Symone McClain ‘96 is committed to always giving back in everything she does; a value instilled in her by her parents. Through her work as a nonprofit professional, Symone is able to give back on a daily basis. She serves as the director of administrative services at Kinnect, an organization committed to strengthening families directly impacted by the foster care system. As part of her role, she serves as a strategic partner to the executive director to ensure Kinnect’s operational excellence. Prior to joining Kinnect, Symone had 23 years of combined experience in community relations and grant management at the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation, Healthcare Georgia Foundation, Nordson Corporation Foundation, Baldwin Wallace University, and The Cleveland Foundation. During her time as a student at Baldwin Wallace, Symone was a business major with a concentration in human services. She was a part of the Human Resource Management program offered on the weekends, and spent a lot of time taking psychology courses.
Symone was impacted a great deal by Professor Dwyer, who brought real life examples into the classroom, and understood the realities of students attending weekend classes who were juggling school, work, and family responsibilities. One of Symone’s favorite memories was walking across the stage to accept her diploma at graduation where Dr. Dwyer waited to shake her hand and offer his congratulations.
After attending Baldwin Wallace, Symone went on to earn her MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management, where she also earned a graduate certificate in human resource management. As a student, and employee of BW in the Development Department, Symone has always felt welcome on campus and as a part of the BW community. She was able to meet students receiving scholarships, and see how grateful they were to be receiving support. Symone has stayed involved with the BW community so she can continue to empower BW students and their educational aspirations. Women for BW allows her to do that on a large scale. The most rewarding part of Women for BW for Symone is reading the proposals and listening to the presentations of students and professors seeking scholarships. She enjoys giving them the opportunities to expand their knowledge through these scholarships. Symone is committed to lifting the voices of women through education, and her contributions, in time and money, to Women for BW, gives her the opportunity to make it happen.
Thank you, Symone!
Written by Annette Fetter '15
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