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A double major in history and religion & politics provided Katherine Blair ’04with the skills she needed during her two-year fellowship with the El Pomar Foundation in Colorado.
El Pomar serves nonprofits in Colorado through grants and community stewardship programs. It awards $20 million annually across the state. The foundation also runs 13 programs that focus on leadership, philanthropy education, community development, and recognition of nonprofits for excellence in their fields.
In addition to assisting with programs, Blair served in the foundation’s grants office, analyzing grant requests and advising the trustees on funding allocations. She had previous experience in the field.
“I have worked on a number of programs, including our high school philanthropy program, a regional civic engagement initiative [Forum for Civic Advancement], a college leadership program [Colorado Leadership Alliance], and a rural community development initiative [Penrose Nonprofit Institute]” before her time at El Pomar, she says.
Blair appreciates that she was able to witness the fruits of many of her efforts.
“Rarely does the foundation staff get to witness the impact our work has. I had the advantage of working directly with community leaders in rural areas and with college students, and therefore I could see the changes being made in rural healthcare and watch students explore their own leadership,” she says.
Her Lafayette education in politics has been enhanced by her experience at El Pomar.
“One of the things I learned working at El Pomar Foundation is the importance of governments, nonprofits, and private companies working together to solve community problems. I would like to improve the ways communities collaborate across the sectors through the law,” she says.
Many Lafayette professors prepared Blair to succeed. She says Stephen E. Lammers, Helen H.P.Manson Professor of Religion, was very supportive of her ambitions. She feels ready for law school after taking courses from James E. Lennertz, associate professor of government and law, and Bruce Allen Murphy, Fred Morgan Kirby Professor of Civil Rights.
“I am so grateful for the educational experience I had working with Professors Lennertz and Murphy. Their courses presented challenges not faced by many of my friends in undergrad. They prepared me well for graduate studies, as well as for my current job. They were relentless in their pursuit to challenge our opinions, our logic, and our skills,” she says.
For her responsibilities in the business world, Blair credits Dan Bauer, professor of anthropology and sociology, and Larry Malinconico, associate professor of geology and geophysics, for preparing her.
“In my junior and senior years I participated in the Lafayette College Technology Clinic, designed to present ‘real-world’ challenges to undergraduates by allowing a small group of students to take a project (contracted by an outside firm) from concept to completion,” she says. “This greatly helped me in my position, which required me to develop and implement projects on a regular basis.”
Blair has grown professionally and personally through her experience at El Pomar.
“I have learned most about myself, my perceptions and opinions, my management styles and leadership techniques. But I also learned to facilitate compromise between disparate groups, work with a wide variety of individuals, and advocate for positions that are not popular,” she says.