Time for volunteering was scarce when Kathleen Akers, AB’16, MBA’20, was completing her evening MBA program at the Booth School of Business while working full-time as an economic analyst — but after finishing her degree, Akers finally had room in her schedule. Her first move was to apply to Booth’s Alumni Board Connect, a program that matches Booth MBA alumni with Chicago-area nonprofits that address social challenges and are seeking new board members.
Akers thought first of the University because it’s a defining institution in her life. Not only did she earn her undergraduate and master’s degrees at UChicago, she also co-founded its chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (and met her husband when he joined the group). She’s currently a lecturer at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, where she co-teaches a course for future entrepreneurs on how to develop and monetize new technologies and products. And she’s now engaging in a meaningful volunteer experience thanks to Alumni Board Connect.
Created in 2013 by Booth’s Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation, the program offers nonprofits the expertise of creative, critical thinkers who can help them focus and grow their programming, while participating Booth alumni learn about nonprofit operations, expand their networks, and refine their leadership skills in a new setting. More than 200 alumni have joined Chicagoland nonprofit boards through the program.
For Akers, Alumni Board Connect checked several boxes. “I wanted to figure out ways that I could give back through my education,” she explains, “and was looking for a way to get a deeper understanding of how nonprofits operate.
“Also, I’ve been given so many incredible opportunities in my life — I feel there’s more for me to do than just capitalize on that for myself and my family. Helping to provide opportunities for other people in the community was a big part of my motivation as well.”
The Alumni Board Connect team worked closely with Akers to match her with a nonprofit that aligns with her Christian faith, ultimately connecting her with Franciscan Outreach, one of Chicago’s largest providers of services for people experiencing homelessness.
“The team was really helpful in understanding my background and what I was looking for,” she says. “I care about the dignity and sacred life of all human beings; Franciscan Outreach has Catholic roots and a mission to promote the dignity and humanity of all our neighbors, so it felt like a perfect match.”
Akers joined the Franciscan Outreach board in the fall of 2020. In serving on the board’s program committee, nominating and governance committee, and gala committee, she says she’s developed a deep understanding of the organization’s programming, its inner workings, and its fundraising strategies.
"Alumni Board Connect makes it easy to leverage your skills, including skills you may not even realize you have. That experience is very grounding — and I’ve found that helping to fulfill others’ needs is much more rewarding than focusing on my own gratification from the experience."
One project where Akers has been able to lend special expertise is the implementation of a new data collection system that will help Franciscan Outreach evaluate its success in connecting its guests with housing, medical care, jobs, and other essentials.
“We’re hoping to analyze the data for insight into the experiences of guests who have used our services successfully versus those who haven’t had as much success,” she says. “We want to find out how we can help everyone through our programs, and how we might expand.” Akers is also helping to evaluate Franciscan Outreach’s bylaws and board nomination process as the organization looks to diversify the makeup of its board.
In every board project, Akers draws heavily on her UChicago education. “This is why I love economics so much: What I learned at the University is applicable whether I’m evaluating intellectual property and complex commercial disputes at my job, teaching valuation at PME, or helping Franciscan Outreach with new data analysis issues that they’ve never had before. UChicago students have a unique set of skills that we’re trained in, which can be a true asset to nonprofit boards.”
And the rewards of serving are deeply meaningful, she says. “In a world that’s changing so rapidly, there are things we have to hold on to in life: We have to hold on to helping each other and hold on to the good that’s in the world and is unchanging.”
