Berkeley Board Fellows Award $30,000 to Three Nonprofits

Berkeley Board Fellow Nonprofit Winners

Berkeley MBA and other graduate students awarded $30,000 to three nonprofit boards of directors at the first annual Berkeley Board Fellow Excellence Awards on May 2.

The organizations were nominated by the UC Berkeley graduate students serving on their boards as part of a social impact leadership program.

The three nonprofits—selected by a committee of students, staff, and funders—who received $10,000 each were:

• Jewish Family and Children Services of the East Bay, winner of the Dynamic Board Award. The organization helps promote and strengthen the social and emotional well-being of diverse individuals and families throughout the East Bay. The nominating fellows were Aaron Perez and Jessica Felts, both MBA 13.
• Lotus Bloom Child & Family Resource Center, winner of the Impact Project Award. The center is a multicultural organization in Oakland that provides innovative programs and child care for inner-city children, youth, and families. Alexandra Clarke, MPP 13, and Tim Morrison, MBA 15, nominated the center.

• Clinic by the Bay, winner of the Outstanding Mentor Award. The clinic is part of the national network of Volunteers in Medicine clinics, engaging retired and practicing doctors, nurses, and other volunteers to provide compassionate, high-quality health care free of charge to underserved residents in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its nominating fellows were Alana Tucker, MBA 14, and Molley Bode, MBA/MPH 14.

To be eligible for the awards, the nonprofits had to be participants in the 2012 Berkeley Board Fellows program and nominated by a student serving on their boards. Founded by Berkeley MBA students in 2003, the experiential learning program places MBA and other Berkeley graduate students on nonprofit boards of directors for an academic year. This year a record 92 fellows served on 49 nonprofit boards.

Fellows attend board meetings and complete a project that leverages the fellows’ expertise to address a strategic need of the board. The goal of the program is to develop students’ governance and leadership skills, while they contribute their time and talent to select nonprofit organizations.

The generous award money came from through a Berkeley undergrad, Jonathan Lee, BS 16, of the Foundation Boys. Lee and his brother have supported nonprofits and community service since they were high school students.

“The Board Fellows program has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” Alexandra Clarke says. “The grant for Lotus Bloom will go toward building a new community kitchen, which will serve as a revenue source to help make the center a sustainable institution.” she says proudly.

“Clinic by the Bay is filling a big unmet need for primary health care for the uninsured in San Francisco,” Molly Bode says. “Alana and I were ecstatic that the clinic won the $10,000 award since it will make a huge difference for their program and really tops off the excellent experience we have had working with them this year.”

For more information and applications for nonprofit organizations to join the Board Fellows program, visit http://bit.ly/boardfellows.