From intern to manager, Dongwen Wang has built her career at the Center for Rural Affairs.
In 2009, Dongwen made the journey from her home in China to the U.S. to study accounting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. After getting her master’s degree in 2015, she joined Center staff in Lyons for an accounting internship, then took on the role of accounting associate. Now the Center's accounting manager, Dongwen continues to look for ways to elevate her work in the nonprofit world.
Encouraged by her Center staff supervisors, Dongwen applied to the Rising Leaders Institute. The review process was competitive, and she impressed the committee with her application and was selected for Class 6 of the Rising Leaders Institute.
“I endorsed Dongwen for this opportunity because I know that not only will she grow, but both the Center and the Rising Leaders Institute will benefit from her inclusion in the 2025 class,” said Mike Bride, chief financial officer with the Center.
The Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Greater Omaha and the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands partnered to create the Rising Leaders Institute, a one-year program that presents an opportunity for young professionals in the nonprofit world to enhance their leadership capacity. They also learn the skills necessary to achieve nonprofit leadership positions through mentorship and facilitated discussion with subject matter experts.
“Since I work with the Center’s finance team, I interact with all staff across the organization from different programs,” Dongwen said. “After these sessions, I hope I can have a better relationship with everyone and know how to interact with each individual staff member. I also hope to learn how to be a better leader within my team.”
Rising Leaders will have the opportunity to work with a mentor throughout the program, as mentorship is a key part of their experience. They will choose a mentor in a way that works best for them, either from a pool of nonprofit leaders who have expressed interest in serving as a mentor, or a mentor from their own network who agrees to participate in the program.
“Every individual is different and each mentor will have their own story to share that I can learn from, though I do hope my mentor has a similar background to mine,” Dongwen said. “I hope to learn about how they manage to be successful, what mistakes they made that I can learn from, and what I should focus on if I want to be as successful as them.”
The 2025 cohort for the Rising Leaders Institute was announced at the Nonprofit Summit of the Midlands on Nov. 14, 2024. Rising Leaders Institute participants will meet once a month from February through December 2025.
“I am sure I’ll have a great time,” Dongwen said. “I'm really grateful for this opportunity and also super thankful for the trust and support from Center staff.”
