Hayley Wakefield

Hayley Wakefield is an Austin-raised entrepreneur with a passion for hospitality and community engagement. She graduated from the University of Texas with a degree is political science and quickly found herself working as a Development Director for local nonprofit, Marbridge Foundation. During her time at Marbridge she founded a side projected called The Hip Humanitarian, a socially impactful subscription box and lifestyle company. Hayley's passion for community and curiosity for corporate social responsibility later led her to lead community engagement efforts at BuildASign.com and Notley Ventures. In 2016 she began working on her true passion project — The Refinery, which started as a coworking and event space for creative entrepreneurs and naturally transitioned to a work and social community for women, the first of its kind in Austin. The Refinery closed April 2019, but during its life brought thousands of people through its doors and established itself as a hospitality brand that truly defined what it meant to be an authentic and people-first community. Hayley is currently exploring what her next move looks like and is working on her first podcast, Trach Juice, an female-focused interview series on the real sh*t that comes with starting businesses.