Still here . . .

Written By Cheryl McCormick

Delmonte, a 138-year-old grocery store staple brand, has filed for bankruptcy.

Like legions of massive corporate antecedents who could not navigate financial crises, shifts in consumer behavior, and technology advancements, Delmonte will ‘blink out’ or be broken up.

And yet, nonprofit leaders are continually told we must ‘run our nonprofits like corporate sector businesses’.

Community trust and transparency have helped scores of nonprofits thrive, many since the 19th century, including my beloved Athens Area Humane Society – now 126 years old and better than ever.

Less than one half of one percent of corporations celebrate a 100th birthday.

Hey, corporate sector, you should run your business like a nonprofit.

GM, PG&E, Worldcom, Washington Mutual, Lehman Brothers. Toys R Us, Xerox, and Kodak . . . we're still here.

. . . Where are YOU?

Cheryl McCormick

Cheryl McCormick is a nonprofit executive and field ecologist. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, a Master’s Degree in Geography (Remote Sensing/GIS) from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in Ecology (Plant Sciences) from the University of Georgia. After completing her graduate research, she began working as a Research Scientist at the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants at the University of Florida, specializing in seed dispersal models, metapopulation studies of orthodox and

recalcitrant seeds, and field mapping of invasive wetland plant species in South

Florida.

Guided by a passion for linking field research with applied land management and citizen science, Dr. McCormick left academia to serve as Director of Conservation for the Santa Lucia Conservancy, where she partnered with private land owners, government agencies, and NGOs to monitor and manage invasive plants and pathogens and protect endangered flora and fauna in California’s central coast.

Specializing in organizational turnarounds, nonprofit law, and major gift fundraising,

Dr. McCormick has served as Executive Director for the American Cetacean Society,

YWCA Monterey County, and Lindsay Wildlife Museum. She was also Founder and

Chief Strategist of Ascend Nonprofit Consulting and Executive Coaching and received

an appointment as Visiting Researcher at the Center for Geospatial Research at the

University of Georgia in October 2018.

Dr. McCormick is an active member of the International Coach Federation, Association

of Fundraising Professionals, and Grant Professionals Association. She has served as

a volunteer with organizations whose mission include preserving the diversity of life on

earth, including the Blue Iguana Recovery Program of Grand Cayman; Sea Otter

Research and Conservation program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium; Lindsay Wildlife

Museum’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital, and the Peruvian Marine Conservation Group at BlueVoice.org. She partners with Matsés Tribe members of the Peruvian Amazon and their advocates to secure equitable compensation for harvesting biologically active compounds from the Hylid frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor.

Dr. McCormick has authored numerous editorials, news articles, Florida statewide

invasive species management plans, peer-reviewed research articles, and a book on

invasive plant species in Florida’s natural areas. For a list of publications and to learn

more about Dr. McCormick’s professional accomplishments, please visit her Linkedin

profile at www.linkedin.com/in/cherylmccormick.

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