Anderson Williams, director of consulting for the Oasis Center, a Nashville-based nonprofit dedicated to helping young people in need, is this year’s recipient of a full tuition sponsorship to the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management Executive MBA program. The award is financed by the Owen School and a winner is chosen through a partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Management.
“This East Nashville native has demonstrated a commitment to creating a safe and nurturing environment for youth consistently and genuinely throughout his life,” said Tami Fassinger, associate dean in charge of the Owen Executive MBA program.
In the past five years at the Oasis Center, Williams has exceeded that commitment through programs such as designing and launching the Nashville College Connection, which is the city’s first and only college access center supporting first-generation, low-income students who want to go to college; designing and implementing the nationally recognized Community IMPACT model for engaging young people in community-based change efforts; and spearheading the Theory of Change to align work, streamline documentation and reporting across the Oasis Center’s five departments and 13 programs.
Williams said he’s thrilled to receive this opportunity because he thinks the nonprofit sector could greatly benefit by taking on some for-profit strategies.
“The nonprofit sector, despite being a huge and growing part of the economy, lacks the educational and economic infrastructure to sustain current models and to fulfill community needs. [rquote]I want to help bridge business and nonprofits to build a more viable social sector and I believe the Vanderbilt Executive MBA program will help me develop the tools to do just that[/rquote],” said Williams.
Owen and the Center for Nonprofit Management launched the program in 2005 to recognize one deserving Middle Tennessee nonprofit executive annually. Application to 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; for one winner each year, the award t covers the full tuition ($85,670) of the 24-month Vanderbilt Executive MBA program. The recipient only pays for EMBA fees, residency trips and books—about $12,000.
Williams and all the candidates applying for sponsorship had to meet the rigorous admission standards set for Vanderbilt’s Executive MBA program including: at least 5 years management experience, a solid GMAT score, the GMAT, college and graduate transcripts, and a formal application and interview.. Those admitted to the Executive MBA program were then considered for the tuition sponsorship by a selection committee.
“I relish the opportunity to be a nonprofit representative in the EMBA program, to be challenged and to challenge prevailing notions that distinguish the for-profit and nonprofit worlds, their models and their notions of leadership,” said Williams.
Past recipients of the tuition sponsorship include Robyn Minton, former director of the YWCA’s Domestic Violence Services program; Michael McSurdy, vice president of program services for the Oasis Center; Mark McCaw, program administrator of Siloam Family Health Center; and Beth Torres, vice president of events and funding development for Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee.
“We have been thrilled with the caliber of nonprofit executives who have engaged in the Executive MBA program since its inception,” said Jim Bradford, dean of the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.”Anderson’s exemplary skills and experience, combined with his passion for helping kids, make him an excellent candidate for this sponsorship.”
[lquote]The Center for Nonprofit Management is an organization committed to helping advance Middle Tennessee nonprofits by providing education, consulting, research, performance evaluation and recognition.[/lquote] The center was established 24 years ago and currently has more than 600 member agencies.
“We are honored to partner with the Owen school to provide an opportunity for a Nashville nonprofit leader to gain the business skills to improve his ability to serve our community,” said Lewis Lavine, president of the Center for Nonprofit Management.
The Executive MBA program at the Owen School is considered one of the worlds’ premier programs. The Vanderbilt Executive MBA program, which began more than 30 years ago, amended its schedule to accommodate the intense work schedules of rising executives. The program now meets on the Vanderbilt campus on alternate Saturdays, so professionals can earn their degrees without interrupting their careers.