STUDENT CENTER:
Meet the Fall 2007 Entering Class
This fall, the Mandel Center welcomed a new class of students representing the MNO, CNM, MNO/MSSA, MSSA/CNM, JD/CNM and MBA/CNM programs. Students from this new class join the Mandel Center from many geographical locations outside of Ohio, including Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington - and even Israel and Uganda. This class has experience in a variety of fields with students working for such companies and organizations as Benedictine High School, Cleveland Music School Settlement, Corporation for Supportive Housing in Columbus, Eliza Bryant Village, James Family Foundation, NOVA Information Systems, and Shaker Family Center.
MNO candidate Shoshana Ratzabi came to the Mandel Center from Beit She'an Israel and is the recipient of the Arthur J. Naparstek Scholarship Fund. Shoshana most recently worked as the assistant director at Partnership 2000 of the Jewish Agency, a nonprofit organization that promotes the relationship with Cleveland's Jewish community with educational programs, community buildings, and other joint connections between both communities. She is currently living in University Heights with her husband and three children.
"Receiving a full time scholarship to the Mandel Center was an opportunity I couldn't resist," Shoshana said. "My family has always been extremely supportive and when this opportunity came along we all decided that this was the right thing to do. It was not easy packing up the lives of five people and saying goodbye to family and close friends. But I felt that I was on a mission; when I complete my graduate degree I'll be able to return to Israel with my family and hopefully make much needed changes in the non-profit sector there."
Kurt Karakul, CNM candidate, spent 28 years practicing law before retiring to pursue a nonprofit career. He accepted an offer to become the executive director of Third Federal Foundation, formed by Third Federal Savings & Loans, a company that Kurt says he always highly respected.
"I was being asked to help mold a new foundation, to form its policies and procedures, to oversee its operations and help it fulfill a mission of funding education and community development programs in the community I loved," Kurt explained. "I considered this to be an opportunity of a lifetime."
Kurt said he is confident that the nonprofit education he is receiveing from the Mandel Center will assist him in his goal of forming the Third Federal Foundation into a leader in the philanthropic community.
"I believe that the information I will acquire through my instructors and my fellow students at the Mandel Center will allow me to enhance my knowledge about the nonprofit sector, expose myself to diverse strategies and solutions to the problems faced by foundations, and learn to understand more fully how to meet the needs of the Third Federal Foundation and the people and institutions it will serve," Kurt added.
Agnes Hokello, MNO candidate, is originally from Uganda but has been living in Cleveland for the past two years with her husband, who is also a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University, and their two children. While working with a community-centered NGO in Uganda, Agnes developed a passion of working with vulnerable groups like women and the elderly as they strive to improve their family livelihood. Agnes said she is hoping to find a better career in the nonprofit sector and could not think of a more effective way to do so than enrolling at the Mandel Center.
"The Mandel Center has a unique curriculum that will enable me to attain the best training and skills that the world has to offer specifically for nonprofit leaders," Agnes said. "With the Center's practical approach to education and experienced faculty, as well as a diverse student body, I expect to get equipped with all the knowledge and skills I need to face the challenges that are unique to the nonprofit sector."
With over 10 years experience working in various aspects of the nonprofit field, MNO candidate Nikki Delgado was looking for a graduate program and said she immediately decided that the Mandel Center offered everything she was looking for. However, upon enrolling in the MNO program, Nikki also made a commitment to commute from her home in Columbus at least once a week.
"Based on my interaction with staff and faculty during the Information Session and orientation, I believe the education and experience will lessen the pain and strain of the commute," Nikki said.
"Everyone seems committed to providing a quality experience that is both challenging and supportive. I also appreciate that the classes are relatively small, which provides an opportunity to share with fellow participants, and the fact that the program is highly ranked," Nikki added.
Linda Springer, CNM candidate, is currently the executive director of Cleveland Social Venture Partners, but has a diverse professional background that includes working in special alumni and student programs and in donor relations for Case Western Reserve University.
"In most small organizations, whether not-for-profit or for-profit, the leader must wear many hats; my role as executive director of Cleveland Social Venture Partners is no exception," Linda said. "My varied background has been good preparation. At Cleveland SVP, our partners are engaged philanthropists who donate both financial resources and their business expertise in volunteer consulting to other nonprofits to help them reach their goals. My prior work at CWRU developed my skills in relationship building and donor cultivation and stewardship."
"By enrolling at the Mandel Center, I am looking to fill the gaps in my knowledge of nonprofit management and to deepen my knowledge in certain areas to more effectively lead our own organization," Linda added.
The Mandel Center held several orientation and welcoming events for its new students, such as an academic exercise involving a case study with Mandel Center faculty and an individual learning style inventory with Zoe Breen Wood from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. Students also participated in a guided tour of the University Circle area and beyond on Lolly the Trolley, as well as an evening reception at Gwinn Estate in Bratenahl.
The Mandel Center is proud to welcome the Fall 2007 entering class and wishes them great success as they pursue their studies in nonprofit management.
