This spring, we celebrate the 51 newest graduates of the Nonprofit Management Institute who step forward to lead their nonprofits with fresh skills, deeper connection, and renewed commitment to their work.
We also mark a milestone: five years of NPMI guiding and supporting nonprofit leadership across the state! Every graduate, past and present, has helped shape this program so it’s grounded in real experience that strengthens nonprofit management and deepens the heart of our nonprofit work.
Wren Davisson, Shared Services Director of the NC Partnership for Children and 2021 NPMI alumni, congratulated and addressed the spring graduates at their commencement ceremony:
To you, and all those who supported your journey through this Institute – congratulations!
Today marks the completion of a six-week, intensive leadership and professional development venture. But more than that, today is a celebration of perseverance, growth, and the unshakable belief that investing in yourself is a powerful step toward investing in others.
You balanced this time commitment while managing full-time jobs, family responsibilities, and the many curveballs life throws. I imagine that many of you squeezed in learning between meetings or community commitments. There were possibly moments of doubt, exhaustion, and perhaps even the thought of giving up.
But you didn’t.
You stayed. You showed up – again and again – just like we do every day in our work as nonprofit leaders. And in doing so, you modeled exactly the kind of leadership our sector so desperately needs: resilient, committed, and deeply human.
This wasn’t just a course – it was a journey of adult learning, personal reflection, and skill building. Over these past six weeks, you strengthened your ability to think strategically, lead thoughtfully, and build capacity not just within your organizations but within those that you serve in your day-to-day work.
That matters. Because leadership isn’t defined by how easy the path is – it’s defined by how we walk it, especially when it’s hard.
Now, you stand equipped not only with knowledge but with insight, connection, and courage. Use it. Use it to challenge systems that no longer serve. Use it to lift voices that go unheard. Use it to build teams, strengthen missions, and expand your organization's reach in ways that are sustainable and just.
You are not the same person who started this Institute six weeks ago – and that’s the point. You embraced the opportunity for growth. And now you are ready to lead with even greater purpose and impact.
So today, we honor not just what you’ve completed, but how you have grown in your leadership.
Congratulations, NPMI Spring 2025 Graduates. Go forward and continue to do the important work that you do and build something extraordinary.
Wren Davisson is the Shared Services Director of the NC Partnership for Children in Raleigh, NC. She is an alumni of the Fall 2021 class of the Nonprofit Management Institute.
