MVC Alumnae Cortney Jolliff was recently presented with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliances’ Student Leader of the Year Award. Jolliff received the award for her work during the 2013-2014 academic year. The awards presentation took place at the annual Alliance Management Institute, an educational conference for students planning a career in the nonprofit sector. The Institute was held January 4-7 in Salt Lake City.

Jolliff is a 2014 graduate of Missouri Valley, graduating with a degree in nonprofit agency management. During her time on campus, Jolliff served as president of MVC’s Nonprofit Leadership Alliance organization. As president she increased fundraising participation by almost 100 percent. As part of her internship, Jolliff developed the fundraising plan for DIGS, Inc., a grassroots teen homeless shelter in Marshall, Mo. She served as the organizational spokesperson and was asked to join the board while she was still an undergraduate student.

“Cortney brought professionalism, vision, organization, strong communication skills and passion for community change to our student association and Nonprofit Management Program,” said Heather Troth, CNP, campus executive director of Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. “It is rare to find a student leader who makes her professors and fellow students better, contributes to local nonprofits on a professional level and has fun with her peers as effectively and consistently as Cortney.”

The Student Leader of the Year Award is presented to a current Nonprofit Leadership Alliance student who exemplifies leadership on his or her campus as demonstrated by:

  • Progressive responsibilities in the Alliance student association.

  • Success as a leader in the student association shown through measurable outcomes such as increased fundraising, increased student participation, and enhanced engagement with local nonprofit leaders.

  • Evidence of a hands-on internship experience that enhanced the ability of the internship site to meet its mission.

“Cortney graduated at the top of her class while working for a local school district, volunteering with several nonprofits and taking care of her daughter, who is also an Alliance student,” said Susan T. Schmidt, CNP, president of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. “The other students looked to her as a peer, a leader and sometimes even a mom—we are proud to include her in our network of distinguished Certified Nonprofit Professionals.”

All candidates for the Student Leader of the Year Award must be nominated by a campus executive director or student association leader. Jolliff was nominated by Troth and a fellow nonprofit student. The 2015 honorees were chosen by an awards selection committee comprised of key Alliance stakeholders, including affiliated faculty members, alumni, nonprofit partners, board members and sponsors.

American Humanics, the predecessor of Nonprofit Leadership Alliance (NLA), was founded on the Missouri Valley College campus in 1948 by H. Roe Bartle. Today, the program has grown to over 75 colleges and universities across the nation. MVC’s NLA program has approximately 50 amount of members.

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