Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerry Ivery.
Hi Jerry, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m originally from Memphis and my parents were church folks. My dad was a preacher. My mom’s father was a preacher. Her grandfather was also a preacher. So the oil runs deep in my family. I was born on the pew as some would say. These weren’t big mega churches. My father and grandfather both led community centered churches that shepherded life for their congregants from birth to burial. This gave me a strong foundation for what community looked like. For us, love put into action meant showing up for strangers in their time of need. Community was something we built and invested in. As I got older, my queerness separated me from the community that I was raised in. After graduating from law school and burying my mom, I moved to Nashville. I was enjoying a successful career as a corporate attorney, but I missed that deeper sense of gratification that I got from the community work I experienced as a preacher’s kid.
That feeling hit a crescendo in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd. I was marching on the streets and looking for new ways to feel connected while social distancing was still in effect. At that time, my friend, Dr Brian Marshall, called and asked me to help him with his organization, Mashup. I later found out that Brian called me after he was going through a rough time himself. He had prayed and asked God for help to get Mashup back on track. God gave him a list of folks to call and I was on the list. Of course I said yes. Initially my role with MashUp was only on a volunteer basis. I was lending my operational and legal expertise to help run the operations. But slowly one thing led to another, Mashup grew and I grew with it. In 2024, I quit what I thought was my dream attorney job. With extra time on my hands, I started pouring more energy into Mashup. Slowly the work became my life. I was called.
From the beginning of my time with Mashup, Dr. Brian Marshall always said that he didn’t want to stay in his role forever. We both had seen many leaders stay in their position for too long, many of them taking their position to the grave and along with it, the organization that they spent their lifetime building. Brian was adamant that he didn’t want that to happen to Mashup. He wanted to be an example of a leader/founder that made way for others. Someone that was able to birth an idea and give it the autonomy to outgrow him. In fall of 2025, Brian made the decision that it was time for someone else to take the lead. Initially I was devastated. At that point, Brian and I had both quit our jobs in pursuance of the mission. Over the last couple of years, we built up Mashup together and his decision to step down felt like he was divorcing me and this beautiful thing we built. But after I got out of my feelings, I realized that my friend was staying true to his word, and building a legacy of regenerative and sustainable leadership. He was also pushing me into the spotlight to be a greater version of myself. For that I’m grateful. In February 2026 I officially was installed as the Chief Executive Officer of Mashup.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course not. You can’t experience true growth or change without some amount of difficulty or pain. When MashUp got its first major grant, it was flow-thru federal funds. So the budget was strict and the money was only distributed on a reimbursable basis. Sometimes it would take 3-4 months for us to get paid. Meanwhile the organization was still incurring expenses. For years, Brian (Founder of MashUp) and I, couldn’t take any of the money allocated towards our salary because we needed funds to operate the organization. We funded a lot of the work with our personal money. Eventually more people started to invest in our mission and the organization became more financially stable. Transparently, I still give thanks just for having the cash to make payroll.
In 2025, our world shifted again and the already daunting task of running a Black queer nonprofit in a conservative Southern state, got a lot more difficult. All of our funding sources tied to federal dollars dried up overnight. Many corporate donors stopped supporting anything too queer or too black. We even were uninvited from community events held by larger nonprofit entities because we were too provocative. Yet despite of all of this, in 2025 MashUp was still able to grow fiscally and in our outreach. It turned out to be our biggest year to date. The challenges forced us to evolve and grow in ways I didn’t imagine.
We’ve been impressed with MashUp, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have the proud pleasure of leading MashUp, a grassroots nonprofit organization advancing health equity by centering Black queer liberation and building unapologetic, identity-driven care systems shaped by our community. Wholeness is our path to healing. Simply put, Mashup is working to heal people through integration. We are bringing all the pieces home. Many of us, especially people of the black queer experience were taught that we had to divide ourselves, and hide our ugly parts. MashUp makes space so that people can be their full selves in the light and safety of intentional community. This type of loving community is only built through collaboration and partnership with those who share a similar mission and values. We are an architect of black queer culture and community. I am consistently amazed and humbled by how this work has affected those in community with us. I want people to know that when they come to a Mashup space, they are loved.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson that I learned is to trust myself and my intuition. I had to learn to trust the universe living inside of me instead of always seeking outside validation or consent. I firmly believe that each human exists and was a configured in a unique way to serve a specific role in this life. The only way we find out what that special something is, is by following our own inner guidance. But many of us are trained not to trust ourselves. Trusting and loving myself as a forge my own path hasn’t been easy. It’s taken a lot of bravery, a lot of what looked like foolish decisions to others. It’s taken patience and compassion. But the freedom and self love that I have experienced because of it is immeasurable.
Pricing:
- We are a nonprofit. We really try to make the majority of our programming free. Or if the cost is associated its usually subsidized. If folks want to support our work please make a donation via our website www.mashupnation.org/donate or hire us to throw an event, or teach a workshop.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mashupnation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mashup.nation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mashupfamily/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jerryivery
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mashup.nation
