Contributed by David Gewant
Every 6 months or so I meet up with my friend Greg for coffee. He is a master networker and always offers thought-provoking insights about business trends, investing ideas, career possibilities and self-improvement. I have come to greatly value his input. He taught me the importance of continually networking, and the concept of looking for key takeaways from each meeting while also bringing something to share.
This particular get together, I was thirsting for advice. After 10 years in an ideal job as a division investment executive for a large bank, I found myself on the wrong end of a major restructuring. Hey, at least I got 7 months severance. No hard feelings- these large publicly traded banks have struggled in this low rate environment and have turned more toward sales and expense cutting. Hence, scary as it was, I joined up with a former associate and launched a progressive wealth management firm. We said we’d do everything opposite of the firms that worked against their clients’ best interests. Looking back, we were surely on to something.
At the time, I could have sought out another stable job, but taking the entrepreneurial route seemed like the right endeavor to pursue. After all, I had over 20 years of work experience on both the buy- and sell-side of the financial services industry along with the CIMA and CAIA designations. I was feeling pretty good… and grateful about my journey. That said, as I peered toward the back half of my career, I recognized the need to better prepare myself and aimed to sharpen and improve my skill-set.
I had previously looked into MBA programs in the Portland area. I wasn’t sure of the value of what they offered and definitely wasn’t going to attend any classes on a weekend. People in the financial industry in general place a lot of stock in designation programs. They are of high value for understanding concepts, and proving you have the mental stamina and intelligence to get through them. In my opinion, most charter holders typically only apply a small portion of what they learned to their daily jobs. It’s a lot of time spent and probably worth it, but the designations only take one so far when it comes to business strategy, marketing, people management, accounting, operations & technology management, risk, debate, economics, leadership and teamwork.
Back to coffee… a voice in my head tells me to stop talking and to be a better listener. Greg takes my cue and without skipping a beat offers, “You ever hear of the book Half Time by Bob Buford? I think you’d like it.” This guy Buford really strikes the chord. Some people are fortunate to have a deliberate half-time, where they can take stock of what they’ve achieved at the midpoint in their career and look into the abyss and ask, “What am I going to do now that will define my legacy, enable me to have a real sense of fulfilment, do something of more significance over the next 20 years?”
There have been many Wall Streeters who also became philanthropic heroes. While there’s some nobility in helping people with their finances, I felt like it would be in my best interest to position myself for greater career achievements down the road. Greg also mentioned that people are living longer and often have multiple careers during their lifetime. So, it is with all of this in mind that I come home, open the newspaper and see a full-page ad for University of Portland MBA in Nonprofit Management. Call it coincidence or Providence, but it was enough to signal action on my part.
I started with due diligence of greater Portland area MBA programs, then broader research into Nonprofit and online degrees. Really wanted to make an informed decision. It was easy to rule out many of these when considering program structure, cost, flexibility, schedule and online reviews. The more I learned about University of Portland’s offering, the more I became confident I was heading in the right direction. The tipping point for me was connecting with administration at the University. They were so helpful in answering my questions and then put me in touch with recent Nonprofit graduates. Hearing these testimonials and the positive comments confirmed what I already surmised— that I was about to embark on an incredible educational and life enhancing experience.
The MBA in Nonprofit Management at University of Portland incorporates a mix of core business, nonprofit and elective classes, as well as a global acumen component (I got to study international business and economics in Hong Kong and Santiago, Chile). There are no weekend classes. The cost is subsidized by the University given the philanthropic element. It is structured in a cohort fashion where you attend the rigorous 2-year program on a real college campus in lockstep with a peer group (I found my classmates to be incredibly dynamic and diverse).
University of Portland has some of the brightest and most accomplished professors who teach their MBA classes, as well as a few adjunct professors (some of my favorites) who bring real business expertise and knowledge into the classroom. Add to that, a number of fantastic guest speakers and you have a recipe for a top-notch MBA program.
Looking back, I thoroughly enjoyed the program and put my all into it. I learned a ton, made wonderful connections, and now have a treasure trove of useful knowledge and skills to mine from daily. Not only is this greatly helping with my current business, but also will enable me to seek out new opportunities in the nonprofit sector with confidence.
~David Gewant
MBA Nonprofit Management 2018