Time, prayer, and discernment have culminated in a new executive director to take the helm of a pregnancy center in the U.S. capital.
Jamie Maloney has a lengthy tenure at Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center in varying roles, most recently as center director. But after much prayer and deliberation, in mid-August she will become executive director for the center located not far from the center’s namesake of Capitol Hill.
Maloney succeeds longtime Executive Director Janet Durig who has led the center that has served countless women and families, but has made headlines for being targeted following the Dobbs ruling owing to its locale in Washington D.C.
Maloney attended Heartbeat International’s recent Pregnancy Help Institute, a week-long intensive executive-level training, specifically the New Director’s Track. Despite having a long background with the center, she knew the Institute would be helpful.
“I feel like it's given a lot of clarity about different things that I knew a little bit about, but not fully,” she said, “especially just how the board and the ED work together, and the whole organization and what are some things that I feel like the Lord has given me really specific vision for.”
“That's how I knew that He was calling me,” she said of her taking her time to discern whether she would accept the role of executive director. “I couldn't turn off the ideas of where I saw programs growing.”
“I feel like this has given me a base for that, because there's so many different ideas for a foundation, of where some good starting blocks are,” Maloney added, “and knowing that no matter where I start, whenever I venture into that next thing on the to-do list, what resources are available for each of those tasks and goals and different things like that.”
Maloney said it was great to connect with other people on the same journey. She met a woman at Pregnancy Help Institute with a similar story of starting as a volunteer, continuing in almost every area of the ministry, and then recently stepping into being executive director.
“So that's been neat,” she said, “the camaraderie and community that was here.”
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The center director position at Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center was created just last year, Maloney said, after it was recognizing that the executive director was wearing so many hats, overseeing all of the programs and staff, and then also doing all the fundraising.
They decided that the center director would manage the programs, and the executive director would be more outward facing with donors and fundraising. Maloney was client services director before then becoming the center director.
Maloney’s journey through roles at Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center is one that is not uncommon in pregnancy help. She first came to the center 13 years ago as a volunteer for the post-abortion healing program. After a couple years Maloney became “very part-time staff” with the post-abortion program helping to promote the Transforming Your Story that was written by Wendy Giancola at the center. She then began promoting that to different churches at conferences and facilitating post-abortion groups. In 2019 she became client services director, and in 2024 she stepped into the center director role overseeing the programs.
“And then I've been in that role until the Lord nudged me forward to apply for the executive director position,” Maloney told Pregnancy Help News.
Durig had announced her retirement well in advance, talking with Maloney from time to time about succeeding her.
“She had had conversations and asking me if I was interested,” Maloney said.
Seeing the complexities of the job, and recognizing that she had a young family, she felt it wasn’t right either for her family or the center.
“But she continued to ask, so I continued to bring it to the Lord,” said Maloney.
“I spent a really dedicated six months in prayer over just the direction of where He would have for me,” she said. “But even after that, I still felt that it was a no, and that I wasn't to step forward. So, we continued with the search. The search went on for over a year.”
There were lots of questions during this time over whether she was sure, she said.
“But I didn't feel like I had a peace or a green light from the Lord, and so I just continued to say no,” Maloney said.
Having to review potential applicants drove conversations renewed views of the center’s organizational structure.
“I felt that, as we were talking, I felt very visually that the Lord had put a gate in front of me, and then He had lifted that gate, and then He began to push me forward on the path that He had,” she recalled.
This occurred just prior to the Heartbeat Annual Conference in April, where she had signed up to attend the track and classes that were all for the current role of center director, someone overseeing a center’s programs.
“But as I sat in each session, it was like preparation for executive director,” Maloney said. “And so, it was just like, I felt like just the Lord confirming and affirming that this is right.”
After talking to her family and praying about it and seeking other wise counsel, she said it was very clear that this is what the Lord would have for her.
“So, then I applied and went through the application process with the board, and here we are,” said Maloney.
Tweet This: A pregnancy help worker prayed for a long time to discern whether she should take over at the helm of a busy center in the nation's capital.
As of August 18, she will take the role of executive director, Durig will become part-time and be there as a resource and support as needed, tying up loose ends, further training Maloney. Durig will have an emeritus presence from there.
While she was at the Heartbeat Conference, Maloney received another affirmation when she saw a video clip about the New Directors Track at Pregnancy Help Institute.
“So again, while I'm at Conference, the Lord had nudged me,” even though nothing had happened and or been confirmed about her becoming executive director, she said.
Upon returning to the center and conversations moved forward about her becoming executive director, she mentioned Pregnancy Help Institute to Durig, and before she could finish the statement Durig told her to sign up for it immediately. Durig said it would be beneficial for her in either the executive director or center director role.
“Janet was a hundred percent fully supportive and said sign up right away, spots go,” Maloney said. “She's like, don't wait, just sign up.”
Maloney told Pregnancy Help News the question isn’t whether to attend Pregnancy Help Institute, it’s rather, which track? Because she is now curious about the Development Track and how it could help her in her new role.
“I just feel so blessed that I'm getting this before I'm officially in that title (of executive director),” she said. “Again, it just gives such a solid foundation and more than anything, to know both the people at Heartbeat and other centers and resources that they can call to when they don't know.”
Maloney remarked on the fellowship and networking that occurs at Pregnancy Help Institute as well.
“I just continue to be encouraged just by hearing all the work that everyone is doing and how it's so obviously of the Lord and that He's over it, to hear even similar battles that we're facing or struggles or things that are going well,” she said.
“I feel like it's really encouraging and affirming to everybody in this work when they're able to see that the Lord is doing what the Lord is doing in so many different places,” said Maloney, “and He's speaking differently, but the same themes to everybody.”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages Pregnancy Help News.
