees. This is important because this is really the first time that we have developed a

Neil Gorsuch was confirmed by the Senate to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by a vote of 54-45. The strategy Aderholt developed for Gorsuch's nomination became the template for the confirmation campaigns CWA ran for Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Aderholt believes this is some of her most important work, as the confirmations of Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett will play a role in Supreme Court rulings for decades to come. .

“I am just one of many players in a movement that changed the course of court decisions for a lifetime.”

Looking to the future, Aderholt is open to trying new things. Although she did not intend to serve as chief of staff for her CWA, the nation's largest public policy women's organization, she believes God opened a door and she volunteered her time and talents. She thought it was a great opportunity to take advantage of.

Similarly, she never thought she would have the opportunity to serve on the Auburn Board of Trustees, but the door has opened again.

Although the future holds many paths open to her, Aderholt knows one thing for sure. “I continue to be drawn to serving in a way that promotes the people of Alabama and Alabamians.”