Anh Nguyen, ’11, described his first year as a nonprofit board director as emotionally and spiritually rewarding. He currently serves on the board for Renaissance Social Services Inc., a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides housing and support services for at-risk individuals, veterans, and families.
Nguyen loves Renaissance because it provides clients individualized and comprehensive care. Clients who go from the street to living in a home often choose to stay within Renaissance’s community, he says, which means they’re able to get the ongoing support they need to restart their lives. This could be a simple as opening a bank account, or as serious as coordinating home care for a chronic health issue.
“I couldn’t be happier being part of this organization and seeing the community impact it continues to make,” Nguyen says. “Housing and coordinating services around a client is a critical component to their success. That’s what we see and are able to measure. We want to empower and enable our clients’ futures.”
As a board director, Nguyen has helped Renaissance think of other ways to measure its social impact by reevaluating its metrics for success—for example, tracking how many clients the nonprofit has connected to primary care services. Prior to working with Rennaissance, less than 30 percent of clients have a primary-care provider. Within six months, they’re all matched with one and receive an integrated care plan.
Nguyen, a physician and global head of the gene thereapy company Asklepios BioPharmaceutical Inc., hopes that reviewing Renassiance’s metrics can improve its existing programs, help develop new ones, and enhance future funding for the organization as it grows.
Before Renaissance, Nguyen served only on biotech boards, a more scientific role due to its close work with management teams, investors, academic researchers, and global regulatory authorities. In contrast, the Renassiance board focuses on the integration of social services and health care delivery—an entirely different set of tasks that strongly appeals to him.
“I’m grateful for this experience, to learn more about and contribute to Renaissance’s mission to provide housing, social services, and health,” he said. “This is in my blood—belonging to a community-focused organization and helping pay it forward.”
