Nathaniel Goldman (’20SPS, Nonprofit Management) is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner. He is currently the director of finance and operations at American Friends of Rambam Medical Center. Passionate about social change, Nathaniel hopes to contribute his efforts to international communities in the future. He believes the M.S. in Nonprofit Management program will prepare him for this role. Nathaniel serves on the board of various nonprofits including Board Chair of ACCESS Global, the Young Professional Division of the American Jewish Committee.
What attracted you to the M.S. in Nonprofit Management program and what skills were you able to build and improve on?
I wanted to apply because the program at Columbia recognizes the growing complexity, sophistication, and importance of mission-driven organizations. Vision and passion are only the beginning. I am becoming well-grounded in the technology, data analysis, management, and communication skills necessary to make an impact.
What areas have you focused on in the program?
As part of this program, I took an International Field Course involving an environmental conflict resolution study trip to Jordan and Israel. I completed a valuable Global Communication course and a course on Nonprofit Ethics focused on international issues. These international courses are relevant and forward looking in our increasingly global world.
Was the format of the program helpful?
The flexibility of the Columbia program allows for part-time attendance along with online and hybrid courses. I am able to earn my degree while continuing my job and even taking nonprofit-affiliated trips to Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, Jordan, and Israel.
What was an especially meaningful aspect of the program?
The professors in the program are not just experts at the top of their field, they are rockstars. For example, Nonprofit Financial Management is taught by Jeff Mechanick, who leads the Nonpublic Entities Division of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, and Rick Cole, who was also in leadership at the FASB and now Partner at BKD, LLP. Marcus Owens was the Director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS for many years, and Sharon Weinberg Nokes is the in-house counsel to The Pew Charitable Trusts. I am grateful for the privilege to learn from each of them.
Learn more about the Master of Science in Nonprofit Management program at the School of Professional Studies.
