CSM’s Nonprofit Institute Staff Become Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultants

CSM’s Nonprofit Institute Staff Become Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultants

The staff of the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Nonprofit Institute (NPI) have become Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultants after completing an intensive five-day virtual training seminar aimed at strengthening nonprofit governance practices. CSM NPI consultants Cara Fogarty and Michelle Sullivan, and Outreach Specialist Amy Davis were part of a 32-member class hailing from various regions of the country who completed the Standards for Excellence Institute® training to become the 2021 Class of Licensed Consultants.

"It was truly an honor to be a part of the Standards for Excellence Fall 2021 Licensed Consultant training class,” said Fogarty. “I learned so much and filled in knowledge gaps. The speakers and my classmates were inspiring and the topics we covered were robust and varied. I'm excited to bring my enhanced knowledge to nonprofits in Southern Maryland -- they are the immediate beneficiaries of this training -- and to students in our prospective nonprofit workforce development program."

The Standards for Excellence Institute®, a national initiative designed to help nonprofit organizations operate more ethically and accountably, promotes the highest standards of ethics, effectiveness, and accountability in nonprofit governance, management, and operations, to help all nonprofit organizations meet high benchmarks and build public trust.

The Nonprofit Institute serves as Southern Maryland's premier source of nonprofit professional development and capacity-building for the diverse array of nonprofits serving the Southern Maryland region. The Institute is part of the Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development at the College of Southern Maryland.

NPI’s programs include:   

• Monthly Executive Director Network Meetings bring leadership together to meet and discuss operational concerns and share lessons learned. 
• Monthly Nonprofit Community Calls foster collaboration, information sharing, and support. 
• Affinity Groups provide for networking and sharing of ideas centered on volunteer coordination, fundraising, and marketing/public relations/communications.
• Professional development classes cover key areas of nonprofit leadership/management, strategic planning, fundraising, marketing/communications, governance, and operations.
• An annual conference with a keynote speaker and breakout sessions encourage learning, sharing, and networking.
• Regular communications via a resource-rich monthly e-newsletter
• Operational advice and insight in areas of fundraising, leadership/management, marketing/communications, governance, and operations. 
• Connections and referrals to grant writers, attorneys, accountants, and insurance professionals, some of whom offer services to nonprofits on a pro bono basis or for a reduced rate.

Fogarty joined the Nonprofit Institute in the fall of 2016. Prior to that, she spent nearly a decade working for a nonprofit organization in St. Mary’s County. In this capacity, she served on the Nonprofit Institute Advisory Council for St. Mary’s County and the St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce Tourism and Hospitality Advisory Committee.

Before working in the nonprofit arena, Fogarty was a journalist in both commercial and public radio. After working as a news reporter in Columbus, Ohio, and upstate New York, she joined the now-defunct Mutual Broadcasting System/NBC Radio Network in Arlington, Va., where she produced national newscasts. She later joined NPR in Washington, D.C. serving as the supervising online editor for NPR.org in the early days of the web. She is also an adjunct faculty member at CSM teaching writing and communication courses. She serves on the Charles County Economic Development Department Advisory Board's Business Outreach Committee. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, she served on the Charles County COVID-19 Recovery Task Force and on the Maryland Governor’s Nonprofit Working Group which made recommendations to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s COVID-19 response plan, "Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery."

Sullivan joined the Nonprofit Institute in the fall of 2016 where she serves as a resource for nonprofits as they navigate the ever-increasingly complex landscape of the nonprofit sector.

Sullivan is the executive director of All Ages Read Together (AART), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating children in need with free preschool programs in their communities in Loudoun and Fairfax counties in Virginia. AART has more than 100 children enrolled in 12 programs, including an expansion of two new programs in Alexandria, Va.

Sullivan's previous experience included executive director for Access Hope as well as director in the department of public policy at the United Cerebral Palsy’s national office, and she also served in the Office of Public Liaison in the White House.

Davis joined the Nonprofit Institute in the spring of 2021 as an outreach specialist. Active with many local organizations, Davis' nonprofit background includes financial management, budget development, grant writing, and strategic planning.

She serves as the vice-chair of the St. Mary’s County Museum Division Board of Trustees, the co-chair of the St. Mary’s County Human Relations Commission, and treasurer for the Southern Maryland chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association. Davis is also on the board of directors for the Small Museum Association. She most recently served as the executive director of the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum in Lexington Park, Maryland.

Nonprofit Institute staff are available for consultation at nonprofit@csmd.edu or by phone at 301-934-7544.