Inside every young adult lies the potential to become a future leader. Here at Hephzibah, we believe in empowering and supporting youth to help them become the next generation of leaders. Last year, Hephzibah learned of an important mentorship opportunity that does just that, and we jumped at the chance.
The Golub Capital Board Fellows Program, offered through the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, connects top MBA students with Chicago-area nonprofits for a unique role in board service. After submitting an application, we were granted the chance to work with a board fellow for this 14-month program as a way to elevate and transform the organization while teaching the fellow important leadership skills. The program instills an invaluable commitment to service among these future leaders while also offering them a unique opportunity to leverage their expertise in a real-world setting assisting their partner organization to accomplish a major strategic goal or help with a complex project.
Our first collaboration which began in March 2022 was with Lucia Paris Hoyos, who served on Hephzibah’s Board of Directors as an ex-officio (non-voting) member. As an already experienced MBA Candidate, Lucia helped to create the 2024-2027 strategic plan which will guide the direction of our agency for the next four years. Having had such a wonderful and productive experience in our first year as a host site for the board fellows program, we didn’t hesitate to apply again. We were matched with another board fellow, Amanda Montgomery, who joined our board in March, also as an ex-officio member and will help us implement key aspects of our strategic plan.
This unique collaboration benefits all involved, and is a wonderful opportunity to give aspiring nonprofit leaders the chance to gain invaluable hands-on experience. According to Lucia, this was a highlight of her MBA experience. We can also say, it was a highlight of our strategic planning process.