Conference Information
11th Annual Nonprofit Institute Conference
'Nonprofit Resilience: Adapting to Change'
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021
The 11th Annual Nonprofit Institute Conference drew 270 including speakers and attendees from throughout Southern Maryland and beyond. CSM President Dr. Maureen Murphy offered welcoming remarks and Dr. Sybol Anderson, executive director of Equity and Inclusive Diversity at CSM offered a keynote that centered on the "Essence of Resilience."
During 15 breakout sessions, attendees heard from thought leaders and engaged in discussions about everything from people-powered philanthropy to building the right board. Recorded sessions are available to conference attendees on the Whova conference app.
This was our first virtual conference, and we are very thankful for all our speakers and volunteer moderators. This event would not have been possible without them.
About Our Keynote Speaker
Dr. Sybol Anderson is executive director of Equity and Inclusive Diversity at CSM, where she provides leadership and strategic direction to build a culture of equity and inclusion. A social and political philosopher specializing in liberal theory, recognition theory, and the philosophy of race, her commitment to building inclusive communities has been a central part of her career for more than 15 years.
Anderson earned her PhD in philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, becoming the 19th African American woman to earn a doctorate in philosophy in the United States. As associate professor of philosophy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, she founded and directed the DeSousa-Brent Scholars Program, an academic and leadership program for first-generation and low-income, and other students from groups underrepresented in higher education. Program alumni have earned graduate degrees from Oxford University, Columbia University, and other prestigious institutions, and are excelling in professions internationally. In 2013 the Maryland General Assembly voted unanimously to establish the DeSousa-Brent Scholars Completion Grant to increase program enrollment.
Anderson has also served as the inaugural chief diversity officer at Loyola University New Orleans, as senior program manager and senior consultant for the GE-NMF Primary Care Leadership Program of National Medical Fellowships, Inc. (NMF). At NMF, she provided oversight for two national service-learning and research scholarship programs for medical, law, and graduate health professions students, designed to increase diversity in the health professions and improve health outcomes for the medically underserved.
Anderson began her higher education career as a continuing education professional at CSM when it was known as Charles County Community College, where she also served as interim executive director of the Southern Maryland Job Training Partnership Administration (JTPA). When she entered graduate school, she worked part time as a training coordinator for the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, Inc. (SMTCCAC), and later as executive director of the East-John Youth Center, Inc., in Lusby.
Anderson is author of Hegel’s Theory of Recognition: From Oppression to Ethical Liberal Modernity; with Robert Bernasconi, Race and Racism in Continental Philosophy; with Ellen K. Feder and Karmen MacKendrick, A Passion for Wisdom: Readings in Western Philosophy on Love and Desire; and a number of articles and book chapters on Hegel, race, and pedagogy. Her awards include the Magis Outstanding Staff Member Award (Loyola University New Orleans), President's Lucille Clifton Award (St. Mary’s College of Maryland), Homer L. Dodge Award for Excellence in Teaching (St. Mary’s College of Maryland), Henry C. Welcome Fellowship of the Maryland State Higher Education Commission, and Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship.
Anderson is also a co-founder of The Spirit of Jazz & Democracy and The Spirit of Innovation & Freedom, ensembles of musicians, artists, and scholars who apply lessons from jazz and other arts to promote inclusive democracy and the mindset of innovation.