Noemi Y. Perez, executive director of The Immokalee Foundation, recently returned from Harvard Business School, where she attended an executive education program made possible through a scholarship awarded by the Harvard Club of Naples. Perez was the sole recipient of the scholarship for this three-day program, titled Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations.
In a joint program presented by the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative and Harvard University’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at the Kennedy School, Perez and other nonprofit leaders explored the impact of measurement on resource allocation, organizational learning, internal processes, and internal and external accountability.
The Harvard Club of Naples scholarship covered Perez’s program fee, tuition, and room and board at the Executive Education Center at the school in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“I had an amazing experience,” said Perez. “I had the opportunity to meet many different people from all over the world and share strategies and feedback. I have started to implement some of the strategies I learned, which will benefit our organization overall. I cannot thank the Harvard Club of Naples enough for awarding me with the scholarship to attend.”
Perez was raised in Immokalee and worked for the foundation for nine years before being appointed executive director by The Immokalee Foundation’s board of directors in July 2018.
A graduate of Hodges University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Perez is a member of the Immokalee Chamber of Commerce, Immokalee Technical College Advisory Board, and The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce Leadership Collier Foundation Alumni Association. She completed the Growing Associates in Naples program in 2016, the same year she was honored by Gulfshore Business magazine as a 40 Under 40 professional.
Each year, the Harvard Club of Naples awards scholarships to two nonprofit CEOs and executive directors to attend different executive education courses at Harvard – the three-day Performance Measurement program and a five-day offering titled Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management. These scholarships are one of the many ways the Harvard Club of Naples gives back to the community.
The Immokalee Foundation provides a range of education programs that focus on building pathways to professional careers through support, mentoring and tutoring, and life skills development leading to economic independence. To learn more about The Immokalee Foundation, becoming a mentor, its signature events, volunteering as a career panel speaker or host, making a donation, including the foundation in your estate plans, or for additional information, call 239-430-9122 or visit https://immokaleefoundation.org.
