Three UBalt alums named to 2024 cohort with other influential leaders
BY JOCELYN T. SLAUGHTER
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously stated, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’’’ Nonprofit leaders lean into this question with their purposeful work in their communities by seeking to provide transformative societal change even while they metamorphosize as individuals.
Three University of Baltimore alumni—Tonaeya Moore M.P.A. ’20; Loren Nelson, B.A. ’21, M.S. ’24; and Derrick Whiting, B.A. ’23 were recently recognized by The Baltimore Banner for having answered Dr. King’s question. Each was honored as one of the local news outlet’s 2024 Emerging Leaders during a ceremony in May.
Loren Nelson founded the nonprofit The Glow Forward Foundation out of her desire to help young, single moms to overcome the same challenges she faced as one. From her first day at UBalt, Nelson loved her experience and felt connected to her campus community, especially when she received the support of senior University leadership when launching her nonprofit. Nelson is now paying it forward by leading a networking symposium to help others to get connected too. She says that before getting her UBalt degree she didn’t even have a network, but now she has access to one which includes attorneys, immigration experts, bankers and entrepreneurs.
Nelson’s full-time work as a human resource professional with the city of Baltimore intersects with the interests developed through both her Human Services Administration and Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship programs. Her education provided knowledge, skills and resources that have benefited both her career and her burgeoning nonprofit. Classes such as strategic planning were instrumental and allowed Nelson to guide her nonprofit on infrastructure, marketing, branding and social media.
As a tribute to his strong family support since his youth, Derrick Whiting established the Flowers Whiting Initiative as a way to honor the legacy of his grandmother, Evia Flowers Whiting, along with his mother and grandfather. Whiting’s mission as executive director has been to help returning citizens get their lives on track and break the cycle of recidivism, primarily through positive mentorship and his nonprofit’s entrepreneurial freight dispatch training program.
“ I want to do nothing more than see Baltimore thrive as a city.”
DERRICK WHITING
In addition to being named to the Banner’s Emerging Leaders list, Whiting also was named a 2024 Baltimore Homecoming Hero in July.
Led by the top-tier instructors in his Human Services Administration program at UBalt, he engaged in classroom and experiential learning that echoed his experience in the “real world.” Recognizing that life is equal parts what and who you know, he credits UBalt with helping in both areas. Similarly to Nelson, Whiting’s “day job” as Healing City Coordinator with Baltimore city also intersects with his nonprofit and personal mission, providing traumainformed care to his neighbors.
Tonaeya Moore’s spirit of volunteerism was first nurtured in her hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, where she saw gaps in services and resources in her community. In her role as Director of Policy at the Creating Assets, Savings and Hope (CASH) Campaign of Maryland, Moore makes a significant impact on the financial well-being of Maryland residents. She is especially proud of her work on the pilot program for guaranteed income for 200 area families.
She furthered her understanding of nonprofit operations through the Master of Public Administration program at UBalt with the goal of one day serving as director of a nonprofit. Moore is careful to ensure that her values match up with policies she has supported in her current role and in former positions within the Maryland General Assembly. Like her fellow awardees, Moore noted that one of the most impactful aspects of her UBalt experience was the connections she made.
The unifying message from these three change agents is that University of Baltimore professors and staff were instrumental in helping them forge community connections as students. Through these on- and off-campus relationships, Moore, Nelson and Whiting were able to plot a transformational course of action for themselves and their neighbors through their service work. As Whiting says (and assuredly his fellow award winners would agree), “I want to do nothing more than see Baltimore thrive as a city.”