About Us

The Center for Public and Nonprofit Management integrates several functions within the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs, connecting professional development, student enrichment, and faculty engagement in the areas of leadership development, management training, technical assistance, and research for the public and nonprofit sectors in Northeast Ohio.

Student Enrichment

The Center for Public and Nonprofit Management's Mentoring Program - in collaboration with the Ohio Center for the Advancement of Women in Public Service pairs undergraduate junior and senior students and graduate students with community professionals in leadership positions within the public or nonprofit sectors. Mentors provide guidance and career advice as students examine career choices during the academic year. Students and mentors exchange interests and plan career goals and objectives.

Professional Development

The Center's professional development programs, including the Certified Public Manager® (CPM) Program, provide premier training platforms for public service and nonprofit leadership and management in Northeast Ohio. The various programs focus on building leadership and management skills and assisting positive organizational change in public and nonprofit organizations.

Training, Technical Assistance, and Applied Research

The Center provides technical assistance to organizations on a contract basis, focusing on strategic planning, organizational development, board development, fundraising, succession planning, and other organizational leadership. Center staff and faculty affiliates conduct applied research for public and nonprofit organizations through grants and contracts. Learn more. » 

Research

The Center's faculty affiliates conduct basic research on governance and the role and function of the public and nonprofit sectors in Northeast Ohio and the nation. Research topics cover a range of areas including city management, urban policy, community planning, environmental policy, education policy, and nonprofit administration. Faculty affiliates coordinate with Center staff to identify priority research topics.

News, Events, and Special Programs

The Center produces The Center for Public & Nonprofit Management Quarterly, a quarterly newsletter about professional development, student enrichment, and community engagement programs. The Center is also responsible for coordinating programs and events such as Levin Serves, a quarterly outreach activity that unites the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs community for a service project at a local nonprofit organization, and the Women's Leadership Series, which engages and empowers public and nonprofit sector leaders while promoting gender representation at all levels of leadership.

Advisory Committee

The Center is guided by an advisory committee consisting of stakeholders from various nonprofit and government entities reflecting the Center's functional areas and program offerings. The committee offers guidance that is used to develop the portfolio of programming and ensures that the Center is meeting the needs of stakeholders in the region and engaging them in the mission of the Center and the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs.