Lauren Feldman '14
Tell us a bit about your background
I grew up in a small town in Connecticut. Both my parents were in social services -- my dad is a primary care doctor and my mother is a social worker. We talked a lot at dinner about the many issues the people they worked with were facing.
I went to the ILR (Industrial and Labor Relations) School at Cornell. They offer a great, interdisciplinary program that included history and politics perspectives on what’s needed to drive systemic change. Outside of the classroom, I spent a lot of my time as an undergrad organizing days of service and ways for students to help local non-profits.
Work experience prior to Kellogg?
After spending time in school organizing days of service for other people, after graduation I decided that I wanted to get more hands-on experience serving others, so I joined Teach for America. I taught in a rural parish in southern Louisiana, working with 16-21 year-olds in a pre-GED prep program. Through this experience, I saw first-hand the impact of systemic failure on individual people, and the importance of leadership for student success or failure.
At the time, post-Katrina New Orleans was in the process of transforming to a 100% charter public school system. I realized I wanted to get experience with that type of ground-up innovation, and so I got a job as a director of finance and operations for a K-8 charter school. I was doing the accounting, managing employees. I really liked the role, but realized pretty quickly that my liberal arts undergrad had not really prepared me for the details of how to run a business.
Why choose Kellogg? Was Board Fellows a factor in your decision?
Choosing Kellogg felt like a pretty obvious choice! I liked Kellogg’s focus on developing leaders, not just business leaders. When I was living in Louisiana, I spent most of my time with teachers. So when I was deciding between schools, I thought it would be beneficial to get the perspective from the corporate side.
I knew about Board Fellows, but had heard it was very competitive to get in, so didn’t want to count on being accepted. But I saw the program as a sign that the school really supported social impact work.
Which non-profit were you match with and what was your project?
Polaris Charter Academy, a K-8 school. I was very excited that we were matched. I wanted a smaller organization where I could have a real impact, and saw it as an opportunity for me to give back in a setting where I could use my talents and experience. They had had a few prior board fellows, so knew what was needed to get value from the program.
For me, this was my first time in Chicago, so driving down to the school in Humboldt Park was a chance to get out of the Evanston bubble.
They were interested in deciding whether to start an Associate Board. My project was to look at the different reasons for creating an Associate Board and help them define what they were trying to achieve through it to guide decisions on board membership and how to structure it. We recruited young professionals in the Chicago area, folks who had time and talent to devote to the school, but not as much treasure to give. We also leveraged a few corporate partners to nominate a high potential employee to join the Associate Board.
I went on to be president of the inaugural board. I ran it for a few years, and then passed the baton on to another member of the Associate Board leadership team, and transitioned to serve on the full board for a few years until I took the job at CPS (Chicago Public Schools), which meant I had a conflict of interest. I have stayed connected even after leaving the board; I continue donating and try to join events as much as possible.
What were the greatest areas of growth and development for you through the fellowship?
I saw how being on a board is very different from being an employee for a non-profit. It helped me understand the differences between managing and governing. I learned how to influence management without getting too involved in the day-to-day operations.
What have you done since graduation?
I went to work at McKinsey because I wasn’t done learning. I wanted to practice what we’d been learning at Kellogg on the business side. Had a set of good mentors.
After five years I decided to make the move to CPS (Chicago Public Schools) to be Director of Strategy. I was attracted by the chance to work with the Superintendent, who had a clear vision for change, and the chance to be part of the leadership team for one of the country’s largest school districts, where I could have the greatest impact. Wanted to see how decisions are made in the public sector. It gave me a real appreciation for how tough public service jobs can be.
It was a challenging few years. I joined CPS in April 2019, during a mayoral and Board of Education transition. Then we had a teacher strike and COVID.
How did the Board Fellows experience affect your subsequent work with non-profits?
I became Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Cara Collective in August 2023. I learned about the opportunity from an old colleague from the board at Polaris Academy who had been the chair of the finance committee.
Cara is a workforce development organization that is over 30 years old, helping people prepare for and find a good job. We offer a 4-week training program that provides essential work readiness skills. We also run a non-profit staffing agency and beautification social enterprise, both of which provide individuals with transitional jobs to help build their skills and resumes while earning income for themselves and their families.
In my new role, I work closely with our board. Thanks to Board Fellows I know how to work with them, without getting them too deeply involved on the management side. The Fellows program also was vital for me in building connections in my professional network in Chicago that ended up being key in helping me to land this job.
Golub Capital is now starting a process to create a network of Board Fellows programs like Kellogg's at top business schools. Thinking about ways to engage alumni from these programs in the effort. Any ideas on what might be valuable?
The program is a slam dunk for non-profits. It is relatively low-cost, but not no cost in terms of the effort needed from non-profits to ensure fellows are successful. It’s crucial to be clear with non-profits on what is needed from them to make the fellows successful.
I thought about applying from Cara for a Board Fellow, but since I was new to the organization, I didn’t want to do it until we felt we were set up well for success. Hoping we’ll be able to host a fellow for next year. Want to make sure all the key players are on board, and that we have the right staff connection and board mentor.
It likely works better in larger cities where there is a critical mass of non-profits. Creating a national network of board fellows programs could create opportunities for fellows with national non-profits. Can be a great tool for them to diversify their board members.
