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• Janice Bigelow, CPA: Becoming the First CFO at Communities In Schools

  Communities In Schools hired Janice Bigelow as its first full-time CFO in January 2005. Prior to accepting the position, she conducted a thorough assessment of whether the organization was ready to hire a CFO, and whether she was the right fit for the position.
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• CEO Perspectives: An Interview with Dan Cardinali, President, Communities in Schools

  In each “CEO Perspective” we explore the experiences of an individual leader, sharing how s/he overcomes challenges and navigates his or her role within an organization. This issue we feature a conversation with Dan Cardinali, the president of Communities in Schools (CIS), in which he shares how he approaches his role, hires senior team members, and keeps CIS’s affiliates connected, among other reflections.
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• Marshall Chapin and Envision Schools: Reflections on Hiring a Bridger

  A bridger and the nonprofit CEO who hired him share their perspectives on the process of hiring and transitioning a bridger.
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• Barbara Chow: From Public Policy to Philanthropy

  Barbara Chow, the education program director for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, shares how the skills she developed during her career with the federal government were natural assets to her new philanthropic role.
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• D. Brian Collier: Stepping Out of Legal Shoes into the Nonprofit Sector

  For Brian Collier, transitioning from being an attorney in a law firm to a legal position in a nonprofit was relatively easy. The hard part came when he had to step out of his legal shoes into
  general management positions.
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• Brenna Copeland: Staying Focused on Your “Value-add”

  When Brenna Copeland decided to shift her career from the for-profit to nonprofit sector, her primary motive was to make a difference. But rather than framing her career switch in largely altruistic terms, Copeland focused on the specific skills that could help a nonprofit better serve its mission.
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• Phil Cunliffe: Transitioning from Money Management to Helping the Poor and Disenfranchised

  Phil Cunliffe, a successful investment manager, was surprised to find how much he loved the interim leadership role he’d assumed at a small nonprofit. He became the director of financial services at the $17 million nonprofit St. Anthony Foundation in 1998 and has been helping people who are poor or disenfranchised ever since.
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• Mike Dunn, CPA: Consolidating Financial Operations at Outward Bound Inc.

  Mike Dunn used his experience merging three geographically dispersed family-owned businesses to become a key player in the consolidation of seven independent, regional Outward Bound schools into one national organization.
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• Kathy Heagney Williams' Path to the Nonprofit Sector: The Power of Networking

  Kathy Heagney Williams, chief financial officer of Zoo Atlanta, shares how her networking skills helped her find her current position, and how they continue to help her build her nonprofit career.
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• Chip Hollands: “Cold Call” Reaps Big Rewards

  Charles “Chip” Hollands explains how a cold-call led to his becoming chief financial officer at the Calvert Social Investment Foundation.
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• Caroline Horton: Growth Opportunities within a Growing Organization

  Caroline Horton began her career as an entry-level finance manager and grew to become a chief financial officer. And she did it all within the same nonprofit organization.
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• Sid Johnston: Leveraging Political Savvy in a Nonprofit Career

  Sid Johnston credits a string of political experiences—in the for-profit world, and on the campaign trail—for giving him the skills to work with disparate groups on charged issues.
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• Charles Kamasaki: Challenging Yourself

  Charles Kamasaki, executive vice president of National Council of La Raza (NCLR), has built his entire career at that organization. But, as he points out, there have been several times in his career at NCLR where he has had the opportunity to try something completely new. And when the opportunity fits his goals and interests, his approach has always been to jump in wholeheartedly.
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• Chrystal Kornegay and Mossik Hacobian: Leaders and Partners at Urban Edge

  Mossik Hacobian and Chrystal Kornegay have blurred the traditional ED and COO roles to forge a unique partnership at Urban Edge.
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• John B. Latchford, CPA: From Board Chair Through Catastrophe to CFO and CEO

  John Latchford followed an atypical career path: originally serving as board chair and then CFO of San Francisco Goodwill Industries, he then moved across the Bay to become CEO of its sister organization, Goodwill Industries of the Greater East Bay.
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• Nancy Lewis: Moving Within the Nonprofit Sector

  Over the course of 30 years, Nancy Lewis had built a successful career in the Massachusetts nonprofit performing arts arena. But in December 2008, severe financial pressures forced the theater where she served as general manager to lay off virtually its entire staff, including her.
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• Christy Lueders: From Volunteer Fundraiser to a Decade as Full-time CFO

  Christy Lueders quickly rose through the ranks as a volunteer fundraiser while working as a commercial lender. When the Seattle Y asked if she would be interested in interviewing for the CFO position, she jumped—and over the past 10 years she has played a key role in growing the organization from $27 million to $57 million in revenues.
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• Ross Maund: Doing Your Homework to Smooth the Transition

  Ross Maund, CEO and President of Junior Achievement Canada and the Canada Business Hall of Fame, shares what he wish he had known before taking his current nonprofit role.
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• Emily McCann: Navigating an Organization’s Decision to Create the COO Position

  Emily McCann was a self-proclaimed “outside-the-box” candidate when Citizen Schools hired her as chief financial officer. Less than two years later, she became the organization’s first chief operating officer.
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• Olivia Millard: Building Skills and Maintaining Connections

  Olivia Millard, The Nature Conservancy’s director of conservation partnerships and learning for the Asia Pacific region, has kept two goals in mind since college: to work in conservation and to expand her horizons by seeing the world and learning about new cultures. Her current job is a perfect marriage of the two, but each job leading up to this one allowed her to build her skill set and, just as importantly, to strengthen her professional network.
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• Dianne Morales: Learning from Missteps

  When Dianne Morales graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, her plan was to make a career of working directly with troubled teens. And at first, she did. But a series of career moves, and not always the right ones, led her through a learning process that helped her develop new skills and reinforce her career aspirations.
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• David Nelson: Scaling the Wall into the Sector

  After a 30-year career at IBM, David Nelson left his job to search for a nonprofit management position. He discusses how he decided to make such a big change and how he found his way to the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
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• James O’S Morton: Life as a Nonprofit CEO

  The day-to-day responsibilities for nonprofit chief executive officers (CEOs) can vary greatly. To help would-be nonprofit CEOs better understand the role, we interviewed James O’S Morton, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield, about the challenges he first faced when joining the Y, and his ongoing responsibilities as CEO.
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• Elizabeth Ortiz: Balancing Mission and Margin at a Fast-Growing Nonprofit

  Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) was on the cusp of a major growth phase when Elizabeth Ortiz came on board as chief operating officer. Ortiz, whose work experience was primarily in the for-profit sector, helped NFF increase the staff’s focus on economics without sacrificing the organization’s core values.
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• Ruth Passo: Discovering the Role that Is the Right Fit

  Finding the right nonprofit role can be challenging. Learn how one bridger used online resources to refocus her job search efforts and find the nonprofit role that was the best fit.
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• Tess Reynolds: A Journey Through Tragedy and Faith to the Nonprofit Sector

  The death of her young son prompted two years of reflection by Tess Reynolds and ultimately resulted in her becoming CEO of New Door Ventures (formerly Golden Gate Community, Inc.).
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• Jaymie Saks: Bringing a Business Perspective to the Jewish Women’s Archive

  Jaymie Saks found herself running home after work to do what she really cared about: her nonprofit work. After more than 15 years in management consulting and business development roles, she shifted sectors and became chief operating officer of the Jewish Women’s Archive.
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• Stephanie Seale: Filling Skills Gaps

  Stephanie Seale, senior manager/program developer at San Francisco, CA-based Inveneo, knew from the time she graduated from college that she wanted to work in the nonprofit field. With an eye towards marrying that aspiration with her interests in technology and international work, she set about gaining experience in those interests and building skills that would help her become a nonprofit leader.
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• Bruce Skyer: Finding a Professional and Personal Fit at Nonprofit Finance Fund

  Bruce Skyer knew he wanted to transition from the for-profit sector to a nonprofit organization, but he had no nonprofit work experience. Through extensive networking, he discovered a field that perfectly complemented his skills and experience.
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• Gail Snowden: From Banking to a Community Foundation

  A longtime activist who led the community investment activities of the First National Bank of Boston, Gail Snowden describes how she joined The Boston Foundation.
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• John Tarvin, CMA: An Opportunity to Take on a Broader Role

  John Tarvin bridged from the private sector early in his career. From his vantage point as senior vice president of Jumpstart, he strongly recommends the nonprofit sector for managers who like to take on multiple roles.
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• Sandra Timmons: From COO to Chief Executive

  After five years as chief operating officer of Girls Incorporated, an unexpected conversation caused Sandra Timmons to consider a chief executive position. She explains her decision to become president of A Better Chance.
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• Dana White: Being a Mom and Being an ED

  Dana White was formerly a banker and high-tech executive. She talks about her path to becoming the part-time executive director of WiredWoods and a full-time mother.
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• David Williams: Reflections on the COO Position

  David Williams worked at Habitat for Humanity International for more than 10 years, running the internal side of a very large, complex organization. His next move was to become president and chief executive officer of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.
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• Frederica Williams: Transitioning to Fulfillment

  After growing up in Sierra Leone with a rich sense of community, Frederica Williams felt detached and unfulfilled working at a large hospital. By switching to the nonprofit sector, and working at a community health center, she has found both her biggest challenges and her biggest rewards.
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• Jessica Zander: Wearing Multiple Hats at The Steppingstone Foundation

  Jessica Zander, Director of Finance and Administration at The Steppingstone Foundation, wears more than a few hats in this $4 million organization—an experience typical of many CFOs of smaller nonprofits.
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