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Highlights From The October Social Innovation Conversation:  From Faculty Member To Nonprofit Director

Highlights from the October Social Innovation Conversation:  From Faculty Member to Nonprofit Director

The second Social Innovation Conversation of the 2020-21 academic year brought in two Tulane faculty members to share their interesting journeys from faculty members to directors of non-profit organizations with socially innovative missions.

Dr. Shannon Blady and Dr. Mallory Monaco Caterine, who hold Professorships in Social Entrepreneurship, provided insights into the challenges and opportunities they encounter, as well as the tools and strategies they use as non-profit leaders.

Dr. Mallory Monaco Caterine is a Professor of Practice in Classical Studies. She is a Co-director and a founding member of Kallion, a non-profit organization whose mission is to design and develop communities around the study of humanities and unlock the human talent capable of developing creative, benevolent, and lasting improvements to our common condition.

Dr. Shannon Blady is a Professor of Practice at Tulane’s Teacher Preparation and Certification Program.  She serves as the Executive Director of AfterCLASS, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide professional, emotional, and social support to local educators and elevate the profession of teaching.

The virtual audience enjoyed stories of starting an organization from the ground-up, balancing faculty responsibilities with community leadership roles, and the various ways to innovate during challenging times.

When asked about the ways in which being a non-profit director has changed working as a faculty member Dr. Mallory Monaco Caterine responded,
[I am] much more eager to bring in outside speakers into my classes…It’s been really enriching for me and it’s been really enriching for my students to see more examples of real people in the world who are interested in the things they are interested in…Having this integrated approach, this inside and outside of the walls approach it was something I’ve always wanted to do and now I actually do it.”
Constant innovation is part of Dr. Blady’s work.  Reflecting on COVID-19 pandemic challenges, Dr. Shannon Blady said
“We pivoted to just offer an online professional development series which made it so that we could reach a broader audience of teachers…even though our mission is teachers in the New Orleans area, all teachers in our country definitely need support, especially now.”  

Event Information

Social Innovation Conversations are a project of the Taylor Center’s Research and Scholarship team.

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