Catherine Maddox Walton

Catherine Maddox Walton is board chair of the J. F Maddox Foundation, based in Hobbs, New Mexico. The JFMF is a geographically concentrated foundation that innovates primarily in education, economic development, and social services. Catherine, her brothers and cousins represent the 3rd generation of this commitment to family philanthropy and to the county where they grew up.

Outside of her philanthropic work, Catherine is an experienced educator and former literacy coordinator/coach in New York City. With almost two decades of primary teaching experience and leadership and a masters in literacy from Columbia, she is committed to discovering effective ways to transform young children into confident readers and writers.

After moving to Texas in 2020, she left the school setting and founded Plus One Literacy, an online early literacy instructional business. Through this platform, she is able to reach and support young readers all over the country. Catherine also works as a professional learning facilitator for the AIM Institute for Learning & Research, which supports the development of teacher knowledge around evidence-based literacy instruction.

The intersection between philanthropy and improving the quality of literacy instruction in our country is a passion that her role with JFMF allows her to explore.