Statewide children's advocate wins scholarship to ICM from nonprofit management center

Rob Mortensen, public policy analyst for the Tennessee Alliance for Children and Families, is the 2009 winner of a full-tuition scholarship to Lipscomb University’s Institute for Conflict Management(ICM), awarded by Nashville's Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM).

 

Lipscomb and the CNM teamed up in 2006 to provide this $45,000 annual scholarship to earn a master of arts in conflict management. The scholarship is awarded to a Middle Tennessean working daily to benefit society and reduce conflict through nonprofit management.

 

Mortensen, a Green Hills resident, will start working toward his degree in January, taking courses in negotiation, mediation, arbitration, psychology of conflict, public policy and more.

 

Mortensen serves as an advocate for troubled children to the three branches of Tennessee government. The Tennessee Alliance for Children and Families is a consortium of public and private service providers caring for troubled children and their families in all regions of Tennessee. The Alliance serves more than 15,000 abused, neglected, delinquent and troubled children.

 

“CNM recognizes that conflict can arise in any nonprofit organization and this program helps individuals develop the skill set necessary to deal with conflict effectively. We are excited for the opportunity to bring high quality training to Tennessee’s nonprofit managers and grateful to Lipscomb University for making this scholarship available,” said Lewis Lavine, CNM president.

 

Mortensen expects 2010 to be a very difficult year with the possibility of heavy budget cuts, but hopes his conflict management training at the ICM will help him bring all parties together to recognize the importance of funding quality care and enrichment for troubled youth.

 

“The state takes in children and is in effect raising them,” Mortensen said. “Often I think we don’t understand the importance of what we are doing not only for the lives of those children but for the future of our society. In order to break the cycle, we have to change a culture, and that is the challenge I want to take on.”

 

Past recipients of the nonprofit management scholarship served at Madison County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Wilson County CASA and the Sumner County HomeSafe program.

 

The Center for Nonprofit Management creates and sustains nonprofit excellence through training, consulting, research, evaluation and recognition of nonprofit agencies. Established 21 years ago, it serves more than 700 member agencies.

Lipscomb University established the ICM to provide graduate and professional training in dispute resolution. Good conflict management skills defuse explosive situations before they end up costing an organization through litigation, loss of employees or loss of production. The ICM provides a practical benefit to Middle Tennessee individuals working in law, health care, ministerial work, education and law enforcement, as well as the community at-large.