Vol. 38, No. 18

3-14-2006
By: Julia Harris

Fisher Board Fellows making the grade with community non-profits

It's probably safe to say that Wake Norris is not your typical MBA student.

A transplant to Columbus from the San Francisco Bay area, he was sprinting before he hit the ground at the Fisher College of Business. In the summer of 2004, before classes even began, Norris was busy creating the Fisher Board Fellows organization.

"I'd heard about the idea when I was taking a class at Stanford University, and I thought it would be good to do at Fisher," Norris said. "I was looking for a way to contribute something meaningful that would outlive my tenure here."

That meaningful something comes in the shape of partnerships with local non-profits that mentor MBA candidates for a term of nine to 18 months. The FBF program places students on the boards of these organizations, where they participate as non-voting fellows and complete a strategic project that adds long-term value to the partner organization.

"Projects that have been undertaken include organizational reviews, marketing, general strategy work and some long-term planning," explained Norris. "Boards are looking for new insight, and MBA candidates bring that to the table. Plus, our partner organizations are excited about being able to shape the community's future leaders."

To be selected as a fellow, MBA students must go through a rigorous application process. Norris and the program's executive officers are looking for candidates with proven interest and experience in community service and a high level of career and academic success. Selection is followed by training courses led by faculty and community executives that cover topics such as board operations, legal aspects of non-profit governance and fund accounting. After that, fellows are matched with non-profit organizations, which have included Access Health Columbus, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the Junior League of Columbus.

One of the many success stories of this fledgling program is with Leadership Columbus, one of the first two organizations to host a Fisher Board fellow. Leadership Columbus is a community leadership development program that is in the business of equipping company executives to serve on community boards or run for public office.

"I had two motives for participating in the program - one selfish and one more altruistic," confessed Laurie Marsh, executive director of Leadership Columbus. "I was really excited about having someone who was skilled in the areas I needed, namely Web site development and marketing. But, on a more idealistic level, I'm interested in the idea of workforce development, attracting and retaining young talent and teaching them how to be involved and invested in the community."

Her organization hosted Adam Lane, who will graduate with his MBA this June. Lane, a fellow to the board for 18 months now, has worked on fine-tuning a program for executives and their trailing spouses who relocate to Columbus. He also has helped develop a Web site and has attended regular board meetings, which occur every other month.

"The most important thing I've learned from being a part of the Fisher Board Fellows organization is that community service, on no matter what level, takes dedication and passion," Lane said. "I've been exposed to a group of individuals who serve their community unselfishly and relentlessly to make Columbus a better place for everyone. And I've been able to bring to them a new perspective, as well as my talents and training as a Fisher College marketing student."

Both Lane and FBF founder Norris, who has been serving as a fellow to the board of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, have high hopes that the program will long outlast them. New executive committee officers have been selected and will assume the reins by the end of spring quarter. And it appears that word of mouth is spreading across the Columbus non-profit community as well, because more organizations are interested in hosting fellows than there are fellows to place. It is, as Norris said, a "wonderful problem."

His grand ambition is that in 10 years when he returns as a visiting alumnus, the program will not only still be around but will be flourishing. "To me, the success of Fisher Board Fellows is that other people walk out of it with a new view of what their potential is," said Norris, who feels his MBA experience has been greatly enhanced by the opportunity to implement the tools and skills he learned in the classroom. "To have been part of something that helps people see themselves differently and helps the community see young leaders in a new light, that to me is the reward."

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