Meet the Director.

Maryam Tree Center is guided by the visionary leadership of Darya Bailey, who serves as the Executive Director and is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, with a diverse background spanning healthcare, nonprofit management, education, holistic health, and psychology. Darya brings a deep understanding of how social, emotional, and systemic factors shape individual and community well being. She is pursuing accelerated studies in Psychology and Educational Counseling with the long term goal of earning a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. A passionate advocate for social equity and community development, Darya is dedicated to advancing psychological science and examining the systemic inequities in healthcare, education, and correctional systems that influence mental health and human well being. Her leadership reflects Maryam Tree Center’s mission to advance research, education, and public scholarship centered on human dignity, institutional accountability, and the psychological effects of structural inequality. Through her commitment to integrating Islamic psychology with contemporary psychological science, Darya ensures that Maryam Tree Center remains a thoughtful and evidence informed platform for inquiry, education, and public impact. Her vision continues to inspire meaningful progress and lasting change in the pursuit of psychological well being and more just institutional systems.

​

This forum is in honor of my beloved Aunt Carol Corbett, who fought tirelessly in her battle with cancer. To my Uncle Tommy Massey, whose fight during the COVID-19 pandemic left a space in our hearts that can never be filled. To my mother, Angenette, a breast cancer survivor whose strength continues to inspire me. To my father, a retired Navy Lieutenant Commander and former Chief Medical Officer of Chicago Naval Medical Center. To my grandfather, a Washington D.C. businessman and Charleston cement truck driver. To my grandmother, Dorthy L. Massey, an Operating Room Registered Nurse whose compassion and dedication to healing continue to inspire my journey. To my great-grandfather, Oliver Massey, who lived in Ardmore Ward 1 during the time of the Black Wall Street Massacre. To all my ancestors from South Carolina, whose faith and fortitude have shaped my path. And to my paternal grandmother, Dorothy Crump, whose legacy continues through every effort I make.