How Lindsey Kay is navigating uncertainty as WESST CEO

No question about it — Lindsey Kay’s got a lot going on.

The new head of WESST, Albuquerque’s longtime business support center, started her position just as the U.S. presidential administration was taking office and cutting wide swaths of federal funding, causing confusion and fear among WESST employees and clients.

Kay has replaced WESST’s founder and decadeslong president, Agnes Noonan, bringing even more change to an organization that has been fundamental for small businesses, especially those headed by women, minorities and those new to entrepreneurship.

It’s also a time of great change for Kay herself — she only recently stepped down from Paws and Stripes, the nonprofit she founded 15 years ago to pair military veterans with service dogs.

“Transition of a leader, especially with a longtime leader like Agnes, is a big deal,” Kay says. “And there’s definitely uncertainty around what the future of federal funding in general is going to look like and what does that mean for our long-term plan. Honestly, the sense of what that feels like kind of changes day to day. That definitely renders a little bit of anxiety for some folks.”

Nearly 60% of WESST’s $5 million budget comes from the federal government. The organization has 34 employees and offers business consulting, training, incubation and access to capital.

Kay was 24 when she started Paws and Stripes, jumping from a job as a veterinary technician into the world of social work. She got a master’s degree in the field last year.

Considering all that, Kay has no immediate changes in mind for WESST; rather she wants to update what currently exists and “focus on where are we at, where do we want to be long term and what do we need to do right at this moment to be in the right place to get there.”

Why did you leave Paws and Stripes?

It felt like the right moment. The analogy I like to use … is that everything was really where it should be, and it seemed like this was my time to let the kid go to college, if you will. I was entertaining a few different options, really trying to decide do I want to stay in the assistance dog industry, do I want to shift a little bit, what makes sense? I had also just finished my graduate program for social work, so I was really in a place where I needed to get real with myself, what was important to me and where I wanted to be.

Why WESST?

I’m really dedicated to my work being in service. I also really wanted to work with potentially a broader population — still working with vulnerable and marginalized populations, but I wanted to expand that reach a little bit. WESST really serves to provide a lot of free access to education and then networking to access resources and funding that a lot of folks historically have not had access to. Just everything fell into place.

What do you do to decompress?

I’m an avid reader. I love reading all kinds of things. Last year, I read 140 books. I love hiking. I love spending time with my dogs. And then if I can get a couple extra Zs, I’ll take it.

Tell me about a difficulty you have experienced.

Over the course of trying to start a nonprofit, there are so many examples. But I’ll just use right now at WESST (as an example). At the beginning of the year, the (presidential) inauguration happened, and then right away a whole lot of things have been blitzkrieging everybody’s heads.

It’s resulted in this sort of barrage on the clients we serve: “What does this mean for the future of my business? I don’t understand tariffs — what is this going to mean for supplies for my business?” “I’m a member of the LGBTQ community — what does that mean for my safety?”

These are the things that are coming at us from our clients that we have to be thinking about. And also, from my end, we have new expectations from some of our federal funders that were pretty sudden and a lot to navigate.

Who inspires you?

My mom. I’m so proud of her right now, too. She still lives in South Carolina, where I’m originally from. She has found herself also overwhelmed in this particular moment and … has decided she is going to organize herself and her community out there. And my partner, who has done so much work in his career in social work. And so when you’re surrounded by family who are also people who inspire you, that’s really quite the gift.

What got you interested in social work?

I’ve always been really invested in environmental justice, since I was small. When I was in second grade, I started a Save the Earth club and I organized everybody’s jobs for the club, and it was a whole thing. So I think I’ve been trying to lead and organize my whole life.

What’s something you’re proud of?

At Paws and Stripes, we had a graduate who had been receiving services for many years and had completed (training) with their dog, Frank. Then, toward the end of their life, they were diagnosed with some pretty severe ailments that meant they were in palliative care. But they didn’t have immediate family or anyone to serve the role that family does at the end of life.

So not only did the staff show up in that way, there was always someone by their bedside, always someone checking in. We had this flow of support happening, and it included current employees, past employees, volunteers and a whole slew of other graduates, other veterans. In these critical moments, the way that people just show up for each other regardless of where they’re coming from … is maybe one of the greatest miracles of humanity.

What gives you hope?

Our kids, our dogs, our family, music, laughing with people. These little things are the chimes of the human spirit. Maybe that sounds really woo-woo, but the older I get, it’s the little things.