STUDENT CENTER:
Student Spotlight: Walter Duvall, CNM Candidate
Q. As a student new to the Mandel Center, you are considered to be a 'career changer.' Tell us a bit about your career path up to this point.
My first career was spent in a large for-profit corporation. My field was Information Technology and it was in a constant state of change, not only in the content of the technology but in the manner in which it was used in the business enterprise. New business concepts and practices were emerging from the academic world, as well as from other very successful businesses. My role was to assess and integrate the technology with business practices that were most appropriate to our company. These practices were applied to alter the way in which the company's various business units "did their business" with the goal of significantly improving performance. Usually, each project started with a review of the business unit's strategic plan to identify which processes could and should be transformed to better align them with the business objectives.
While that first career was fast-paced, pressure-ridden and, actually, very "people intensive," it was also very rewarding. I worked with many very talented, highly motivated people and it is amazing to see the variety of potential solutions to the same problem. My challenge and gratification was to explore these and bring a team to a common, committed view.
Q. What influenced you to make the change from the for-profit industry to the nonprofit sector?
For over 15 years, I was heavily involved in the support of Cleveland Opera, now called Opera Cleveland after its merger with Lyric Opera Cleveland. Not only does Opera Cleveland produce grand opera productions in the State Theatre, it has educational and community outreach programs and performances that serve an additional 80,000 people each year.
I began assisting Cleveland Opera with special event fundraising. Later, I was asked to join the Board of Trustees where I became very engaged in other forms of fundraising and a variety of committees, including strategic planning. As with any performing arts group, funding, marketing, expense control, and people issues are major challenges.
In addition to opera, I had a nonprofit involvement of a much different nature; I was president of my condo association for about 10 years.
After a brief retirement "rest" from all outside activities, I felt I needed the organizational involvement and mental challenge that I had always enjoyed - but maybe not as much of each that I had in the past. I also wanted the satisfaction of making a contribution to the community and society. I chose to accomplish these objectives by integrating the unique experiences and insights that I gained from each of my previous parallel paths into a single "second career."
Q. What have you enjoyed most about your time at the Mandel Center so far?
While I had a significant amount of involvement in many aspects of nonprofit management issues, I believed that the Mandel Center program would formalize and round out my knowledge.
I entered the Certificate in Nonprofit Management program this semester and so far it has been very stimulating. What has been most interesting is the diversity of the students. The range covers career pre-entry, mid-career, and "late switchers" such as myself. Interest in all forms of nonprofit fields, such as arts, health, and social, has been expressed in the discussions. And surprisingly, at least to me, there are students from all over the planet.
Most importantly, at the Mandel Center the practical viewpoint is always emphasized. Formal knowledge and real world application seem to be well blended. Courses led by industry practitioners bring firsthand experience to the classes.
Q. Is there anything that you have found challenging during your transition?
Moving from the business world to classical “retirement” and then into the nonprofit-oriented classroom has been exciting and challenging. In the classroom covering the many types of nonprofit organizations, I find the terminology is different, issues are different, social milieu is different, and the age mix is significantly younger. I find this to be very stimulating.
Q. How do you hope your Mandel Center experiences will impact your future and career goals?
I am looking for the Mandel Center experience to assist me in establishing a complete “nonprofit mindset.” I am expecting the richness of the experience to expedite my understanding of the differences, and reasons for the differences, between the for-profit and the nonprofit environments, and to facilitate the translation of my previous experiences into the vocabulary and format of nonprofits.
I plan to draw upon all of the Mandel Center’s resources to provide me awareness of and access to the many opportunities in the nonprofit arena and to leverage the Center’s reputation in pursuing these opportunities.
Q. What other organizations, hobbies, interests, etc do you try to make time for?
At the present time, I do not have significant involvement in organizations. Upon retirement, I moved from a condo to a house; inside and outside maintenance provide significant activity opportunities throughout the year. I also try to maintain a regular fitness routine and in my spare time, I like to cook.
However, to ease my way back into the working world, I am currently consulting to a health care organization on improving their business performance in a rapidly changing competitive environment.
Q. Is there anything else that you would like to share with us about yourself?
One of the most interesting and gratifying involvements that I have had was assisting a friend publish a book of short stories. She started writing when she was about 100 years old. After writing several stories of remembrances from throughout her long life, she desired to share them with others. Drawing upon my past interactions with printers for fundraising events, I was able to make arrangements for all the details. At 106, she sent as a surprise a lasting document of her life to about 150 special friends and acquaintances – each with a personal handwritten note.
