Erica Sokol, MS’16
StudentsCare: Founder & CEO
“The NPL program has equipped me with a deep understanding of the nonprofit landscape and the challenges many organizations face today. This knowledge and perspective has been instrumental in developing not only my organization but also myself as a leader. I attribute much of my recent success to the knowledge and community gained from this program.”
Jay Gilman, MS’16
Artistic Director, Minnesota Fringe
“The NPL empowered me to change how I saw and solved problems. As an artist and arts administrator, the program helped me accomplish my goal for a graduate degree – to glean best practices from professors and peers across multiple areas of the nonprofit and social enterprise sector, not just from within the cultural community.”
Raymond Pan, MS’15 & Yunhe (Evelyn) Tian, MS’15
Co-Founders, Salmonist Coworking Community
“The NPL program has opened a new perspective for us to consider “competition vs. collaboration.” We learned the importance of nurturing collaborative “co-learning groups” among our team and our members at Salmonist Coworking Community — the social enterprise we founded after graduating from NPL.”
Barrett T. Young, MS’15, MSM, CADC
Chief Operating Officer of the Rescue Mission of Trenton
“The experience of being immersed in the NPL program was invaluable to my career and growth as an individual. I am grateful for the hands on application of the knowledge obtained as well as the lifelong connections I have made.”
Jim Schroder, MS’14
Head of Program, Spark
“What I appreciated most about the NPL program was the balance of rigorous theory with practical tools I could apply to my work immediately. My colleagues in the program, as well, set a high standard for collective learning, from which I deeply benefited.”
Sarah Evans, MS’13
Director of Development and Communications, The Birth Center
“The NPL program was the perfect program for me at the right time. I was looking for an advanced degree that emphasized soft skills as much as hard skills–which the NPL program balanced masterfully.”
Martha Heuser, MS’13
Fundraiser, The Board of Pensions PCUSA
“What I was looking for and found in the Nonprofit Leadership Program was to challenge my thinking and look at the bigger picture. To this day, there are certain concepts and themes that I apply regularly in my professional and personal life. In addition, I greatly valued the diversity and learnings from my classmates, and am excited by these dynamic, emerging thought leaders and what we will achieve together.”
Samantha Alarie-Leca, MS’13
Program Officer, The West Foundation
“The Nonprofit Leadership Program equipped me with a birds-eye view of the nonprofit sector as well as the hands-on skills needed to be an asset for any social change organization. As an NPL student, I also learned to approach collaboration and social change with an abundance rather than scarcity mindset. This lens allows me to think more creatively about how actors and organization across different sectors can come together to generate positive change.”
Erin McGowan, MS’12
Associate Director, Wharton Small Business Development Center
“After starting the Nonprofit Leadership program, I was immediately able to apply the theory and concepts to my work. As a part-time student, I was able to meet and work with several cohorts of NPL students who are incredibly creative and innovative thinkers, as well top faculty who are great teachers but also deeply engaged in in the community with a strong commitment to social change.”
Emily R. Sutcliffe, MS’11
Assistant Director, Toll Public Interest Center, Penn Law & Doctoral Student at Penn’s Graduate School of Education
“I utilize skills gained in the NPL program on a daily basis – both personally and professionally. The NPL program helped me to access an invaluable and unconventional understanding of action-based leadership. This unique approach to leadership is greatly appreciated in my work place where I am frequently called upon to provide innovative perspectives and counter-hegemonic methods for addressing long-standing challenges.”
Ling Wang, MSW’10, MS’11
Community Affairs Manager, Microsoft (China) Co., Ltd.
“As an international student, SP2 is a warm family to me. The professors, students and staff at SP2 are so nice to us.”
Kim Machlup, MS’11
Partner at MOV Investimentos
“Through the NPL program, I had the opportunity to bring back to Brazil a much stronger foundation and understanding of the social impact field. The knowledge and inspiration the program gave me has since shaped my thinking and helped me pursue my path. I am very grateful for the experience and for the people I encountered in this journey.”
Jessica (Leavitt) Simon, MS’10
US Card Diversity and Inclusion Lead, Capital One
“The NPL Program helped me to interact and lead differently – I now operate from a place of inquiry versus assumption, I do a great deal more listening and I consider myself a lifelong learner. The curriculum infused experiential learning into the core of its programming which helped me to learn by doing – I was able to fail safely, learn from people very different from me and practice leading and learning with humility.”
Jill Helme, MS’08
Executive Director, AthFest Educates
“The NPL program gave me the skills, confidence, and connections I needed to be successful in the nonprofit arena. The program’s hands-on, personal approach and access the program’s professors and staff made me feel valued as a student and as a future professional in the nonprofit world.”
Jon Spack, MS’08
Executive Director, Discovering Justice
“I decided to apply to the Nonprofit/NGO Leadership Program to further enhance my executive leadership track and build a high level skill set to both manage and lead powerful nonprofit organizations in the education reform field.”
Ariel Kraten, MS’07
Senior Consultant, MADE-BY, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“The flexibility of the NPL program allowed me to design a custom concentration. The behavioral perspective I gained from this program has proven to be incredibly valuable. Working in an international context, I continually find myself drawing on the experiences and insights I gained as an NPL student.”
