Evolving Nonprofits in a Changing Economy
Join panelists as they discuss the survival of the non-profit in today's economy.
Saturday, May 21, 2011, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Jonas Clark Hall, Room 118
Panelists include:
Ramon Borges-Mendez, Associate Professor of Community Development and Planning, Clark University
Robin Cohen '06, M.P.A. '07, Community Relations Officer, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Boston
Jonathan Kappel '81, Director of Development, Anti-Defamation League-New England
Shelia McCann '71, Managing Partner, Beddows McCann Consulting
Steven Singer '91, Campaign Director, Entertainment Media and Communication Division - UJA Federation of New York
Peter Wayne '76, Associate Director, Queens Library Foundation
Ramon Borges-Mendez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and has a professional career in the United States and abroad. He has held academic positions at UMASS-Boston, UMASS-Amherst, American University's School of International Service, The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and the University of Chile's Public Policy Graduate Program. Borges-Mendez has also served as a Research Associate at the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at UMass Boston. He has worked as a consultant for the Ford Foundation, the World Bank, the Economic Commission on Latin American and the Caribbean of the United Nations (ECLAC), The United Nations' Department for Social and Economic Affairs, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Brookings Institution, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, and the Government of Chile. He has written on various public policy issues: workforce development; labor markets; Latino CBOs; Latino poverty and community development in the United States; immigration; decentralization and civil society matters in Latin America. In 2005, he was chosen as William Díaz Fellow by Non-Profit Academic Centers Council. Borges-Mendez is a member of the advisory board of the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, and the Center for Social Policy, both UMASS-Boston. In 2007, he was appointed commissioner to Gov. Deval Patrick's Advisory Council on Refugees and Immigrants, and to the Asset Development Commission. Currently, he is doing research on Puerto Rican low-wage workers in Puerto Rico and the USA, a project sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CUNY-Hunter College). He is also an elected member of the board of directors of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA).
Robin Cohen '06, M.P.A. '07 currently serves as Community Relations Officer at Jewish Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Boston, New England's oldest youth-mentoring agency. In this capacity, she oversees the agency's recruitment and retention of 350 volunteer mentors each year. In addition she manages the online presence as well as developing a young professionals board that works to increase the visibility and involvement of people in their 20s and 30s in the organization's mission. Prior to joining JBBBS, Robin worked in fellowship recruitment at Building Excellent Schools. Besides her continued involvement with Clark since graduation, Robin serves on the Board of Directors of the Young Non-Profit Professionals Network of Greater Boston, a group that works to provide support and resources for young professionals working in the local nonprofit community.
Jonathan Kappel '81 joined the Anti-Defamation League New England Region as Director of Development in 2005 and directs the annual fundraising operations for one of the premier civil rights agencies in the United States. As part of the senior management team, his responsibilities include fundraising, program development and internal operations. Additionally he is an active participant in ADL's national development team. Prior to the ADL, Jonathan was Director of Development at Clark University.
A 1981 graduate of Clark University with a B.A. in Government, he began his career as Director of Admissions and Operations at Bay State College in Boston, MA. A successful transition to the field of fundraising followed with his eight year tenure at Clark. While at his alma mater, Jonathan was part of the team responsible for raising over a $100 million as part of the Campaign for the New Century as well as rejuvenating the Clark Fund, the University's annual fund.
Jonathan was one of the recipients of ADL's 2008 Senn/Greenberg Award for Professional Excellence. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Jonathan is involved in his community, volunteering his time and knowledge of fundraising and organizational management. He served as President of Temple Beth Shalom a congregation of 680 families and is the past fundraising chair of the Needham Educational Foundation.
Jonathan and his wife Carol Bolton Kappel, Clark Class of 1985 are the proud parents of daughter Dana, who recently completed her freshman year at Syracuse University. An avid skier, Jonathan also enjoys his summers at the beach, golfing and spending time outdoors.
Shelia McCann '71
Steven Singer '91 is the campaign director of the entertainment, media and communications division for UJA-Federation of New York. Raising over $7 million annually from the entertainment community in NY, Steven works with top industry leaders within the entertainment and media community to connect them to the mission of UJA-Federation. Prior to his work at UJA-Federation, Steven was the Japanese division director at the United Way of New York City. Steven holds a master's degree in public administration with a concentration in non-profit development.
Peter Wayne '76 is currently the Associate Director of the Queens Library Foundation, the fundraising arm of Queens Library in New York City. With more than 30 years of experience in the not-for-profit world, Peter's career path includes: Director of the Jackson Heights Children's Center in Queens, New York; Coordinator of Government Funding for Covenant House in New York City; Suffolk County Head Start Director on Long Island; Director of Development for the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center in Roslyn, New York; and Long Island/Queens Regional Director for the Jewish Theological Seminary. Mr. Wayne is also a principal of The Not-For-Profit Shop, a consulting firm he founded with his wife, Beverly.
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