Mark McCaw, program administrator of Siloam Family Health Center in Nashville, is the 2008 recipient of the Executive MBA/Center for Nonprofit Management Sponsorship. The award is financed by Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management and the winner is chosen through a partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Management.
The tuition sponsorship was established in 2005 to recognize one deserving Middle Tennessee nonprofit executive annually. Valued at approximately $80,000 toward the full 21-month Vanderbilt Executive MBA program, the sponsorship is open to executives and senior staff members of any Middle Tennessee 501(c)3 organization who have demonstrated commitment to serving in the nonprofit sector.
"This sponsorship is just one of the many programs that helps bring Vanderbilt and the greater Nashville community together and we are thrilled to be a part of it," said Jim Bradford, dean of the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.
Siloam, a Christian ministry, provides medical care to a primarily refugee and immigrant population, regardless of ability to pay, and seeks to provide for the needs of the whole person – physical, emotional and spiritual.
McCaw said he was "honored and humbled" to have been selected for the award. He plans to put his Executive MBA training to work at Siloam by contributing to the design of a pilot training institute that would help other communities emulate the integrated primary care program at Siloam.
"Siloam’s been on a tremendous growth spurt," McCaw said, noting that the Center had 1,100 patient visits in 1999 compared with 17,000 now. "We feel a need to level off. We want to meet the needs we can and meet them well. We have a strong, sustainable program but we do not want to become so large that we lose the special touch we have with our patients."
A training institute would help other communities learn the necessary components to start similar programs, he said.
In addition, McCaw said the MBA training would help provide him the business acumen to handle the challenge of dealing with an increasing number of refugee patients. He also looks forward to the opportunity to network with corporate health care executives through the Owen School. "It’s a tremendous opportunity for dialogue," he said.
"Mark is someone who will contribute considerably to the collective learning environment at Owen, with expertise in some of the toughest state and federal issues in health care ranging from refugee screening to human trafficking," said Tami Fassinger, associate dean of executive programs. "He will add significantly to the classroom experience from his nearly 20 years in nonprofit service."
Last year’s nonprofit executive selected for this honor was Michael McSurdy, vice president of program services for the Oasis Center.
"The Center for Nonprofit Management is pleased to collaborate with Vanderbilt to provide this exceptional opportunity to such a deserving recipient," said CNM President Lewis Lavine. "This is one of CNM’s valuable partnerships that enable nonprofit executives to receive professional training and remain in our sector serving the community."
McCaw, who joined the staff at Siloam eight years ago, was working in the banking industry in 1991 when his life’s mission began to change. "I felt a call by God to go into an area of service where I would have a greater impact on the well-being of others," he said. After going back to school and receiving a graduate degree in social work, he went to work for the Tennessee Primary Care Association (TPCA), where he learned about Siloam as one of his clients. It was then a fledgling heath care provider for the poor.
He became a patient of Siloam when, a few years later, he left TPCA for a second job that he subsequently lost. Sick and without insurance, he remembered Siloam and sought out medical care.
Siloam CEO, Nancy West, saw him in the waiting room, remembered him and asked him to volunteer his time at Siloam while he job-hunted. Job offers came in, but West instead asked him to stay on board at Siloam. "It was a divine way to go about finding a job," McCaw said.
With a mission of integrating the Christian faith with serving those in need through health care, Siloam is a perfect fit for McCaw. His primary job has been to put organizational structure in place to deal with the growing operation. "I serve more as an administrative backbone on the program side to ensure consistent quality," he said. "I make sure we meet donor expectations as well as deal with a myriad of complex issues the clinic faces in providing care to low-income uninsured patients."
As part of its service to patients, Siloam incorporates hundreds of volunteers including many physicians from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. McCaw works with other staff to train staff and volunteers in developing their ability to provide, "culturally competent, whole-person care."
"It takes a great team and a lot of hustle to make that happen," he said.
The Center for Nonprofit Management is an organization committed to helping advance Middle Tennessee nonprofits by providing education, consulting, research, performance evaluation and recognition. The Center was established 21 years ago and currently has more than 600 member agencies.
The Executive MBA program at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management began 30 years ago, meeting on the Vanderbilt campus on alternate weekends so professionals can earn their degrees without interrupting their careers.
Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management is ranked as a top institution by BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times and Forbes. For more information about Owen, visit www.owen.vanderbilt.edu. For more information about Siloam, visit www.siloamhealth.org.
Media Contact: Jennifer Johnston, (615) 322-NEWS
jennifer.johnston@vanderbilt.edu