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Eastern NC Nonprofit Leaders Make Connections at Duke Program

Leaders from a region in transition seek insights for action

nonprofit leaders

Helen Parke, Reuben C. Blackwell IV and Misty Marston chat during a break during the Duke Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership program.

With the challenges of their local economy in mind, several nonprofit leaders from Eastern North Carolina participated this month in the Duke Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership program exploring how to create a vibrant and growing work environment in communities in transition.

“We’re looking for strategies to engage our communities in workforce opportunities that are sustainable,” said Helen Parke, director of the Office of Sponsored Programs at Pitt Community College in Greenville. As one example, the transition from a tobacco-based economy to a “pharmaceutical crescent” will demand a workforce with different training, she said.

Wells Fargo donated $100,000 for Parke and two other nonprofit leaders in the 29-county eastern region to attend the Executive Certificate program, held Oct. 13-17 at the R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center at the Fuqua School of Business. The applicants were fielded through The Greater Greenville Community Foundation. Other nonprofit leaders in the region will have the same opportunity next year.

Parke says the insights she gained, especially about social enterprises, will help her encourage more collaboration between nonprofits and area colleges. She and her neighbor participants are already discussing how they can put the new ideas to immediate use.

“Nonprofit professionals who attend the Executive Certificate are given an opportunity to re-invent themselves,” says Duke Nonprofit Management Program Director Nancy Love.  “The graduates return home equipped with the enhanced knowledge and skills to manage in today’s nonprofit sector.”

More than two dozen students from Naperville, Ill., to Singapore participated.

Reuben C. Blackwell IV, president and CEO of Opportunities Industrialization Center Inc. in Rocky Mount, says a collaborative approach among nonprofits is essential because the Eastern North Carolina economy is rapidly changing and leaving some “persistent disparities” among residents. “We have to change and adapt to the environment around us,” said Blackwell, who is also a member of the Rocky Mount City Council.

Jack Clayton, Wells Fargo’s regional president of Triangle East Community Banking, says the bank wanted to "to help build strong and vibrant communities and make a positive difference" by giving experienced nonprofit professionals the opportunity to develop more effective entrepreneurial leadership skills.

Misty Marston, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Pitt County, says the Duke program let her take a step back from daily operational concerns and gain insights from her counterparts around the country. “You access a more global view while considering your organization’s potential,” she said. “We’ve even looked at the potential revenue-producing stream of social enterprises.”

For more information about the scholarship, contact Spain at MelissaSpain@gmail.com. The next Executive Certificate is scheduled for Oct. 12-16, 2015.