Graduate Program: Master of Arts in Nonprofit Leadership Studies (MA)

Greg Starbuck ’14 MA, ’19 MA is the executive director of Historic Sandusky, a nonprofit house museum owned and operated by the University of Lynchburg. There, he’s led historic preservation and restoration efforts for more than 20 years.

Earning a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Leadership Studies from Lynchburg in 2019 took his position to a new level.

“It has improved my skills and given me tools to do my job better and more efficiently,” he said. “I better understand how nonprofits should — and do — work, and how to make my nonprofit conform better to industry standards and strive for excellence.

“It also has given me an appreciation for nonprofits of all sizes — what they do or don’t do well, how to recognize excellence, and how to continually improve our nonprofit’s impact. I wish this program had been available early in my career.”

Starbuck said he enjoyed the program’s varied curriculum, which covers fundraising, grant writing, communication and crisis management, marketing and social media, working with boards of directors, governance, and other subjects.

“Anyone working in the nonprofit field should consider this program,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in a leadership position yet or not. The course material will help people at all levels in the nonprofit world by teaching you how nonprofits function and thrive.”

“The program will better prepare you for a leadership position when you reach that point in your career. This program will give you knowledge and tools in a couple of years that might otherwise take 10 or 20 years to learn on the job.”