Berkeley Board Fellows develops the next generation of board leaders while providing social impact organizations a pair of board members with fresh perspectives, skills and lived experiences to carry out their missions.
Social impact organizations host two MBA student Fellows as non-voting board members, designate a board mentor to ensure that the Fellows’ have a substantive professional development and learning experience, while reaping the benefits of skillsets, perspectives and/or lived experience that may not currently exist on the board of directors.
Fellows build governance and leadership skills through attending board meetings, serving on a subcommittee, and completing a project that addresses a strategic need identified by the board.
Student Info Session Presentation and Video
“Destiny Arts Center has enjoyed working with the Berkeley Board Fellows for over a dozen years. The Fellows have tackled numerous strategic projects, stepped in to help us evaluate our business model in times of crisis and generated new ideas to expand our thinking. One Fellow even “graduated” onto our board and became Treasurer. The program is well-run and is a tremendous way to introduce young leaders to new ways to make a difference in the world.”
-David Riemer, Board Member, Destiny Arts Center
“BBF was an incredible opportunity to sit on a nonprofit board and see how decisions are made at a high level. It was fascinating to be in the room where the board responded to major events, whether it was key personnel changes or the early stages of COVID-19. In addition, we were able to become more integrated with our local community and drive a strategic and impactful project.”
– Zuren Hsueh, MBA Class of 2021
The Berkeley Board Fellows resources page provides further information on nonprofit board governance for fellows and nonprofits.