Message from the Executive Director:
Dear Friends of the Mandel Center,
We are thrilled to have now enjoyed more than a semester in our new building! The incredible amount of sunlight that fills our offices, thanks to the beautiful design of our new home, has kept us warm through the winter months.
Despite the cold, we had many exciting happenings at the Center. A new class of 16 enthusiastic, talented and diverse students joined the Center in January. These new students come from a wide spectrum of geographical locations, including China and Taiwan, as well as a variety of career paths. Meet one of our new students, Walter Duvall, who recently left the for-profit world to become more involved in the nonprofit sector.
We also welcomed two Mandel Center alumni as new staff members: Michele Murphy, MNO '93, as Director of Professional Development Programs, and Arlene Sheeran, MNO '99, as Director of Marketing and Development.
This issue's Faculty Feature introduces another newcomer to the Center, Elliot Posner, Assistant Professor of Political Science, who is teaching International Non-Governmental Organizations for the first time this semester.
Our Alumni Spotlight for this issue is Maria Guralnik, MNO '92, General Manager for the Van Cliburn Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas. Read about what influenced Maria to leave her life in New York City and enroll at the Mandel Center.
Approximately 200 youth and adults attended the Youth Philanthropy and Service 12th Annual Workshop for a day of service-learning activities. Additionally, the Treu-Mart Youth Development Fellowship Program has now begun its seventh cohort. And, be sure to take a look at our list of very engaging Professional Development offerings for the spring semester.
The Mandel Center has also had the pleasure of teaming up with Community Wealth Ventures to form Cleveland Community Wealth Initiative, an 18-month project to help nonprofits develop new revenue streams and reduce their dependency on donations.
We continue to busy ourselves planning some very exciting events for 2008, such as the Graduation Celebration, which will be held for the first time in our new building; the Alumni Annual Meeting (more details to come); and the Nonprofit Awards luncheon, which will be held in the fall this year. Please stay tuned for more information about these events and other information from the Mandel Center.
Sincerely,
Susan L. Eagan
Executive Director
