Meet the staff – Hilarie Pulley

HopeWorks is blessed with caring staff who are passionate about our students and helping them succeed. One of those employees is Hilarie Pulley, a Personal and Career Development instructor at SCDC and an Employment Essentials instructor at HopeWorks’ Summer Avenue location. Hilarie’s love for others is apparent through her work – we’re so glad to have her on our team! Keep reading to learn more about Hilarie and why she loves HopeWorks.

When did you start working at HopeWorks?

I have a long history with HopeWorks! I initially started in 1999 and worked for several years before leaving to take care of my mom. In January 2016, I came back to be part of the exciting work inside the Shelby County Division of Corrections.

What is your favorite/the most meaningful part about
working at HopeWorks?

I love meeting new students and seeing their faces! We’re blessed with awesome, dedicated students. Additionally, the quality of people at HopeWorks is top notch and I enjoy working with them.

Can you share a story related to your job?

I love seeing students from our past classes. It means so much when they remember us and stay connected.

Since we started at the women’s prison in 2016, 11 female PCD completers have passed away – the most recent one died just two months ago. Their lives remind me the time is now and the harvest is ripe. I want to join God in His work to draw people to Him. This may be a strange example to come to mind, but it serves as a reminder that the Kingdom of God is near.

What does “hope works” mean to you?

To me, it’s freedom to express faith and hope in Jesus. The overall purpose of HopeWorks is faith and belief in Jesus and what He’s done for us; belief that He has a plan and He’s drawing us to Him – all of us.

For someone unfamiliar with HopeWorks, what’s one thing you’d like them to know?

Come visit us! We’d love to meet you. We have quality employees who care about our students and we work well together as a team. I think we’re the best-kept secret in Memphis.

Is there a fun fact about yourself you’d like to share?

Before I started at HopeWorks, I worked at Juvenile Court for 11 years. It was a big deal for me to leave my role because I loved the work and had some seniority. As I was driving to HopeWorks for my first day, I thought to myself, “I’m as pregnant as can be.” I confirmed this suspicion later. If I had known I was pregnant, I wouldn’t have left because of the time off I accrued and the stability I had there, but I know now I was meant to leave because I was supposed to be at HopeWorks. It was time for me to move on and receive the gift God had for me here.