Interested in what our different concentrations have to offer? In this post in our series about CIPA concentrations, we hear from Danielle Mearis. Danielle is a second year CIPA fellow focusing in Public and Nonprofit Management. Here she reflects on her professional experience, her decision to concentrate in Public and Nonprofit Management, and specific coursework she has taken in her concentration.
What is your concentration?
My concentration is Public and Nonprofit Management. I am also completing a certificate in as Environmental Finance and Impact Investing (EFII).
What classes have you taken within your concentration?
I have taken Nonprofit Management and Finance, Introduction to Evaluation, Fundraising, Strategic Stakeholder Engagement, International Public and NGO Management, Evaluation of International Programs, Policy Issues in Disaster Prevention and Recovery, Design Thinking: Meeting the Policy Challenge, as well as EFII certificate related courses such as Corporate Responsibility and Managerial Finance.*
*These are all listed as concentration courses, but some count toward other degree requirements.
What classes are you looking forward to taking within your concentration?
This semester I will be taking Accounting for Corporate, Nonprofit, and Public Organizations, Organizational Design, Change, and Leadership, and Topics in Environmental Finance and Impact Investing.
How did you decide on your concentration?
I fell in love with nonprofits because of an internship experience I had during undergrad. I worked with a group of brilliant professionals on issues related to adolescent pregnancy prevention. I loved the mission-focused work and was intrigued by all of the factors that contributed to our effectiveness. I would later work with a different nonprofit focused on children’s welfare – and that experience was very different. I was encouraged to build a skill set that would enable me to effectively lead a nonprofit organization and leverage resources for community impact.
What are your career goals and how do you see your concentration helping to achieve them?
I am very interested in social innovation and policy as it relates to women’s reproductive health, and moving into the fiscal sponsorship and impact investing space. My concentration has presented the opportunity to closely study organizational leadership, program efficacy, and finance so that I have the tools to effectively lead in these capacities and more.
To hear more from Danielle, check out her other posts!