meet our founder

Fred Bailey

Fred Bailey is the founder of three nonprofits, Children Are People, Inc., The Susie Brannon McJimpsey Center, and newly formed, The Progressive Economic Group, Inc.

He has been recognized at the local, state, and national levels with numerous awards, including the Jefferson Award, our nation’s longest-standing and most prestigious public service honor.

His inspirational life story was featured in The Tennessean and is now immortalized in his debut memoir, Nowhere Near The Bottom.

Mr. Bailey is a frequent public speaker, sharing the philosophy that has propelled him to persevere through blindness, poverty, and discrimination.