Donor & Recipient Stories
Melanie Spence
As our graduates enter the ever-changing business world, they must have the skills to adapt to their environment. A true leader sees a need and fills it, recognizes opportunity when it presents itself, and actively seeks ways to improve the lives and fortunes of others and the communities to which they belong. The perfect example of such a student is Goizueta alumna Melanie Spence, whose efforts are now helping to make the world a better place.
An Early Career Awakening
Melanie Spence was an aeronautical engineer working for Pratt & Whitney when she went on her first mission trip. The experience of helping build a school for children in Ecuador was so powerful that she returned to the United States with a plan. In February 2003, she began working for World Servants, an independent, nondenominational organization that organizes mission trips for religious groups and provides training for trip leaders.
Spence began coordinating mission experiences, and eventually she became the organization's chief executive officer. She decided to pursue a master's degree in business in order to help the nonprofit better manage its resources and do more for those its members were working to help. After earning an Executive MBA through Goizueta's modular program in 2008, Spence moved to the Dominican Republic, where she continues to work today as a liaison between local communities and mission groups.
Becoming a Nonprofit Entrepreneur
During her free time during her education at Goizueta, Spence helped local women form a cooperative to make and sell handmade purses to supplement their families' incomes. In 2007 the women sold nearly 200 purses, earning about $4,000. They have expanded into making crocheted, beaded jewelry and are learning to sew on five donated sewing machines. In her final semester, Spence participated in an independent entrepreneurship course to help the women create a nonprofit organization that will assist many more families.
The generous gifts you provide are essential to establishing and supporting the kinds of programs in which students like Spence learn the skills they need to succeed both in their careers and in improving the lives of the people they serve in their communities. Your gift has a direct impact on the quality of the programs, facilities and leadership development opportunities at Goizueta, and gives our students the knowledge and the courage to transform both their own lives and the lives of those around them.
Facilities & Information Technology
Learn how your gifts help fund improvements to our building infrastructure and wireless technology, and create optimal environments for collaborative learning. > More
Give to Goizueta
Want to learn more about how your gift can help Goizueta continue to enhance its research facilities and programs? Contact us today or make a donation online.