Board Fellows Program
The Board Fellows Program places Foster MBA and Evans MPA students as non-voting board members of local nonprofit organizations. With 75+ graduate students and over 2.5 million people impacted annually, this is one of the largest Board Fellows Programs in the country and serving nonprofits throughout Washington State as well as California and New York.
Information Session:
What to Expect
Students develop board leadership skills through three channels:
Board Service
Students attend regularly scheduled meetings of the board (generally monthly) from September to May and actively participate in one board committee. Students are non-voting members of the board but are encouraged to participate in discussions and share their unique knowledge and perspective.
Board Project
Each board will be assigned two student board fellows, and together the students complete a board-level project for their nonprofit. Students work with their board mentor to identify a project that is important to the board of directors, uses the fellows’ skills and furthers the work of a board committee or the board as a whole.
Board Leadership Class Webinars
The Board Leadership Class Webinar assist the student in maximizing their learning by matching best-practice frameworks that they apply through their board service. Among topics covered are:
- The fundamental responsibilities of board members
- The challenges faced by board members during these present times
- The ways boards shape the organization’s strategic direction
- The ways that board members can strengthen their organization’s financial management and stability
- The strengths and limitations of various board governance structures
Why be a Board Fellow?
Seeing your knowledge in action is one of the most important and rewarding experiences you can have as a student. No matter where you are in your educational career, the Board Fellows Program is a great way to start using your business education to make meaningful impact in our local communities. Here are some of the things you can look forward to during the program:
- Develop a solid foundation in board governance and professional consulting practices through board projects with nonprofits
- Build effective and creative skills for community leadership through board service and committee participation
- Make an impact that will be felt way beyond the time you serve on the nonprofit board through the work you do and the people you meet
- Earn credit to fulfill MBA/MPA electives
Check out one of our prerecorded information sessions for more details about the program.
Application Timeline and Notification Dates
The Foster Board Fellows Program offers one per year—each fall. You may apply on March 7, 2022 after all the nonprofits have been selected for the upcoming academic year.
| Date | Event |
| Monday, March 7, 2022 | Student Application Available |
| Friday, April 15, 2022 | Application Deadline (11:59 pm. PST) |
| Monday, April 18, 2022 | Student applications and resumes sent to Nonprofits |
| Monday, April 18 – Friday, April 29, 2022 | Nonprofits review and select the top 6-8 students they wish to interview |
| Friday, April 29, 2022 | Last day to turn in student selection |
| Friday, May 6, 2022 | Selected students are notified if they are selected to be interviewed |
| Friday, May 13, 2022 | Interview/ Matching Day* |
| Friday, May 20, 2022 | Last day to turn in Nonprofit ranking and student ranking after interview |
| Monday, May 23 – Friday, May 27, 2022 | Matching done by CBDC |
| Monday, May 30, 2022 | Matching announces to Nonprofits and students |
| Friday, June 10, 2022 | Last day to accept Board Fellows offer |
*Subjected to change following state’s health guidance.
Eligibility
Application opens to students who are completing their second or third year of studying including Full-time MBA, Evening MBA, Hybrid MBA, TMMBA, and MPA.
The 2022-2033 Board Fellows Program opens to Class of 2023 (2-year programs) and Class of 2024 (3-year programs).
The application will be opened on Monday, March 7, 2022.
Application Requirements
- Complete an online application
- Complete a short essay question
- Resume
Matching Process
Questions?
CONTACT
Vy Nguyen, [email protected], (206) 543-3681
The Power of Access: Impact Lending to Underserved Communities (FIN 579)
Do you want to gain valuable career skills and expand your professional network through this unique opportunity for hands-on experience in financial consulting? Consider applying for our MBA Lending Course entitled The Power of Access: Impact Lending to Underserved Communities (FIN 579), this winter.
Class Purpose: Engage our MBA students in working with small BIPOC businesses to gain access to business loans. Teams of students will perform financial assessments, risk analyses, forecasts and create loan packages for these businesses to submit Commerce Bank for approval. In addition to helping businesses secure debt financing, MBA students will learn about how systemic bias can play into the gaps in access to capital.
Class Goal: Perform complete analyses of BIPOC businesses seeking debt financing, working with business owner(s) to project future financing needs over the life of the loan. Once this work is completed, students will complete Commerce Bank loan packages for a select group of businesses to the Commerce Bank for approval.
Winter Quarter Class Times:
Tuesdays, January 3, 2023 – March 14, 2023
6:00pm – 8:50pm
Class Instructor: Michelle Purnell-Hepburn
Application Based Course
Practical Experience Credit
4 Credits
Program Timeline
Applications Due: Rolling basis
Program Begins: Jan 3, 2023
Program Ends: March 14, 2023
PROGRAM COST: Free
Application Link:
For more information, contact:
Kennedy Cockrel, Assistant Director
Consulting & Business Development
[email protected]