Extemporary Non-Profit Leadership: Blenda Wilson, Ph.D.,
Retired President, Nellie Mae Educational Foundation

This article is focused specifically on the lifetime of achievement in non-profit leadership, major contributions to educational leadership, and over four decades of dedication to service to the community by Blenda Jacqueline Wilson, Ph.D.

Dr. Wilson served as the first President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation from 1999 to 2006. The Nellie Mae Education Foundation is New England’s largest public charity dedicated to improving academic achievement for underserved communities and was established in 1998. Dr. Blenda Wilson was a very successful CEO during her seven-year tenure at Nellie Mae Education Foundation.

Under Dr. Wilson's leadership, Nellie Mae Education Foundation distributed more than $80 million in grants to various educational institutions and to non-profit organizations to improve the access to college for deserving students. NMEF was established to promote accessibility, quality, and effectiveness in education from preschool through postsecondary levels, especially for under-served populations. Nellie Mae Education Foundation has net assets of approximately $400 million, making it one of the largest foundations in New England, and the largest focused exclusively on improving higher education.

Dr. Blenda Wilson has an impressive track lifetime track record of effectively dealing with complicated issues of education policy. Dr. Blenda Wilson still takes time out of her busy schedule to mentor and coach select prospective female prospective leaders.

Dr. Blenda Wilson was a former Chair of the prestigious American Association of Higher Education. Wilson was the first woman to Chair the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, was Deputy Chair of Chair the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and she served on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, from 2003 to 2006. Dr. Blenda Wilson has served on the Board of Directors of a number non-profit corporations, such as: the Getty Museum, Union Bank, the College Board, and recently served as the interim President of her undergraduate Alma mater, Cedar College.

I first met Dr. Wilson’s tenure as president of California State University, Northridge, from 1992 to 1999, when I served on the California State University, Northridge Foundation Board of Trustee (I was a past President of the University Board)., Dr. Wilson enacted a number of strategic plans to better serve the populations of the San Fernando Valley. Wilson lead the University in the enormous task of leading California State University, Northridge's recovery from the devistating1994 Northridge earthquake.

Prior to serving at California State University, Northridge, she was Chancellor of the University of Michigan's Dearborn campus from 1988 to 1992. Dr Wilson was the first woman to head a four-year higher education institution in the state of Michigan. Wilson was widely recognized for her outreach to Dearborn’s Arab-American community and Detroit’s African-American community. Before become the Chancellor of the University of Michigan's Dearborn campus, Dr. Wilson she was Executive Director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, serving in the governor’s cabinet and advocating for more efficiently organizing higher education in the state in a plan that became law in 1985.

From 1982 to 1984, Dr. Blenda Wilson was the First Vice President for Effective Sector Management at Independent Sector. Independent Sector is a nonpartisan coalition of approximately 600 organizations that leads, strengthens, and mobilizes the charitable community.

Dr. Wilson served as senior associate dean at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education from1972 to 1982, and was the youngest dean ever at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.. Dr. Wilson started her career in higher education administration at Rutgers University in 1969, after earning her Ph.D.

Dr. Wilson has received honorary doctorate degrees from more than 25 colleges and universities, including Cedar Crest College, Rutgers, the University of Massachusetts, Brandeis University and Boston College. Wilson currently serves on the boards of trustees of Boston College and Union Theological Seminary, the board of directors of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, the board of directors of Higher Education Resource Services, and the boards of Boston's "After School and Beyond," Boston College and Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses. Wilson serves currently on the Board of Directors of Medco Health Solutions.

Dr. Wilson multiple overcame adversities; including significant race, gender and age discrimination. Before she earned her Ph.D. and launched her higher education leadership career, she experienced gender and age discrimination from African American males, from both within her organization and the local community. Wilson was clearly more qualified and more educated than her male competition for the position at the local Economic Opportunity Corporation. Not withstanding her better qualifications many people were vocal in their opposition to her getting the job as Executive Director of the Middlesex County Economic Opportunity Corporation and Head Start Program. Blenda Wilson told me, “The African American men in the community were pissed off that a woman would get this role. . . . One of the criteria was that they wanted someone with a Master’s degree. I had one. None of the African American men did.” Blenda said she experienced several kinds of prejudice: “There’s prejudice from men, there’s prejudice from black men, there’s prejudice from white people.”

Blenda Wilson shared that taking a leave from her local high school teaching position to become the Executive Director of the Middlesex County Economic Opportunity Corporation. Wilson told me that it “actually changed my life. I started doing the Head Start program... This was all in the 1960s, with the war on poverty, the Office of Economic Opportunity. I [Wilson] was going to change the world.”

Blenda “was youngest Senior Associate Dean in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard,” and once again she encountered age discrimination.
This was not Blenda Wilson's first experience with major discrimination. Blenda in high school in New Jersey, was in her the National Honor Society. But Wilson's high school guidance counselor totally refused to discuss or must less help her get into a college. Blenda’s comment was “Actually, she told me to ‘take a typing class’ . . . then said, ‘You’re nice looking, and you might be able to become a secretary. ’”

Wilson just ignored the “mean” counselor and she directly contacted several colleges for admission and scholarship information. Wilson was admitted to all of the colleges she applied to, including major prestigious universities, such as the “seven sisters.” However the major colleges just offered only one-year scholarships with a series of renewals. But, Blenda wanted to get a full four-year scholarship, to ensure that she could complete her college education. However, Cedar Crest College guaranteed her four years’ tuition scholarship, travel budget, and a job. So, Blenda went to Cedar Crest College and got her degree.

She did not allow anything from stopping her getting her education. Blenda Wilson graduated from Cedar Crest College, earned a Master’s degree in Education from Seton Hall, and she completed a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Boston College.
The Dr. Blenda Wilson story shared of a lifetime struggle against adversity, especially discrimination, and outstanding not-for- profit and higher education leadership is on of the outstanding examples of the relationship of overcoming adversity and leadership.

This groundbreaking leadership research by has received extensive endorsements and enthusiastic reviews from well-known prominent business, political, and academic leaders who either participated in the study or reviewed the research findings. A total of sixteen leaders were interviewed for this ground breaking leadership and overcoming adversity research.

Dr. Blenda J. Wilson being an excellent example of one of the sixteen prominent successful leaders who became successful leaders after overcame adversity. The other fifteen prominent leaders that were personally interviewed by Dr. Howard Haller included: Dr. Tony Bonanzino, Jack Canfield, William Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, J. Terrence Lanni, Dr. John Malone, Angelo Mozilo, Larry Pino, Dr. Nido Qubein, U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow ( Retired), Dr. John Sperling, and Zig Ziglar.

Five internationally known, well respected leadership scholars and best-selling authors all offered their peer debriefing reviews of this leadership and how to overcome adversity doctoral research and findings including: Dr. Ken Blanchard, Dr. John Kotter, Professor James Kouzes, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley.

Author's Bio: 

Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D.
Professional Keynote & Motivational Speaker, Award-Winning Published Book Author, University Professor, Author "Leadership and Adversity: The Shaping of Prominent Leaders" & Leadership Academic Scholar

www.TheLeadershipSuccessInstitute.com
email: HowardEdwardHallerPhd@gmail.com

Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D.'s groundbreaking overcoming adversity and leadership research was published as a book in late 2008: "Leadership and Adversity: The Shaping of Prominent Leaders," by VDM Verlag Dr Müller AG & CoKG. This book has received great reviews which can be seen online at Amazon in the US, Canada, UK and Germany.

The 16 prominent leaders who overcame adversity and even major trauma, that were personally interviewed by Dr. Haller included: Dr. Tony Bonanzino, Jack Canfield, William Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, J. Terrence Lanni, Dr. John Malone, Angelo Mozilo, Larry Pino, Dr. Nido Qubein, U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow (Ret.), Dr. John Sperling, Dr. Blenda Wilson, and Zig Ziglar.

Five internationally scholars and best-selling authors peer reviewed and concurred with Dr. Haller's research findings in this groundbreaking overcoming adversity and leadership findings: Dr. Ken Blanchard, Dr. John Kotter, Professor James Kouzes, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley.

Dr. Howard Edward Haller is a award-winning published author: • Keynote and Motivational Speaker to Corporations, Associations and Colleges • He is a Professional Member of NSA • He is a successful Executive Coach & Mentor to Corporate and Non-Profit Senior Executives in the US & Canada • He is SelfGrowth.com Expert on Leadership, Overcoming Adversity and Personal Success • He is a US Presidential National Award and Prize Winning Essayist. • He is an Accomplished Screenwriter, Television writer & Member of the WGAw. • Dr. Haller is a major expert on Overcoming Adversity and Leadership.

Dr. Howard Edward Haller is a well-respected academic writer, editor, scholar and major University Trustee, University Graduate Business School Professor and past President of University Board of Trustees.

Dr. Haller was selected and appointed a member of the Editorial Peer Review Board of the prestigious “International Journal of Servant Leadership,” along with world renowned leadership scholars & best-selling authors.
http://www.LeadershipandAdversity.com