NOTICE: The Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership program is currently under review and being updated. This program is on pause for 2026, and may resume in 2027. To receive information about future programming, please sign up here.
The Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership is a comprehensive program that offers experienced nonprofit professionals the opportunity to increase their capacity for effective entrepreneurial leadership through applied theoretical studies, executive skills training, and reflective practices in an interactive learning environment. Through this innovative curriculum, participants will:
As result of their participation, graduates will be better able to:
Graduates of the Executive Certificate program will return home equipped with the knowledge, skills, and inspiration to manage in fast-paced, resource-constrained, mission-driven environments that characterize today’s nonprofit sector.
For those who have earned the Certificate in Nonprofit Management and are ready to advance their skills with our Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership, we are pleased to offer an $800 scholarship that is automatically applied upon admission.
The Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership program was created in direct response from senior nonprofit managers, board members, and many of the over 2,000 graduates of Duke University’s Certificate in Nonprofit Management program. Composed of nationally known experts from Duke University and leading practitioners, our faculty provides interactive instruction, practical resources, and targeted feedback to enhance and expand participants’ skills in entrepreneurial nonprofit leadership.
No schedule is currently available.
Participants will complete the Executive Certificate in five consecutive days – October 6-10, 2025. The Executive Certificate is a 50-hour program that meets Monday-Friday. The program will be held as a series of live interactive classes via Zoom. Participants must attend all sessions to earn the Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership.
Individuals who apply and are accepted into the Executive Certificate will participate in its comprehensive program that offers experienced nonprofit professionals the opportunity to increase their capacity for effective entrepreneurial leadership through applied theoretical studies, executive skills training, and reflective practices in an interactive learning environment.
The Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership is designed to deliver high impact training for seasoned nonprofit professionals whose leadership transforms organizations, communities and lives.
Applications will not open in 2026.
In addition to completing the online application, you will need to upload the following documents:
Browning, Emma, MBA, ebrowning@paradoxcp.com, is a management consultant, business leader, and social entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in organization design, team effectiveness, and people strategy. She is currently Managing Director at Paradox Consulting Partners, a management consulting company and Certified B Corporation that aligns talent strategy with business strategy to create high-performing, great places for all to work. Prior to founding Paradox, she spent almost a decade with a national HR consulting firm. She has advised hundreds of clients including multiple Fortune 100 and 500 companies, large health systems, universities, and international NGOs. Prior to business school, she worked in the nonprofit sector in Washington, D.C., leading communications for a community-based arts organization and developing earned income business strategies. She is a frequent speaker on topics including organization productivity and equitable design. She has served on multiple nonprofit boards in the areas of education, business, and the arts. She has her MBA with a concentration in Social Entrepreneurship from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and BA from Wake Forest University.
Kelley, Thomas, JD,takelley@email.unc.edu, joined the Carolina Law faculty in 1999. He serves as the James Dickson Phillips Distinguished Professor of Law, and is the Director of the UNC School of Law Community Development Law Clinic. His teaching and research interests include nonprofit organizations (with an emphasis on nonprofit social entrepreneurship) and international law (with an emphasis on Africa). His scholarly work has appeared in such publications as the Fordham and Tulane Law Reviews, Global Jurist, and the American Journal of Comparative Law. His article, “Unintended Consequences of Legal Westernization in Niger: Harming Contemporary Slaves by Reconceptualizing Property,” won Carolina Law’s 2009 Chadbourn Award for outstanding scholarship. In 2003-2004, Kelley was a Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at Abdou Moumouni University (University of Niamey) in Niger. He has also served as a visiting lecturer at Universite Jean Moulin 3 in Lyon France and visiting academic at University of Cape Town in South Africa. During the summers of 2013 and 2015, he led summer study abroad programs in Rwanda and The Hague, focusing on genocide, human rights, and international criminal law.
Dr. Kelley earned a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. Before attending law school, he served as United States Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Niger. After law school, he clerked for James Dickson Phillips on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, then practiced law at Foley, Hoag & Eliot in Boston.
Kosey, Julie, MS, MCC, CMT, NBC-HWC, RYT, julie.kosey@gmail.com, is a Master Certified Coach (ICF) and Certified Mindfulness Teacher (IMTA). She is the owner of Integrated Mindful Solutions, LLC, which specializes in coaching leaders and teams to peak performance by leveraging mindfulness. Her experience with leaders in nonprofit organizations spans more than 30 years.
Norton, Gabriela, SPHR, MBA, gnorton@pprhr.com, established People Performance Resources (PPR) as a full-service Human Resources consulting firm in 2010, focusing on excellence and dedication to the nonprofit business sector. Gabriela has over 20 years of subject matter expertise in human capital. She is a passionate and strategic professional who, together with her team, delivers best practices in high-level decision-making, culture alignment, bilingual/bicultural expertise, board governance support, CEO succession planning, human capital analysis, executive placements, operational change management, and more. Gabriela holds an Executive MBA from The University of Texas at Dallas, is an active Society for Human Resources Management member, and supports several local and national causes that empower low-income communities, women’s causes, children at risk, and conservation efforts. She also serves on local (Dallas area) and national boards.
Sherk, Mary, mary.sherk@duke.edu, Associate Director of the Duke Nonprofit Management Program. Mary has 25+ years of hands-on training and experience in the nonprofit and private sectors.
Smith, Ashley C., ashley.smith@duke.edu, is a STEM Learning Technology Analyst with the Learning Technology Services and Strategy team at Duke’s Learning Innovation and Lifetime Education. She supports the teaching and learning mission of Duke University by providing technical support, service management, and functional leadership of STEM-focused learning technologies, including AI. With over 1,000 attendees participating in her AI sessions, Ashley has presented to the American Academy of Neurology, Science Communicators of NC, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke Health Education Grand Rounds, Duke Divinity, and Duke at large. Ashley's work is characterized by a commitment to leveraging technology to enhance learning experiences.
Ashley first developed her passion for education as an elementary school educator, where she gained valuable classroom experience before transitioning to higher education, taking on instructional, support, and advisory roles at various institutions.
Ashley earned a master's degree in Instructional Technology Education from East Carolina University and is currently working towards a doctorate in Higher Education Administration at Illinois State University. Follow and connect with Ashley on LinkedIn.
Smith, Suzanne, MBA, Suzanne@socialimpactarchitects.com, serves as a coach and consultant for social organizations seeking to maximize the impact of their social strategies and achieve real, measurable results. For nearly three decades, she has generated innovative and breakthrough social ideas. With deep national social sector expertise, she has been widely recognized for her success in building and implementing award-winning programs and initiatives within the sector. Suzanne holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where she was a CASE (Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship) scholar and studied under Greg Dees. Outside of Social Impact Architects, Suzanne is an adjunct professor in the school of management at The University of Texas at Arlington and SMU. She is also a member of the prestigious Society of Organizational Learning (founded by Peter Senge) and National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers. She is also honored to serve on the board of Aileron to help entrepreneurs go to the next level. Suzanne also authors Social TrendSpotter (@socialtrendspot), one of the sector’s top blogs according to the Huffington Post. Known for its relatable way of blending important concepts and new ways of working with storytelling, Social TrendSpotter has been hailed by readers as “the only blog I read each week.” She is frequently interviewed by regional and national media on social issues and social entrepreneurship and has published articles in Forbes, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, See Change, Nonprofit Business Advisor, Upstart and Grantmakers in Health. For her outstanding work as a leading thinker, she was recognized with the Next Generation Social Entrepreneur Award by the Social Enterprise Alliance. Suzanne is a dedicated community leader and has worn many hats, including serving the City of Dallas on over seven boards and commissions and working pro-bono/low-bono with many projects and nonprofits across Texas.
Solomon, Yoram, Ph.D., yoram@yoramsolomon.com, is a global expert on trust, author of The Book of Trust and Can I Trust You?, and a professor of entrepreneurship at the SMU Cox School of Business. He has published 22 books and more than 400 articles on trust, innovation, and leadership, and is a frequent keynote speaker for corporations, associations, and nonprofits. A former special forces soldier, high-tech executive, and elected official, Yoram brings a unique, no-nonsense perspective to leadership. His work helps leaders in mission-driven organizations build the trust that makes people choose to follow them.
Worsham, Erin L., MBA, erin.worsham@duke.edu , is a social impact leader, speaker, coach, and professor helping individuals and organizations unlock their potential and more effectively drive social and environmental change. Erin currently serves as the Executive Director of the award-winning Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and as an Adjunct Professor with Duke University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Initiative. As CASE’s Executive Director, Erin sets vision and strategy, develops partnerships with funders, enterprises and networks around the world, teaches the next generation of impact leaders, and contributes to thought leadership on social innovation, scaling, and impact leadership. Her work has been published in Forbes, Stanford Social Innovation Review; Huffington Post, Academy of Management, Learning & Education; NextBillion, DevEx, and more. Prior to her work at CASE, Erin was a cross-sector leader with a unique combination of work experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. She served as a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, advising clients on strategy, business process, and organizational design. She helped develop public-private partnerships at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and worked on private sector development issues at the World Bank. She began her career working for a nonprofit think tank in Washington D.C. Erin has an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a BA from Duke University. Follow and connect with Erin on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erinworsham.
Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership
Class Date:
Application Period:
Registration Begins:
Registration Ends:
Location:
Once accepted in the Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership Program, participants must register to guarantee their seat. Payment is due upon registration. At the close of registration, the cohort receive a link to materials.
For more information, email Mary Sherk.
There are no information sessions scheduled for 2026.
2025 Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership Program will be offered virtually as a series of live, interactive classes via Zoom.
To ensure an optimal online learning experience, please ensure that you have access to the following:
· Note taking materials
Payable at the time of registration.
Duke Employee Discount
Discount must be requested and applied during the registration process.
Our Nonprofit Management Programs (Intensive Track and Executive Certificate* in Nonprofit Leadership) are non-credit (not degree applicable); therefore, they are NOT eligible for federal loans. DO NOT SUBMIT FAFSA FORMS for these programs. Please see individual program web pages for those details. You may qualify for other loan options. Please see info below.
*Students must apply & be accepted into the Executive Certificate Program before registering.
No loans (Wells Fargo Graduate loan, Sallie Mae Smart Option Undergraduate loan, etc.) can be construed to imply any degree-seeking status for students of Duke Continuing Studies. Duke Continuing Studies courses are non-credit.
Your local bank may offer other options for loans or a "line of credit" service. Contact your bank for more information on financing choices.
The funding options listed below may not be applicable to all programs at this time. Please contact the organization offering the funding to see if you qualify and if the funds can be used for the program in which you are interested.
To apply for this private student loan, visit Sallie Mae’s website, and click the I’m ready to apply button. The following application should populate with the pertinent information for Duke Continuing Studies.
Please note that Wells Fargo is no longer accepting new applications for their private student loans. However, students with an outstanding balance on a Wells Fargo private student loan may be eligible to be borrowers on a new private loan. See here for details.
The WIA provides professional and basic skills training services to those who have been unable to find employment. Please keep in mind that this process can be lengthy, so plan to apply well in advance of the program start date. For more information on eligibility, the application process, or to find your local Workforce Development Board, visit the NC JobLink Career Center website.
AmeriCorps Education Awards are available only for AmeriCorps volunteers and can be used for educational expenses for non-degree courses, such as Continuing Education courses offered by qualified schools. For more information on qualified schools and programs, contact the National Service Trust at 1-800-942-2677, or visit the FAQ page of the AmeriCorps website.
The Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership Program will offer a $800 scholarship to Duke Certificate in Nonprofit Management graduates. To apply, indicate that you have the Certificate on your application. Staff will verify and contact you. Please apply early to guarantee consideration.
$200 of your tuition for the Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership is nonrefundable. To receive a refund minus a processing fee for class cancellation, we must receive your written cancellation request by Friday, September 12, 2025.
To submit a cancellation request:
Email: learnmore@duke.edu
Please include your name, address, phone number, and program title (Executive Certificate). Refunds will be made in the manner you paid. Failure to attend the Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership class does not entitle you to a refund or replacement class.
