Coppin State Tackles Race Gap in Nonprofit Leadership

Danielle Rigby expects to graduate with her Bachelor's in Nonprofit Leadership from Coppin State University in May.Kai Rigby was born at 25 weeks old, weighing only 1 pound, 7 ounces. The first eight months of his life were spent in the NICU, with his worried mother at his side. Eventually, he would be diagnosed with Angelman syndrome and chronic lung disease.

Danielle Rigby, his mother, found herself awash by a sea of unknowns.

“When my son was diagnosed, I hit the floor. I didn’t know what to do,” Rigby said. She worked full-time and had another child, a daughter, six years old. She was exhausted trying to pull together the resources her son needed while keeping her head afloat. As her son became school-aged, she was told that his needs were outside of the capabilities of her local public school. A doctor advised her to move.

These struggles awoke a passion inside of Rigby, a drive to ensure that no other parent in her shoes would ever feel as lost and overwhelmed as she did. When she saw an advertisement on Instagram for Coppin State University’s Nonprofit Leadership program, she jumped at the chance to channel her feelings into making change.

Coppin State University, located in Baltimore, is one of the few Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) to offer an undergraduate degree in nonprofit work. Students can choose to major, minor, or earn their Certified Nonprofit Professional credential through the university's partnership with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance (NLA), a mission-based organization for ethical and transparent nonprofits.

Nonprofits, particularly those in healthcare, social programs, and education, are one of the fastest growing economic sectors in America and offer some of the best paying jobs, according to a 2020 study by Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies. But even as employment opportunities abound, 90% of nonprofit CEOs and board chairs are white, according to a 2017 report by BoardSource, a network of leaders in the field.

Dr. John Hudgins, an associate professor in Coppin's Department of Applied Social and Political Sciences, helped create the Nonprofit Leadership program in 1997.