By Nathaniel Luce
The Chief Operating Officer of LEAD Public Schools has been awarded a full-tuition scholarship to Vanderbilt Business’ Executive MBA program.
Nathan Madigan was selected by the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management to receive the two-year scholarship, awarded each academic year and valued at roughly $100,000.
“Nathan exemplifies the qualities we look for in a Vanderbilt Executive MBA student, and we are excited to welcome him to the Owen family,” said Juli Bennett, executive director of the Executive MBA program at Vanderbilt. “We believe that the unique perspective he will bring to the classroom will inspire his Executive MBA peers to dedicate additional time and resources to transforming their local communities.”
Madigan assumed his current role at LEAD in early 2016. The Atlanta native has an extensive background in education; he spent seven years working at KIPP New Jersey, rising from analyst to Managing Director of School Operations, and began his career as a Teach for America Corps Member in Newark, New Jersey. He earned a Bachelors in Science degree from Wofford College, where he served as president of his class and received the Wofford College President’s Award.
“Vanderbilt is an incredible school, and I’m going to be proud to be an alumnus once I complete this program,” Madigan said. “I think it’s so great to promote diversity of thought through the nonprofit scholarship. I think it speaks very highly of the Executive program.”
LEAD Public Schools is a network of five public charter schools in Nashville that operates both “fresh start” schools and “zoned-enrollment” turnaround schools. From 5th through 12th grades, LEAD serves predominately minority and low-income populations who are likely to be first-generation college attendees. They are the largest charter school provider in Nashville with more than 2,000 students.
“Going up to Newark with Teach for America, I had all of these assumptions about how I was going to change things,” Madigan said. “When I got there, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The teachers cared deeply — they were excellent teachers who worked tirelessly to meet kids’ needs – but they didn’t have the resources to deal with the issues that the children were bringing to school. At that moment, I decided that my career was going to focus on supporting teachers.”
As COO, Madigan and his operations team are constantly searching for innovative, sustainable ways to grow LEAD and bring more resources to the classroom for the network’s 200-plus teachers. He plans to leverage the Vanderbilt Executive MBA to enhance his skill sets, particularly in finance and sourcing, and engage with business leaders in Nashville.
“I want to better understand how for-profit organizations evaluate cultural fit and their impact on the actual work,” he says. “I’m also incredibly excited by the prospect of executive coaching. I want to be a better steward of the business.”
Vanderbilt Business launched the sponsorship program in 2005 to give career assistance to one deserving nonprofit executive each year. Applications are open to executives and senior staff members of any 501(c)(3) organization who have demonstrated a strong commitment to serving in the nonprofit sector. Madigan was chosen from a pool of admitted applicants coming into the highly ranked Executive MBA program, which offers a rigorous 60-hour MBA curriculum. Requirements for admission include strong GMAT scores, a record of academic accomplishment, previous management experience and a formal interview.
Contact Person: Nate Luce Director of Business News and Communications
Contact Phone: 615.322.3469
Contact Email: nate.luce@owen.vanderbilt.edu
