The Richmond MBA and Initiatives of Change
Cynthia Cecil, GB ’14, senior manager in the regulatory engagement and communications department at Altria Client Services, is not your typical MBA student. Cecil is also a lawyer who practiced for over a decade before joining Altria. It was through her work in the corporate contributions department that she grew familiar with Hope in the Cities, the Richmond program of Initiatives of Change (IofC), a nonprofit organization that focuses on community trust building, reconciliation and dialogue.
Last year Cecil approached Debbie Fisher, associate director of the MBA program, with the intention of completing her Capstone Project with a nonprofit organization. Coincidentally, IofC was working with the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement at the University of Richmond in hopes of collaborating on a project.
Fisher shared, “IofC was looking to evolve and grow its organization as a number of their workforce approaches retirement. The Bonner Center, upon discussing the scope of the project with IofC, brought the project to The Richmond MBA. Since Cynthia had expressed her interest in working with a nonprofit and was already familiar with IofC, we matched them right away.”
Cecil explained the scope of the Capstone Project. “IofC is at a crossroads in its evolution, navigating its future where those who have been integral to its past and current success will retire. In order to continue to meet its mission into the future, IofC needed to examine its organizational structure, internal communication process and plan for financial sustainability. I looked at different types of organizational structures and processes that would help IofC on its path to developing a framework for evolution.”
Charlotte Freeman, program development director at IofC, recalled Cecil’s process. “Cynthia did a wonderful job conducting interviews with our organization. Her recommendations were impactful because they were backed by her extensive research within our organization coupled with her research on organizations similar to us. The process took time we would never have been able to devote internally. Most importantly, her external perspective helped shine a new light on internal challenges, which helped us think creatively about solutions. We appreciated her professional candor and wealth of knowledge in both the private and nonprofit sectors. She truly seemed to care about the work we do and how to help us do that work better and sustain ourselves into the future.”
Andy Litteral, associate professor of management, served as Cecil’s advisor throughout the project. “Because I’ve done a lot of work with nonprofits I was matched with Cynthia. She is a remarkably talented woman, and I strove to provide her with direction without explicitly directing her while also sharing the resources the University has to offer. For example, she needed to research organizational change management, and Bob Piazza, executive-in-residence, has an extensive background in human resources; as a result, he and Cynthia met one afternoon. Tony Kong, assistant professor of leadership studies and management, also provided vital organizational psychology reading material for her benefit. In the end, her project couldn’t have been better.”
Cecil added, “Professor Litteral provided me with great support throughout the project. My keys to success were making sure I kept the client informed and listened to their needs while also listening to Professor Litteral’s advice. I found the Capstone Project very fulfilling to be able to offer this strategic consulting service to a nonprofit. Nonprofit organizations are rarely in a position to think far into the future as they must focus their time on serving current needs. Helping a nonprofit analyze the future and guide them to take control of their future was very rewarding. The Richmond MBA has helped to expand my thinking, and in the end I was able to apply everything I learned during my two years at The Richmond MBA to the Capstone Project. It was a wonderful way to see how much I had learned since the Opening Residency two years ago.”