Fellow Testimonials
Fellow Testimonials
In Their Own Words . . .
Fellows, mentors, and organizations who partner with RCB's Fellowship Program—present and past—describe their experiences working on Strategic Impact Projects (SIPs). Strategic Impact Projects serve a crucial business need, such as optimizing business functions, increasing operational efficiencies, or strengthening industry partnerships. SIPs are carefully crafted in collaboration with Rohrer’s partner organizations, mentors, and key faculty from business-related departments at Rowan to create rewarding and fulfilling experiences for RCB Fellows. The initiatives are intended to optimize professional development and career trajectories for Fellows.
Interested in Pursuing an MBA/MSF Fellowship at Rohrer College of Business?
Partner Organizations Discuss Collaborating with RCB Fellows
Lauren Goldner
Outreach Coordinator
OTC Services
In this video interview, Jennifer Maden, Director of Graduate Business Studies, and Lauren Goldner, Outreach Coordinator at 
OTC Services, discuss Lauren’s experience collaborating on Strategic Impact Projects with MBA and MSF students from the RCB Fellowship Program. OTC Services is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering adults with disabilities through job training, day programs, and residential services, as well as providing financial assistance to economically challenged individuals.
“Having this fresh perspective transformed our thinking, and it was really a catalyst for us to have better conversations with our program participants.”
—Lauren Goldner of OTC Services, on working with MBA and MS Fellows
Marco Carolla
Executive Director
TixforGood
During his MBA Fellowship with TixforGood, Ronald Ngwashi made meaningful contributions that strengthened our organization’s foundation and clarified our path forward. Ronald worked thoughtfully to refine our mission and vision, helping us clearly define TixforGood’s purpose to utilize ticket sales in support of various community initiatives, aiming to create positive experiences through live events. His in-depth analysis of the competitive landscape was invaluable, providing us with insights into where we stand within the industry and guiding us toward best practices that can help us stay relevant and impactful.
Ronald’s work has positioned TixforGood to pursue a path of sustainable growth, aligning us more effectively with partners who share our mission and want to amplify our impact. Although his fellowship represented an early stage in our journey, the work he completed has laid a solid foundation for our future success. We are grateful for the time and expertise he brought to the role, which will have a lasting effect on our mission and our ability to make a difference through live events.
Dr. Tony Lin
Assistant Professor of Accounting
Rowan University
In this video interview, Dr. Tony Lin, Assistant Professor of Accounting, and Jennifer Maden, Director of Graduate Business Studies, discuss Dr. Lin’s experience collaborating with MBA and MSF graduate students from the RCB Fellowship Program. Dr. Lin led a research-focused Strategic Impact Project involving a team of Fellows. Under Dr. Lin’s mentorship, Fellows created a customized large language model to streamline the reporting process for an education assessment tracking tool (STARS report). 
“Fellows have played a very significantly critical role in supporting faculty side research, my research, on AI applications in accounting and sustainability reporting. Their analytical skills and initiative have helped accelerate this data collection process and prototype development.”
—Dr. Tony Lin, Assistant Professor of Accounting, Rowan University
Dr. Walter C. Quint
President
Paulsboro Pegasus Education Foundation (PPEF)
The most significant challenge facing the Paulsboro Pegasus Education Foundation is maintaining its current donors while expanding its donor base. Education Foundation leaders have expertise in educational programs in general and the Paulsboro Public Schools in particular. The business and marketing experience and expertise of Ronald Ngwashi was extremely helpful as the PPEF Board of Trustees worked to enhance educational opportunities, focusing on expanding and diversifying their donor base to support local schools.
Fellow Ronald Ngwashi created four letter templates designed to reach both current and potential donors. The Fellow also designed three informational templates that introduced donors to the Paulsboro Pegasus Education Foundation—its mission, vision and current projects. The second informational template explained the successful collaboration between the Paulsboro Pegasus Education Foundation and the Board of Education to implement a STEAM (STEM + Art) Center for all students in grades 3-6. The final letter highlighted the Fellow’s experience working with the Education Foundation. Mr. Ngwashi’s final project with PPEF was to outline the content for a webinar that could serve as outreach to both current and potential donors.
The leadership of PPEF gained valuable insight through its collaboration with the Fellow. His letter templates, articles and webinar outline opened the minds of PPEF leaders to business and marketing frameworks to enhance the donor base for the organization. In other words, Ronald taught PPEF a new way of thinking about the organization beyond just education. He helped us learn how to sell the Foundation’s mission to a broad group of potential donors. The same concepts enhance PPEFs ability to maintain its current donors and, hopefully, entice them to be even more generous.
It was extremely easy for PPEF leaders to communicate and collaborate with Mr. Ngwashi. Meetings took place via Zoom. During the meetings, next steps and products were discussed with agreed upon timelines. The partners then reviewed, revised and edited products via email. The Fellow’s positive, professional “can do” manner made the process a pleasure.
The Rowan MB/MSF Fellowship Program was and continues to be a valuable resource for the Paulsboro Pegasus Education Foundation. Frankly, I look forward to working with new Fellows to enhance other community groups that I have the honor of serving.
Phil Barnes
Director of PR & Communications Schreiber School of Veterinary Medicine
Rowan University
Gain insights into the RCB Fellowship Program as Phil Barnes, director of PR and Communications for the first-ever veterinary school in New Jersey, gives a glowing report detailing how RCB Fellows introduced sustainability and created a business and marketing plan for the PAWS Farm education center. 
“That’s the moment that I knew, the MBA Fellows here at the Rohrer College of Business of Rowan University are the real deal. They’re the best of the best. And the thing that really blew me away is that they’re not just business students. They all came from backgrounds in engineering, psychology, and they were able to add business to that, so they came up with really powerful experienced ideas off that bat. They created this amazing business plan for PAWS Farm that we were able to use.”
—Phil Barnes, Director of PR and Communications at Rowan University’s Schreiber School of Veterinary Medicine
Joanne Rosen
Chief Marketing & Public Affairs Officer
Samaritan
On behalf of Samaritan, I extend sincere thanks and appreciation to MBA Fellow Sarah Atai, Professor Greg Payton, Dean Sue Lehrman, and Assistant Dean Jennifer Maden of the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University. Among other projects, Sarah has been collaborating with our Samaritan team to advance key strategic initiatives that enhance community engagement and accessibility.
Sarah’s collaboration and enthusiastic support have contributed to multiple facets of our efforts, including strategic planning, staff recruitment, and community outreach. Additionally, Sarah has played a role in supporting Samaritan’s global partnership with Kawempe Home Care, based in Kampala, Uganda. Eager to contribute and learn, she even joined our golf tournament committee to support this important fundraising initiative.
In collaboration with Professor Payton, Sarah’s work builds on the success of a prior Rowan student project focused on improving access to Samaritan’s healthcare services. In 2022, Arielle Gsell led an interdisciplinary group of Samaritan clinical and administrative professionals through a strategic sprint process to identify priority strategies for expanding outreach and enhancing patient engagement in Camden City. As a result, the Samaritan team launched the “Listen, Learn, Act” process, designed to incorporate valuable feedback from patients, families, staff, volunteers, and community members into organizational decision-making.
As a not-for-profit, community-based healthcare provider, Samaritan greatly values the opportunity to collaborate with Rowan’s intelligent and motivated students. Their innovative contributions and strategic insights have been impactful, and we are confident they will continue to excel as they complete their education and enter the workforce. Thank you, Rowan!
Dr. Lauren Smith
Director of Research, Center for Sports
Rowan University
Rowan’s own Dr. Lauren Smith talks about her experiences working with Fellows on Strategic Impact Projects involving assessing the impact of AI in sports and rebuilding and rebranding National Girls and Women in Sports Day at Rowan University. Dr. Smith is an Associate Professor in both the Sport Communication and Media program and the Communication Studies Department. She also oversees the research and impact activities for the Center for Sports Communication and Social Impact. In the video, Dr. Smith and Director of Graduate Business Studies, Jennifer Maden, examine the way RCB Fellows move partners’ missions forward in actionable, results-driven ways. 
“The Fellow was able to come in and bring his expertise and a lot of questions that I didn’t even think to ask.” —Dr. Lauren Smith
Marco Carolla
Executive Director
TixforGood
Siena Rampulla has been a dedicated and impactful team member, contributing significantly to the development and expansion strategy of our organization. With a keen eye for trends and a strategic mindset, Siena conducted market research, benchmarking analyses, and produced intelligence reports that provided us with a clearer understanding of the philanthropic landscape. Her insights have been instrumental in refining our offerings and positioning us to better serve nonprofits.
In her role as an Ambassador, Siena went above and beyond to foster connections with nonprofit and corporate leaders, representing our organization at a variety of charity events such as golf tournaments, 5K runs, galas, dinner parties, and professional networking gatherings. She has been crucial in positioning us as a bridge between the nonprofit and corporate sectors, helping to promote our sponsoring brands through social media, email, our website, podcasts, and in-person events.
Siena’s dedication and strategic approach have strengthened our organization’s foundation, built valuable partnerships, and set us on a path for sustainable growth in the philanthropic sector. We are grateful for her contributions and her commitment to advancing our mission.
On Making an Impact . . . from a Fellow's Perspective
Lauwinda Cherilus
MBA Fellowship recipient 2024–2026
Rowan University
Hear directly from MBA Fellow Lauwinda Cherilus as she highlights her most memorable experiences collaborating with partner organizations to complete Strategic Impact Projects. 
“The Fellowship is temporary, but our community is forever.” —Lauwinda Cherilus, MBA Fellowship recipient, 2024–2026
Mentors On Their Involvement with the RCB Fellowship Program
Greg Payton
"As a mentor, my motivation stems from my strong belief in the value of mentorship and education. I am driven by the desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of these bright, ambitious individuals."
Empowering Change Agents | Professor | Innovator
As a proud mentor in the MBA/MS Fellow Program at Rowan University, I am honored to share my experience and wholeheartedly endorse this exceptional opportunity for future candidates. This program has consistently shown its potential to exponentially expand the horizons for those fortunate enough to be chosen as Fellows, paving the way for unparalleled growth, social impact, and satisfaction in their professional and personal lives.
Throughout my tenure as a mentor, I have been continually inspired by the transformative power of this program. Fellows have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a stimulating environment, rich with diverse perspectives and practical learning experiences. The MBA/MS Fellow Program's robust initiatives empower candidates to not only develop critical thinking and leadership skills but also to build a strong foundation in volunteerism, marketing, and management.
As a mentor, my motivation stems from my strong belief in the value of mentorship and education. I am driven by the desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of these bright, ambitious individuals. It brings me immense satisfaction to witness each Fellow’s development, knowing that the knowledge and guidance I share contributed to their success.
My passion for mentoring in the MBA/MS Fellow Program is fueled by the fascinating stories, backgrounds, and aspirations of the Fellows. Each interaction with them is a learning experience, reminding me of the limitless potential that lies within every individual. This program is the catalyst that allows these talented students to realize that potential, unlocking doors to a world of opportunities and enriching their lives in ways they never before imagined.
In conclusion, the MBA/MS Fellow Program at Rowan University is an extraordinary platform for Fellows to accelerate their personal and professional growth. The camaraderie, support, and wealth of knowledge available in this program are truly unmatched. I am honored to play a role in shaping the future leaders and change agents of tomorrow and am confident that this program will continue to leave an indelible mark on the lives of its participants.
