Class Year: 2021
Program/Major: Master of Nonprofit Organizations (MNO) Candidate
Rhonda Jones always knew she wanted to work in a profession where she could help people. After beginning her career at Case Western Reserve University 34 years ago, she’s done just that—first as an accounting clerk in the student loan department, then as the office manager in the career center, and now, as the student experience coordinator at the School of Law, where she works with student organizations to plan their events and assists the Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic Center and The Judge Ben C. Green Law Library.
Jones always wanted to earn a master’s degree. Thinking about how much she enjoys her involvement with her Clark-Fulton neighborhood doing community organizing and development, she decided to pursue the Master of Nonprofit Organizations (MNO) at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, taking advantage of the university’s tuition waiver program.
As part of her MNO program, she has had the opportunity to work with Ward 14 Cleveland City Councilwoman Jasmin Santana, who created a collaboration among the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Foundation, Metro West Community Development Organization and MetroHealth to create a master redevelopment plan for the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. Still in its early stages, the group’s focus is to encourage residents to share what they envision their neighborhood will look like in the next five to 10 years.
Grateful that CWRU gave her the opportunity to get her master’s degree, Jones is looking forward to next week’s commencement ceremony and is excited to see what her future holds.