Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 23, 2010
Hamico executive director dedicated to charity work
David Laprad
Alexis Bogo is the executive director of Hamico in Chattanooga, a private, non-operating foundation. She’s also on the executive committee at Memorial Hospital, the board of Siskin’s Children’s Institute, the board of the Chattanooga Theatre Center and the leadership council of The Trust for Public Land.
- David Laprad
If an artist were to create a portrait of Alexis Bogo, he’d paint a picture of a poised, well-dressed, attractive woman on the verge of 40. She’d be smiling, as most people who pose for portraits are, but if he caught her at the right moment, he might catch a hint of bashfulness in her expression. What he would not be able to include would be any evidence of stress that had built up over the years, tell-tale signs one sees on the faces of men and women who have shouldered great burdens. That’s because Bogo has lived a life of consistent opportunity, and she’s in a place where she can, and does, devote a lot of time to passing on that good fortune to others.
In June, Bogo won Dancing with the Stars Chattanooga, a competition that benefitted the local nonprofit, Partnership for Families Children and Adults. Held at Tivoli Theater, the event took Bogo out of her comfort zone, but allowed her to “do something for a great cause.”
Jason Taylor, who won in 2009, and Alison Lebovitz, last year’s fan favorite, had talked her into competing. The reality of what I was doing didn’t hit me until I was on stage. I’ve played a lot of sports and I do a lot of public speaking, but I would have rather played ping pong in front of all of those people than danced,” she says.
Perhaps Taylor and Lebovitz, both friends of Bogo, thought she’d be an easy catch because of her propensity for charity work. Although she’s been involved in various efforts over the years, she’s currently on the executive committee at Memorial Hospital, where she co-chaired “Pink” with her husband, Barry; the board of Siskin’s Children’s Institute, where she and Barry have co-chaired Star Night; the board of the Chattanooga Theatre Center; and the leadership council of The Trust for Public Land.
Bogo is the granddaughter of the late Alexander Guerry, Jr., president and chairman of the board of Chattem for 32 years. Like other philanthropic families whose members have donated time and money to the Chattanooga community, the Guerrys are known for their charity work. Bogo, then, is simply doing what comes natural.
“My great grandmother, Charlotte Patten Guerry, brought the first chapter of the Junior League to Chattanooga, and was one of the founding members of Little Miss Mag. My grandfather helped to build the Roundhouse, the public library and the tennis courts at Baylor. And my dad has been involved with UTC, the United Way and Baylor. So it’s what I learned growing up. It’s in my blood,” she says.
Although Bogo says she’s been on boards on which she was content to observe rather than contribute, that’s the rare exception. For the most part, if she attaches herself to an organization or an event, she goes all in.
“I love the logistic side of events, and making sure everything is done properly, down to there not being too many salt and peppershakers on the tables. If I’m going to be involved in an event, I’m going to be involved in every aspect of the event,” she says.
Because Bogo enjoys volunteer work, she has to fight the temptation to say yes to everything people ask her to do. If she doesn’t, she’ll overextend herself, as she did when she first returned to Chattanooga in the late ‘90s after living in Atlanta for several years.
“I wound up saying yes, yes, yes, and I also had a job, so I didn’t feel good about anything I was doing,” she says. “So, I’ve learned to say no. I’d rather be involved in a few things and do them well than be involved in tons of things and not make a difference anywhere.”
Bogo hardly has to worry about not making a difference, as she’s elbow deep in good causes, even at work. As the executive director of Hamico in Chattanooga, Bogo takes grant requests and handles the daily operations of the private, non-operating foundation. The position in turn affords her ample freedom to do other things, as she’s in the office just three days a week.
“It’s nice to be able to do all of these things and still have a balance in my life between family, work and community,” she says.
Bogo grew up in Chatta-nooga, living with her father after her parents divorced when she was six. In 1985, she was among the first class of girls admitted to Baylor, where she played tennis and basketball.
“I was a better basketball player, but when your name is Guerry, you play tennis,” she says, referring to her father’s pre-Chattem days as a professional player.
Upon graduation from high school, she attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas with an eye on going into sports marketing. While there, she interned with the Dallas Cowboys, running the tryouts for the cheerleading program.
“My friends kept trying to talk me into trying out, but I didn’t,” she says, laughing and burying her face in her hands.
Upon earning a degree in marketing at SMU in 1993, Bogo secured an internship with Turner Sports in Atlanta, where she helped to market the Braves, the Hawks and other local sports organizations. She then took a position with a sports agent, which ended up turning her off to the world of sports.
“I was in my mid-’20s, single, and out of school, so it was fun for a while, but then it became obvious it was a world of egos and money, and I realized I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life catering to the athletes.”
Bogo’s dad, the CEO at Chattem, suggested she “come home and chill out for a while.” Although she’d never envisioned herself returning to Chattanooga, she followed his advice in 1998, buying a small house on Lookout Mountain and taking a job as a marketing assistant with the Gold Bond brand at Chattem.
Slowly, the world of sports faded into the past and Bogo started putting down deeper roots in Chattanooga.
“We were shooting a commercial, and someone asked me if I missed being in sports. I said no, because our brands products didn’t talk back to me,” she says.
A little over a year after moving to Scenic City, she met her future husband at a Children’s Home Chambliss Shelter golf tournament. Today, they have a four-year-old son who’s learning the family ways.
“Last Christmas, we packed up a bag of toys and donated it. He wasn’t happy about it, but I told him that’s the way it’s going to be. I want to instill in him the importance of giving back,” she says.
As Bogo prepares to enter her 40s, she sees a big question mark ahead of her. She didn’t foresee the good things that would happen in her 30s, either, so she’s not worried. The one thing she knows she’ll continue to do is contribute her time, effort and resources to worthwhile organizations.
“I’ve been given so many opportunities, and been so fortunate, I have no choice but to give back,” she says.
If an artist were to create a portrait of Chattanooga, small portions of his canvas would be shaped by Bogo, a woman who has turned a life of consistent opportunity into one of improving the lives of others. Although Bogo is just one of many people in the city who embrace fundraising, she leads by example, engages others and strives daily to make Chattanooga a better place to be. She says she has no choice, but she does, and that makes all the difference.
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