YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Center for Nonprofit Leadership at Youngstown State University, housed in the Williamson College of Business Administration, has been awarded a grant from The Wean Foundation to implement the 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Summer Fellowship Program.

The biennial program matches YSU students seeking career-related experience in the nonprofit sector with nonprofit organizations in the Mahoning Valley looking to build organizational capacity. 

The program gives 12 YSU students the opportunity to work full time for 12 weeks, for a total of 480 hours, or part time for 300 hours between May 12 and August 1. All fellows are paid $18 per hour.

The students and organizations selected to participate in the program are:

  • MacKenzie Harrington, a master of business administration student, part-time marketing and social media fellowship, Andrea Mahone Foundation.
  • Melea Johnson, a social work major, full-time site instructor fellowship, Inspiring Minds Youngstown.
  • Serene Awad, an environmental studies major,  full-time program management fellowship, Mahoning County Land Bank. 
  • Connor Tapp, a history major, full-time community engagement fellowship, Mahoning Valley Historical Society.
  • Kevin Balella, a marketing major, full-time Panerathon event fellowship, Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley.
  • Tara Wine, a marketing major, full-time marketing and development fellowship, Meridian HealthCare.
  • Sujey Navarro Negrete, a business administration major, part-time community engagement fellowship, Northeast Ohio Adoption Services.
  • Aicha Sawaneh, a communication major, part-time marketing and events fellowship, Oh Wow! Children’s Center for Science & Technology.
  • Danuneka Cargill, a business administration major, part-time marketing and events fellowship, United Way of Trumbull County.
  • Haya Farhan, a graduate student studying public health, full-time marketing and development fellowship, YMCA of Youngstown.
  • Sabrina Johnson, a psychology major, full-time neighborhood stabilization fellowship, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. 
  • Miya Brown, an accounting major, part-time accounting fellowship, YWCA Mahoning Valley.

All participating organizations align with the Wean Foundation’s mission of equitable community building in underresourced communities of Warren and Youngstown.

“This program aims to provide meaningful, career-related experience to these students, which in turn fosters and develops their skills to serve as effective nonprofit leaders upon graduation,” said Laura Dewberry, director of the Center for Nonprofit Leadership. “This program also benefits the host organizations by building capacity over a 12-week period in the summer of 2025, thus helping to create social change.” 

The Nonprofit Leadership Summer Fellowship Program has occurred since 2011 and has had 80 YSU student participants to date.

The Center for Nonprofit Leadership offers a certificate and a minor in nonprofit leadership, which can be combined with any major on campus.
For more information, contact Dewberry at 330 941 1870 or ljdewberry@ysu.edu.