Allison Henry is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Kellogg School of Management's Social Impact Program and Director of the Golub Capital Board Fellows Program at Northwestern University.

Alli’s career has spanned the private, public and social sectors. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of The People’s Music School. She led strategy, finance, operations, human resources, evaluation, and fundraising of the rapidly growing social impact organization. During her tenure, the school experienced 3x growth, became nationally recognized by industry leaders such as Carnegie Hall, and performed with and for luminaries such as Yo-Yo Ma and President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The foundation of her experience was formed at Bain & Company, a global consultancy where she advised Fortune 500 companies across retail, consumer, health care and private equity industries in issues related to strategy, market entry, pricing, and M&A. While at Bain, Alli was selected to extern with the Civic Consulting Alliance, led undergraduate recruiting efforts, launched the local pro-bono Inspire initiative, and managed one of the firm’s treasured assets – the Bain Band.

Since Bain, Alli has specialized in building entrepreneurial organizations with a commitment to social impact. She was the sixth employee at Mission Measurement, a for-profit social enterprise that supports nonprofits, foundations and corporations to measure the impact of their work. She was the first full-time hire at the venture philanthropy fund A Better Chicago, where she led sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio management, and launched an early-stage funding competition.

Alli earned her MBA in one year from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her BA in three years with a double major in Mathematics and Economics from Grinnell College. Alli has advised at The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business as a coach for its Social Enterprise Lab and is an Adjunct Professor in the School of
Communications at Northwestern University.

Keeping it Real: Strategic Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector (SSIM-950-0)
Nonprofit and Non-Governmental organizations strive to meet the most complex challenges of our time. Today, the sector is being profoundly impacted by the challenges of COVID 19, a global economic recession, as well as growing calls for diversity, equity and inclusion in the US and beyond. Leaders must use all of the management and leadership tools available to them to create strong vision and strategy, partner with volunteer directors, oversee diverse financial streams, and focus on growth and innovation to effectively create social impact in the short term and into the future. Kellogg graduates will find themselves engaged in the social impact sector in a variety of ways -- senior professional staff members, board members, volunteers and donors. This course will help students better understand the skills and talents that are necessary to effectively lead nonprofits or NGOs regardless of their role. This course will engage students in case discussion and group dialogue, along with conversations with alumni and seasoned practitioners in the social impact space. Students will be exposed to theory along with practical examples of leadership and strategy all designed to illustrate successful business practices contributing to increased social impact and steps towards solutions of global issues. Designed for students with some level of experience in the nonprofit sector, this experiential course will enable future founders, CEOs/C-suite leaders and board members to better understand and practice the leadership skills necessary to make an impact in the nonprofit/NGO world.

Advanced Board Governance (SSIM-471-5)

Students will earn .5 credits in Fall, .5 credits in Spring and receive a grade at the end of Spring Quarter.

This practicum in board governance is an extension of Board Governance of Nonprofit Organizations (KPPI-453-5), during which students selected as Board Fellows are matched with a Chicago-area nonprofit to gain experience working with a board of directors and its leaders for 17 months. "Advanced Board Governance" features guest speakers, a board-meeting simulation, and lectures/discussions that delve deeper into topics such as the fiduciary responsibilities of nonprofit boards, board member responsibilities, board member expectations, parliamentary procedure, funding sources, differences between nonprofit and commercial board service, and what to consider before joining a nonprofit board. Course occurs monthly throughout the academic year; students also must attend the board meetings of their nonprofit. A final paper, a consulting project for the student's nonprofit, and an evaluation by the nonprofit partner are required. This course is worth a full credit (1.0 credit)

Board Governance of Non-Profit Organizations (SSIM-455-5)
This five week course is designed to provide students with an understanding of how nonprofit and social impact organizations are governed. It will appeal to students who are likely to engage in board service or to lead a nonprofit or social impact organization. The goal is to help students understand the workings of nonprofit organizations; the roles and responsibilities of boards; and how boards operate. It will focus on the unique aspects of nonprofit/social impact board governance and what comprises an effective board. The course also addresses how organizations and boards move through various stages of growth and development and how nonprofit boards differ from corporate/public boards and where similarities exist in structure, operations and responsibilities. The course will be developed through readings, lectures, cases, discussions and guest speakers. The course will include an individual assignment and two case analyses that can be done individually or as a group. There is no in-class final.

Board Governance of Nonprofit Organizations (Board Fellows) (SSIM-453-5)
Intended to prepare students for board service and civic leadership, this is the first of two courses required for students selected as Kellogg Board Fellows. The course covers topics such as the fiduciary responsibilities of nonprofit boards, board member responsibilities, board member expectations, parliamentary procedure, funding sources, differences between nonprofit and commercial board service, and what to consider before joining a nonprofit board. Although the course includes guest speakers and a board-meeting simulation, four sessions are primarily in a lecture format.