“To the whole world you might be just one person, but to one person you might just be the whole world.” ~Pablo Casals
Q1 Impact | 2/3/23 Hopson Consultancy has partnered with graduate students from the Financial Risk Management program at UConn School of Business, under the guidance of Professor Michel Rakotomavo, Ph.D., for their Capstone graduate-level project. This will be Hopson Consultancy’s 6th consecutive year serving as a Capstone Company Sponsor over the spring semester.
Capstone objective:
Multi-year development of a Nonprofit Financial Risk Management Model for academic publication and nonprofit sector application.
Capstone contact:
Michel Rakotomavo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Residence
Academic Director, MSFRM program
University of Connecticut
School of Business
Finance Department
2100 Hillside Road, Unit 1041
Storrs, CT 06269-1041
michel.rakotomavo@uconn.edu
(860)-486-5631
Hopson Consultancy has also partnered with college students from the Computer Science program at Norwalk Community College for a Spring 2023 website build under the direction of Professor Madeleine Monaghan, Ed.D. Selected Web Development II students will showcase their ability to integrate and apply learning to produce a professional-level site build.
Spring 2023 project objective:
Build and launch a website for the UConn FSRM/Hopson Consultancy Capstone Project
IT Project Manager:
Michelle Hopson, CSA
NCC Professor contact:
Madeleine Monaghan, Ed.D
Assistant Professor, Computer Science Department
Norwalk Community College
188 Richards Avenue, Suite West 25
Norwalk, CT 06854
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2/1/23 – Hopson Consultancy invested in The Lucky Foundation’s (TLF) mission honoring Military & First Responders as a charity event sponsor. Michelle Hopson was also selected to serve as an Advisory Board Member/Chief Philanthropy & Engagement Officer at TLF tasked to increased the level of engagement of the general public.
https://www.theluckyfoundation.com/
2022
Q4 Impact | Hopson Consultancy is a proud sponsor of the Ramsey Solutions’ Foundations in Personal Finance curriculum at the Hall School in Bridgeport, CT. The middle schoolers will learn budgeting, saving, investing, and paying for college during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Q3 Impacts | Michelle is serving as an Advisory Board Member with the Fordham University Alumni Association for a 4 year term. She was appointed based on recommendations from the Fordham community and her extensive work as a Fordham Mentor since 2015.
The mission of the Fordham University Alumni Association is to foster a lifelong connection among 200,000+ alumni, our alma mater, and the global Fordham community—and to generate goodwill and support for the University. Our goals are to increase institutional identity and pride, promote cross-school connections and interdependency, and leverage institutional resources toward shared alumni engagement objectives.
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Michelle Hopson is serving as the Board Chair of the Church of the Assumption’s Parish Council, a consultative body in the Bridgeport dioceses that serves to advise the parish priest about pastoral issues. Michelle was appointed based on the recommendations of the outgoing Board Chair in support by the Pastoral Council Members. The council’s main purpose is to investigate, reflect and reach conclusions about pastoral matters to recommend to the parish priest in Westport, CT. Michelle
Q2 Impacts | Hopson Consultancy supplied professional services to The Cedar School, a co-ed day school for bright students with mild-to-moderate language-based learning differences (LBLD) in Greenwich, CT. Michelle served as the Environmental Science teacher for the school’s final quarter of the 2021-2022 academic year. Michelle facilitated project-based learning activities rooted in executive function skill development.
Q1 Impacts | 2/1/22 – Hopson Consultancy is supplying managed services to The Youth Business Initiative, Inc. (YBI). Michelle is serving as a Fractional Executive/Chief Operating Officer tasked to strategically align all business elements to advance YBI’s enduring youth workforce readiness & business development purpose.
1/17/22 – Michelle has accepted the role as Parish Council Chairwoman at the Church of Assumption. The Church of the Assumption Parish is a Roman Catholic Christian Community in Westport Connecticut, called by Jesus Christ to know, love and serve Him. Our mission is to strive to live a full sacramental life centered on the Eucharist, committed to living and spreading the Gospel of Jesus through faithful worship, witness, education and generous stewardship.
OUR VISION
We at the Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption commit ourselves to be a guiding light of the Catholic faith recognized as a large, welcoming, generous and effective faith community.
2021
Q4 Impacts | Hopson Consultancy in partnership with vChief supplied professional services to New Profit, a venture philanthropy organization that backs breakthrough social entrepreneurs who are advancing equity and opportunity in America. Michelle served as the Chief of Staff-Strategy Consultant to Dr. Angela Jackson, Managing Director – Future of Work with strategic planning retreat facilitation.
In partnership with a national network of philanthropists, New Profit provides unrestricted growth capital and strategic expertise to a diverse portfolio of social entrepreneurs. In addition to providing direct support to our portfolio, we invest in new ideas and strengthen the ecosystem that exists around social entrepreneurs to help them thrive.
10/18/21 – Hopson Consultancy in partnership with vChief is supplying professional services to Levered, an EdTech venture-backed startup, supplying CoS special project management and process development of product launches to the Co-Founder/CEO – Mitch Slater.
Levered Learning, founded in 2017 in Soquel, California, is a 21st century online individualized blended learning math system created by teachers and educators to provide the right level of support and challenge for every student. Levered provides teachers with real-time data on student progress with tools to support intervention and enrichment and provides insights on engagement. The Levered Learning System is proven to increase learning growth by 70% on state testing in the first year of implementation. Levered is the only core math curriculum product to receive both Digital Promise’s Learner Variability and Research-based Design certifications.
Q3 Impacts | Hopson Consultancy in partnership with vChief is supplying professional services to Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity. Michelle served as the Chief of Staff to Dr. Cassandra Herring, President and CEO, Founder with executive level support, strategic planning, and project management.
Branch Alliance is the only non-profit organization in the country dedicated to strengthening, growing, and amplifying the impact of educator preparation at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), with the longer-range goals of both diversifying the teaching profession and intentionally addressing critical issues of educational equity for all students.
7/21/21 – Michelle pitch presented English Learner Support Services of Fairfield County (ELSS) at 100+ Women Who Care Fairfield County’s Q3 meeting in Weston, CT. Three presenters representing three different nonprofits pitched for funding and ELSS was selected as the recipient of the giving circle’s Q3 2021 grant. ELSS provides academic in-school services to English learner newcomers with limited or interrupted formal education in Fairfield County, CT. Their mission is to foster greater academic success, enabling students to achieve their higher education and career goals and become productive members of their communities and our global society.
100WWC are a group of women who gather four times a year for a one-hour meeting to fundraise in order to give to those in greatest need in Fairfield County, CT.
This combined donation of $10,000 makes a real impact right here in Fairfield County, CT, without time-consuming fundraising events and planning. Simply a great way to give back right in our own community.
7/1/21 – Five Frogs, a Leadership Development Connecticut-based nonprofit, selected Hopson Consultancy to supply IT Managed and Professional Services to support operations, improve systems, and drive infrastructure build outs.
IT Managed Services include:
● Monitoring and Alerts
● IT automation & scripts
● Patch management
● Network monitoring
● License usage/expiration monitoring
● Internet Connectivity monitoring
● Helpdesk
IT Professional Services include:
● Help desk ticket resolution including end user questions & support
● New User Set-up
● Software Installations
● Network Support & Device Updates
● Network Security Recommendations – Audit, Operational Security Guidance/standard security recommendations, Reporting & analytics
● Internet Connectivity Troubleshooting
Five Frogs, Inc. is building a powerful movement of diverse, representative leaders with the competencies, mindset, drive and relationships necessary to create lasting, positive change for an equitable Connecticut. We provide individual and group support, helping leaders maximize strengths, learn from experience and leverage the power of inclusive networks.
Q2 Impacts | Hopson Consultancy in partnership with vChief supplied professional services to Acelero Learning. Michelle served as a vChief of Staff, Content Management Consultant providing content management systems service with Digital Content Catalog Support, Audit & Evaluation of Current Systems, Systems Recommendations, and Development of Content Management Strategic Plan for Implementation deliverables.
Acelero Learning is a pioneering provider of early childhood education and family engagement services, all of which are focused on closing the Achievement Gap for thousands of Head Start children and families across the country. With over $90 million in revenue and unparalleled child outcomes, we are both one of the largest and most innovative companies in our space.
5/17/21 – Connecticut Building Congress, a premier nonprofit construction trade association selected Hopson Consultancy to supply managed services for the organization’s Brand & Service Leadership, Leadership Development, and Operational Management. Michelle serves as the CBC Executive Director
The Connecticut Building Congress creates a forum for building professionals to connect, learn, and grow. Since 1952 CBC has been Connecticut’s premier organization whose mission is to provide a collaborative environment that fosters relationships and contributes to the growth and success of the construction industry.
5/7/21 – MSFRM UCONN students from the Graduate School of Business/Risk Management Program presented their Risk Management Model for Nonprofit Organizations report, an experiential learning capstone project sponsored by Hopson Consultancy, LLC. The selected 2020-2021 cohort focused on governance & risk to add to the multi-year development of a nonprofit financial risk management framework model.
Capstone objective:
Multi-year development of a Nonprofit Financial Risk Management Model for academic publication and nonprofit sector application.
Capstone contact:
Michel Rakotomavo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Residence
Academic Director, MSFRM program
University of Connecticut
School of Business
Finance Department
2100 Hillside Road, Unit 1041
Storrs, CT 06269-1041
michel.rakotomavo@uconn.edu
(860)-486-5631
5/4/21 – Michelle was an alumni speaker at Fordham’s First Generation Celebration that offered congratulatory support and encouragement to students who are the first in their families to graduate college. The event featured Fr. McShane and three alumni speakers, all of whom were first-generation students.
First-Gen Alumni Offer Support
Joy Tolliver, a 2004 graduate of Fordham College Rose Hill who majored in psychology and went on to get her J.D. at Rutgers University, told the students that the fact that they were able to make it through college, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, shows their resiliency.
“It really speaks volumes as to who you are—your resiliency, your persistence, and your determination to make it despite the odds against you,” she said. “I know the title of the event tonight is your experience as a first-gen student, but you’re more than that—you are trailblazers for your families and your communities.”
Luigi Fata, a 1991 graduate of the Gabelli School of Business, encouraged the students to use their stories and experiences to find their own “unique selling proposition.”
“Your experience as the first has to be what carries you and gives you that fuel, and that fire, energy, and passion to do what it is you want to do, because the others who don’t have that first-gen mindset are going to be up against expecting to get what they want,” he said. “We need to work harder for it to go after what we want.”
Michelle Hopson, a 2009 graduate from PCS, told the students to use their experiences to shape their future goals.
“Remember who your identities are and all the people who have come and worked hard for you and you’ve worked hard for them,” she said. “Don’t forget who you are, where you came from, and use that as an identity builder, not an identifier.”
She also encouraged the students to use the alumni network that Fordham offers to find mentors and support even after graduation so they don’t feel alone.
“If you ever need a mentor, just reach out and let us know—we’re here for you guys,” she said. “We’ll help and share what it takes to be successful.”
4/13/21 – Michelle was appointed as a Board Member at the International Women’s Writing Guild, a network for the personal and professional empowerment of women through writing.
IWWG History
The Guild was founded in 1976. As a women’s writing guild, we are culturally diverse. From the beginning, we’ve represented women from many backgrounds. When the Guild was founded, we wanted to create a place where all women writers feel welcome, inspired, and empowered by skills, resources, and mentoring.
Now, after 45 years of enriching women writers’ lives, we are still growing and changing with the times. We have a strong membership, a quarterly publication, a yearly summer conference, and regional events.
Q1 Impacts | Michelle was a panelist for Fordham University’s Womxn in Workspaces, on March 24, 2021. The virtual panel discussion consisted of Fordham alumni/a sharing their career story and their thoughts about specific workplace topics including breaking barriers.
The panelist were from various industries and diverse backgrounds who shared their professional journeys, personal struggles, work/life balance, and how women can work towards the future to further empower one another.
Panelists include Fordham alumni:
Theresa Calabrese, Chief Growth Officer, Northwestern Mutual
Marlene Taylor-Ponterotto, Assistant Director of HIV and Addiction Medicine , Family Medicine Provider at Ryan Chelsea Clinton Health Center
Michelle Hopson, Principal Consultant & Trainer, Hopson Consultancy
Denya ChinQuee, Director of Ad Sales Research, CBS
Panelist bios: https://lnkd.in/dMBQVP2
2020
Q4 Impact | Michelle kicked off the 2020-2021 Fordham Mentoring Program by a pairing with Emily Yih, a Mathematics major mentee based in Manhattan pursuing a masters in Applied Statistics and Decision Making in the fall. Michelle and Emily will work closely together on undergraduate, graduate, and professional goals. This will be Michelle’s 5th year serving as an alumni mentor providing professional expertise and career advise to upper-level undergraduates.
Q3 Impact | In partnership with the Connecticut College’s Hale Center for Career Development, Hopson Consultancy LLC hired a summer intern – Aaron Watson-Sharer. Aaron will receive a stipend from the Connecticut College’s Internship Program and academic credit for his project work at Hopson Consultancy, LLC.
Aaron is an economics and international relations double major at Connecticut College where he plays club baseball and leads the consulting club. His goal for the summer is to gain invaluable experience and to create something that lasts.
UPDATE: After his internship at Hopson Consultancy, Aaron accepted a position at Grant Thornton – Public Sector as an Associate.
Q2 Impact | Michelle joined Friends of Animals as the Director of Administration focusing on fund development, and effective business administration expanding administrative functions – knowledge management, IT/SaaS, operational framework, create departmental system processes & infrastructure build outs.
Friends of Animals is an international animal advocacy organization that frees animals from cruelty and exploitation worldwide. The organization actively meets the needs of more animals through animal welfare & direct conservation, public awareness & educational campaigning, and systems change program services.
Q1 Impacts | Michelle has partnered with vChief to provide interim leadership & virtual Chief of Staff services to national & local nonprofits.
“Your track record of excellence in your work to date make us confident that you will bring tremendous value to our clients and help their organizations achieve results. We are excited to welcome you to the vChief talent pool!” ~vChief
vChief’s mission is to provide top-notch strategic and chief of staff support to leverage the time of busy executives. We aim to become indispensable in the lives of our clients, enabling their leadership to reach new heights.
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On January 21st, Michelle attended the Fairfield County’s 100 Women Who Care‘s Q1 meeting at the Pearl at Longshore in Westport. Members voted and the women’s giving circle proceeds for Q1 will be awarded to CONNECT-US nominated by Tracey Rosen.
“CONNECT-US is a local organization that brings afterschool programs to young people living in Bridgeport communities of concentrated poverty. Their programs focus on building the intellectual and social-emotional development of inner-city youth. CONNECT-US is made up of 3 distinct programs, one for all ages from 5-years-old, one for 15-25-year-olds who are civic and community minded and one for high school students who are interested in business and leadership, called CONNECT-US Academy. CONNECT-US Academy strives to introduce and prepare young people to work in a professional business setting, cultivate skills for their future and expose them to business opportunities. Graduates of this program have expressed a desire to expand their skills and go to college or pursue additional schooling to prepare them for their future. 100% of the funds raised will go to build a college prep extension to CONNECT-US Academy.
This program will include an SAT prep course, teach how to complete a FAFSA form for financial aid and how to complete a college application, among other things. Representatives from trade schools will also participate to introduce alternatives to college.
This is a very exciting addition to the CONNECT-US offering.” ~Tracy Rosen
2019
Q4 Impacts | Michelle was selected as a Parish Council Member for the Pastoral Council at Church of the Assumption – a consultative body in the Diocese of Bridgeport’s Assumption Church of Westport, CT. She will serve a three year council term advising the parish priest on pastoral issues.
In November, the Parish Council kicked off their first meeting. Fr. Cyrus explained to the members of the Council, that their role(s) are to assist him with his pastoral plans; which are intended to promote the common good of the parish and help foster “a sense of community.” 11/19/19 Parish Council Meeting Minutes
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Fordham’s Development & University Relations team published Michelle’s alumna story as part of the “PCS Alumni Stories – Email Series” on October 15th. The purpose of the campaign is to continue faith, hope & garner giving for the PCS non-traditional students.
Michelle remains forever inspired by Fordham’s origin in struggle story of a Founder, “an Irish immigrant himself, [who] saw education as the indispensable means for his immigrant flock to break out of the cycle of poverty and better themselves economically and socially in their adopted homeland.”
Q3 Impact | Michelle facilitated a professional development custom training for the Apex International Education Partners (AIEP) staff in Derby, CT. Local-School Coordinators, Student Coordinators, and cross-functional staff were presented with background Executive Functioning Skills material to spark reflection for new approaches and methods to their EF skills development. AIEP News: Rose Nanista Appointed as AIEP’s New Program Director
Q2 Impact | Michelle joined Fairfield County’s 100 Women Who Care, a women’s giving circle chapter that gathers to learn about local charities with each member donating a $100 check at each meeting to a charity that the group selects. Quarterly meetings are held at the Pearl at Longshore in Westport.
April 23rd’s Q2 meeting recipient was Circle of Care, a local volunteer-driven organization, providing practical, emotional and financial support to Connecticut families through programs and services that meet the unique and challenging needs of pediatric cancer treatment. See the evening’s highlights here.
Q1 Impact | Mentor-mentee pair Michelle Hopson and Wanida “Ting” Yana attended the Fordham Mentoring Program’s networking skills workshop at Lincoln Center campus. Click here for some event photos.
The pair was also interviewed at that evening; and their shared experience was featured in the University News: Fordham Mentoring Program Celebrates 15 years article by Diana Chan published on January 29, 2019.
2018
12/11/2018 – Michelle attended Fordham University’s Fairfield County Presidential Reception at the Country Club of Darien. View photos from the event
Nearly 200 alumni, parents, admitted students, and friends attended and enjoyed reconnecting with one another, learning more about Fordham, and hearing updates on the University shared by Father McShane in Darien, CT.
11/16/2018 – MSFRM UCONN students from the Graduate School of Business/Risk Management Program presented their Risk Index for Board Governance in Nonprofit Organizations report, an experiential learning capstone project sponsored by Hopson Consultancy, LLC. The selected 2018 Fall cohort focused on governance & risk to add to the multi-year development of a nonprofit financial risk management framework model.
Capstone objective:
Multi-year development of a Nonprofit Financial Risk Management Model for academic publication and nonprofit sector application.
A new semester group of graduate students are tasked to review the prior cohort’s Nonprofit Financial Risk Management literature review in preparation for building a foundational section of a risk management model. Students met with Professor Rakotomavo and Michelle Hopson to engagingly discuss the project objective, framework, and deliverables today.
Capstone contact:
Michel Rakotomavo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Residence
Academic Director, MSFRM program
University of Connecticut
School of Business
Finance Department
2100 Hillside Road, Unit 1041
Storrs, CT 06269-1041
michel.rakotomavo@uconn.edu
(860)-486-5631
10/23/2018 – Michelle was a guest speaker at the 2018-2019 Fordham Mentoring Program Meet & Greet at the Rose Hill campus, kicking off the Fordham Mentoring Program‘s one-on-one mentorship for the academic year. She presented best practices for new mentors, tips for mentees to get the most out of their mentor, and a professional reflection on her own experiences with the program throughout the years. Click here for event photos.
2018-2019 mentee: Wanida “Ting” Yana, Fordham College at Rose Hill, Senior, International Studies major, interning at the United Nations for the academic year
9/5/2018 – Students from the UCONN Graduate School of Business/Risk Management Program kicked-off another phase of a multi-year Capstone project with Hopson Consultancy, LLC. A new semester group of graduate students are tasked to review the prior cohort’s Nonprofit Financial Risk Management literature review in preparation for building a foundational section of a risk management model. Students met with Professor Rakotomavo and Michelle Hopson to engagingly discuss the project objective, framework, and deliverables today.
Capstone objective:
Multi-year development of a Nonprofit Financial Risk Management Model for academic publication and nonprofit sector application.
Capstone contact:
Michel Rakotomavo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Residence
Academic Director, MSFRM program
University of Connecticut
School of Business
Finance Department
2100 Hillside Road, Unit 1041
Storrs, CT 06269-1041
michel.rakotomavo@uconn.edu
(860)-486-5631
7/23/2018 – Michelle facilitated a Board retreat for WestFair Rides, a New York collaborative not-for-profit organization managing ride choices in Westchester County for older adults and for adults with vision impairments. The Mini-planning retreat session was well-attended by staff, board members, advisory council members and volunteers. All got to work and improved fundamental business language in preparation for the organization’s strategic plan.
6/27/2018 – Michelle co-facilitated a Diversity workplace training with Kitty Tyrol of NCCJ for Person-to-Person (P2P) at Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT. The full-day training examined the systems of oppression and privilege, focusing on race and class. P2P participants, from executive leadership to volunteers, worked through interactive activities and dialogue topics that expanded awareness, enhanced communication skills and boosted cultural competence.
5/29/2018 – Michelle was a guest supporter & speaker at the ELSS of Fairfield County and Norwalk High School’s ELL pilot ASPIRE program’s end of year celebration. The ASPIRE English Language Learner students completed their first full year of in-school tutoring and celebrated with an end of year ceremony. The purpose of ASPIRE was to provide academic support in order to accelerate fluency of English language skills, making high school graduation and enrollment in a post-secondary program a more likely outcome.
Attendees included program students, ESL tutors, ESL teachers, Norwalk Public School’s Instructional Specialist, and ELSS Board Members. See the online published Article by The Hour for detailed coverage.
5/07/2018 – Hopson Consultancy was a vendor/exhibitor display sponsor at the United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s Not-For-Profit Leadership Summit that brought together volunteer and professional leaders in the nonprofit sector to identify emerging challenges and opportunities, shape new leadership strategies and build organizations that excel.
See more of United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s Summit event photos here.
5/02/2018 – Michelle presented at Fordham’s Milestone: Mentor Appreciation Reception. Attendees included a loyal network of alumni professionals willing to volunteer their time on behalf of the University, and motivated undergraduate students eager to prepare themselves for success. The Fordham Mentoring Program is a comprehensive, year-long program that fosters meaningful and productive one-on-one relationships between students and mentors.
3/28/2018 – Michelle ran a career preparedness workshop at SUNY/Purchase College for Cornerstone Program ASD students in partnership with New Frontiers in Learning. Participants were art, history, and social science majors who gained employment-readiness skills necessary to become confident and independent job seekers. Workshop topics covered self-awareness, self-assessment, occupational profiling, job shadowing, self-branding, and provided resume resources.
2/6/2018 – Michelle Hopson has joined New Frontiers in Learning as an Academic & Executive Function Coach for the Westchester County & Southern Fairfield County territories. She’ll work with college students in local and regional universities supporting their academic, organizational, life skills, and career development rooted in mentorship.
The mission of New Frontiers in Learning is to provide the highest quality education and social support services to young adults who learn differently. Our ongoing personalized programming is designed to meet the needs of students who benefit from individualized supports in the areas of academic learning, executive functioning, and social interaction at the secondary and postsecondary levels.
www.nfil.net
80 Broad Street, Suite 1702
New York, NY 10004
T: (646) 558-0085
F: (646) 558-0011
2017
12/8/2017 – Graduate students from the UCONN Graduate School of Business/Risk Management Program presented their capstone’s social impact final project sponsored by Hopson Consultancy, LLC. Their semester research objective focused on the general risk management index for the nonprofit sector.
Capstone objective:
Multi-year development of a Nonprofit Financial Risk Management Model for academic publication and nonprofit sector application.
Capstone contact:
Michel Rakotomavo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Residence
Academic Director, MSFRM program
University of Connecticut
School of Business
Finance Department
2100 Hillside Road, Unit 1041
Storrs, CT 06269-1041
michel.rakotomavo@uconn.edu
(860)-486-5631
11/14/2017 – Michelle celebrated National Philanthropy Day at AFP Westchester’s Conference & Luncheon in Tarrytown, NY. Executive/Level 5 leaders in the industry led three plenary sessions with six workshops and spent the day imparting their knowledge and answering questions. Board Members, Executive Directors/CEOs, and Development Directors gained insight from the latest research in the field and was inspired to rethink their approaches to fundraising.
10/25/2017 – Michelle met her 2017-2018 mentee at the kick-off Fordham Mentoring Program’s Milestone Event at the Rose Hill campus. This year, Michelle’s mentee is an international development & women’s studies undergraduate groomed for global social justice service. For both, it is a true exercise in the Jesuit concept of magis or the endeavor of doing more, achieving more, and being more.
The Fordham Mentoring Program is a comprehensive, year-long program that fosters meaningful and productive one-on-one relationships between students and mentors. The program is made possible by a loyal network of alumni professionals willing to volunteer their time on behalf of the University and motivated undergraduate students eager to prepare themselves for success with the help of fellow Rams.
10/13/2017 – Graduate students from the UCONN Graduate School of Business/Risk Management Program kicked-off a multi-year Capstone project with Hopson Consultancy, LLC. Students presented their Nonprofit Financial Risk Management literature review to Michelle Hopson and Professor Michel Rakotamovo, Ph.D. The 45 minute presentation was followed by a 30 minute Q&A session.
Capstone project objective:
Multi-year development of a Nonprofit Financial Risk Management Model for academic publication and nonprofit sector application.
9/6/2017 – Michelle Hopson launched a Bachson Academy, a sheltered ESL program at Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford, CT, serving as the provisional management contractor & sheltered ELL instructor. The academic program uses the Trinity Catholic High School curriculum to ensure that the international students are learning grade-level content, developing academic skills, and increasing their English language proficiency in a sheltered/small group learning environment. This sheltered ESL school-program partnership is the first of its kind in Connecticut.
7/18/2017 – Hopson Consultancy has partnered with the UCONN School of Business’ Graduate Program in Risk Management for a company-sponsored capstone graduate student social-impact project overseen by Prof. Michel Rakotomavo, Ph.D. of UCONN School of Business, Finance Department.
Capstone project objective:
Development of a Nonprofit Financial Risk Management Model for academic publication and nonprofit sector application.
Capstone project term:
Multi-year, Phase 1 beginning August 2017
Company-sponsor:
Hopson Consultancy, LLC
Capstone contact:
Michel Rakotomavo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Residence
Academic Director, MSFRM program
University of Connecticut
School of Business
Finance Department
2100 Hillside Road, Unit 1041
Storrs, CT 06269-1041
michel.rakotomavo@uconn.edu
(860)-486-5631
6/14/2017 – Michelle Hopson attended the 4th annual CEO Evolution presented by Citrin Cooperman, FCBJ, and the University of Connecticut School of Business. Veteran executives shared insights, strategies, and their secrets to success with key topics on transformation management, culture shaping, and technology.
ONI CHUKWU, executive pioneer, spoke about accelerating the market position and global growth of a cloud event management software company and how he previously led the successful integration of eight cross-border acquisitions for a world-renowned commodities management software solutions company.
JOHN J. PRELI, executive leader and IBM veteran, shared how he enables business and culture transformation to accelerate performance and mitigate enterprise risk. We explored how business analytics is transforming businesses and industries with examples from IBM’s acquisition of The Weather Company.
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Secrets to Success: A CEO’s Perspective
The CEO Evolution is an annual seminar series that takes place in several regions where Citrin Cooperman has offices. The CEO Evolution series aims to identify and recognize those CEOs and leaders who have risen to the top and evolved as industry leaders. This annual event brings together some of the most notable and most dynamic CEOs in the state to share their experiences, strategies and best practices to help others gain insight into becoming better leaders.
6/13/2017 – Hopson Consultancy, LLC is a certified Small/Minority Business Enterprise by the State of Connecticut/Department of Administrative Service’s Supplier Diversity Program.
6/2/2017 – The International Society of Business Leaders published a press release recognizing Michelle Hopson’s member profile and company.
6/1/2017 – Hopson Consultancy, LLC was a small business supplier-participant for the CT Business Matchmaker at the University of Hartford’s Entrepreneurial Center & Women’s Business Center.
Small business owners met with target agencies and prime government contractors for their recruitment and search for small business suppliers throughout the state.
CT Business Matchmaker 2017: See photos on Facebook!
5/17/2017 – Michelle participated in the first BrandTwist BrandSafari in Tribeca/SoHo. This by invitation only workshop for selected business owners and brand-marketing professionals was lead by Julie Cottineau and her Brand School team. This was a full day inspiration outing where participants started at a meeting basecamp loft in Tribeca, followed by a day of visiting several SoHo brand experiences, and reconvening to create new, cross-sector collaborative initiatives to bring to market.
Outcome: Hopson Consultancy, LLC will launch a special program service for grassroots organizations in the fall of 2017.
Represented companies: Aurora Consulting, Axis Promotions, Cafe Realty, Children’s Aid Society, Control Chaos, DavidTheFixer.com, Decorating Den, DeMakes Consulting, Detection in Time, Global Commerce Education, Growthtera, Hopson Consultancy, Jacob Burns, Navigate, Northwell Health, Pinnacle Travel, Private Health, Project Organize, Rhinebrook Events, SilverSmith, Sleepy on Hudson, and Zen Closet.
4/28/2017 – Hopson Consultancy, LLC was a sponsor & exhibitor of the Stamford Small Business Symposium at the UCONN Stamford, CT campus.
Over 100+ small businesses registered to network, share resources, and learn from keynote & featured speakers, as well as attend breakout sessions.
Stamford Advocate: “New small-business conference set for Friday at UConn-Stamford” by Paul Schott
4/28/2017 – Michelle was a participant in the CPTV/PBS documentary Unlearning: Breaking Bias. Building Community. through her work as a Social Justice Facilitation Consultation with the National Conference of Community and Justice.
Premiered Thursday, April 27 at 8 p.m.
Repeats Sunday, April 30 at 1 p.m. and Tuesday, June 20 at 10 p.m.
About the Program:
When we are born, we innately value justice and fairness. Prejudice, however, is learned and no one is immune. So how do we fight discrimination, bias and bigotry? How do we build communities that are inclusive and just for all? For 90 years the National Conference for Community and Justice has been answering these questions. This is the story of breaking bias—one unlikely friendship at a time. What can be learned can be unlearned.
Unlearning: Breaking Bias. Building Community. is a CPTV Partnership Production with the National Conference of Community and Justice. Additional support is provided by the Newman’s Own Foundation, KeyBank, and the Barnes Group Inc. Learn more about Partnership Productions at cpbn.org/partnership-productions.
4/4/2017 – Michelle was honored as one of the Diversity Champion in Business presented by the Westchester County & Fairfield County Business Journals. 40 diversity leaders throughout Westchester & Fairfield counties were recognized for their leadership with diversity & inclusion in the workplace in Westchester, NY.
Celebrating Diversity in Business was sponsored by Greater Hudson Bank and Stamford Health. Diversity advocates for the event were Arch Street Communications, Caribbean Food Delights, PFK O’Connor Davies, Pullman & Comley LLC and Skanska.
2/26/2017 & 3/5/2017 – Michelle served as a teaching adjunct/Continuing Education Teacher for the Borough of Manhattan Community College – Continuing Education & Workforce Development’s Learning Across America program. She facilitated an intensive, non-credit weekend course through classroom lectures, films, articles, and discussions. International/english-language learner students focused on a geographic destination while improving their English comprehension and conversational skills.
2/22/2017 – Michelle was a guest lecturer for first year students from the UCONN Stamford’s SSS CAP Office – first-generation, low-income and/or underrepresented students with goals of retention and graduation. She provided skill building techniques in personal leadership and time management to a select group of freshman.
1/31/2017 – Michelle co-facilitated a 2 day NCCJ youth development training workshop on bias and education for a selected group of Rocky Hill High School students at their local community center in Rocky Hill, CT. Students participated in the NCCJ Bridges anti-bullying, prejudice reduction, self esteem building program with actionable student leadership tools for improving their school climate.
1/13/2017 – Michelle Hopson was selected for the National Conference for Community and Justice’s Social Justice Educator Train-the-Trainer program, celebrating the diversity of races, religions, cultures, genders, abilities & sexual orientations via NCCJ’s pedagogy, exploration of the United States’ history of oppression, including understanding the foundational information and delving into the various forms of bias and discrimination.
NCCJ educates youth and adults in schools, social service organizations, corporations, law enforcement, as well as working with parents and communities throughout Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
2016
12/19/2016 – The Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals honored 40 Diversity Champions in a special publication recognizing the diversity leaders in Westchester & Fairfield counties. Michelle Hopson was recognized under the “Most Socially Conscious” category for recognizing a social problem and doing something about it through her consultancy practice projects in CT & NY. Her profile has been entered in a regional competition and awards program. Support Michelle and vote here!
11/15/2016 – Hopson Consultancy proudly nominated Romy Solomon as a Milli Award nominee for her global leadership in youth development in the nonprofit sector. Nominations were open to the Fairfield County and Westchester County public. A panel of three judges from Fordham University, The Dannon Co., and the McIntyre Group scored nominations, and the top 11 millennials from each county were chosen.
Romy Solomon was selected as a top millennial for the Fairfield County because she has shown dedication and vision at work in her community. She was honored at the Surf Club in New Rochelle, NY and interviewed by Westchester Talk Radio on November 15, 2016. Milli Award honorees represented all industries, from nonprofits to real estate companies and wealth management firms.
Fairfield County Business Journal article
Full awards ceremony video
Podcast by Westchester Talk Radio
FB/more photos
11/14/2016 – Michelle was chosen as a Diversity Champion in the inaugural Celebrating Diversity program under the direction of the Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals.
40 business people were chosen and singled out for his or her extraordinary leadership qualities, ongoing commitment to personal and professional development and outstanding accomplishments that have made an impact in his/her business sector. Michelle was nominated in the “Most Socially Conscious” category.
9/07/2016 – Michelle was selected as a Leadership Coach at Leap4Change.org, to develop EI, IQ, entrepreneurship and global leadership skills in 14-26 year old students, as well as their professional peers, to build diverse partnerships of local and global students. Michelle will train partners to design and impact sustainable change in themselves, their community, and their world. To coach for success in today’s global world, she will empower each partner to reach their potential in leadership education, emotional intelligence, cultural competence, entrepreneurship, and personal branding.
Michelle will educate in one of 6 areas of impact: education, the arts, business development, environment, health and wellness, and sports. She will inspire students and peers to build an intentional story of impact that is assessed, measured, marketed, and leveraged to open doors to higher education, job opportunities.
Her Fall 2016 cohort of Leadership Coaches include a Diversity & Inclusion Director from a Jesuit university, Business Developers from DC & Texas, and an international youth developer & Fulbright scholar.
4/28/2016 – Michelle attended EAGLE Student Mentoring, Inc.‘s 5th Year of Service to Stamford Youths. EAGLE honored Juanita James of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and Michael Pollard, Chief of Staff to the Mayor of the City of Stamford.
EAGLE has over the last 5 years met the needs of many young people who are English Language Learners. Her consultancy practice remains a Board Affiliate of EAGLE Student Mentoring, Inc.
4/20/2016 – Selected students from UCONN SSS CAP’s Office – first-generation, low-income and/or underrepresented students with goals of retention and graduation, attended Michelle Hopson’s Career Development Workshop: Fast track with Facts & Drive at the Stamford campus. The workshop discussed the effects of the “nomad” or “gig-to-gig” job market, job retention rates, and national networking percentages. Students completed a self-assessment passion checklist (Source: Harvard Advanced Leadership Institute’s Change Toolkit by Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter), and were presented with an online career toolkit for further career exploration and job market stats.
2015-2016 Fordham Milestone
Mentor Appreciation Dinner
April 18, 2016
2015
OUR LIVES with Gwen Edwards interviewed Michelle Hopson, Managing Director/CEO and a youth cast member from NPT’s production of A Broadway Holiday Extravaganza! which aired 12/4-12/6, 2015 on News 12 Connecticut.
On 12/3/15, Michelle was a guest speaker & presenter for the Fordham University Alumni Milestone Program’s Skills Development Workshop at the Lincoln Center Campus. Her skill development lecture covered topics on networking presentation and pitch for internship and job readiness purposes.
11/18/15 – Hopson Consultancy, LLC was a bronze sponsor of the CT Association of Nonprofits’ 13th Annual Conference: Innovate & Elevate at the CT Convention Center held in Hartford, CT.
11/11/15, Michelle was a guest speaker for a class of UCONN Stamford’s SSS/CAP students of high-potential underrepresented minority and first generation students.
Michelle’s lecture topic covered the 3Cs of Creative Leadership & the Arts – Creativity, Collaboration & Communication, along with skill development topics covering the power of the personal pitch and overall presentation. Students from the UCONN SSS CAP’s Office class participated in an interactive discussion and group talk with breakout exercises practicing their own individual pitches.
11/9/15 – Jennifer Bangser of Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County moderated a discussion on Arts Education Outreach: What’s Real.
Art leadership guests included Sophia Gevas of Silvermine Arts Center, Michelle Hopson of New Paradigm Theatre Company, and Mary Newcomb of Greenwich Art Society. Sophia, Michelle & Mary discussed their own take on What’s Real from their individual art sector’s academic outreach initiatives. Michelle talked about New Paradigm Theatre Company’s theatre arts education outreach initiatives with the ASK Program at The Klein Auditorium in Bridgeport, the CASSA/YMCA program at Cloonan Middle School in Stamford, and the UCONN SSS/CAP Center’s college internship work during the fall 2015 semester. Click here for the interview.
10/7/15 – Michelle Hopson, in her provisional Managing Director & Business Consultant role, kicked off the UCONN SSS CAP’s Office & New Paradigm Theatre Company, Inc.’s (NPT)‘s first college lecture series on Creative Leadership & theArts, an interactive career exploration & snapshot into the world of Broadway, Film & TV for youth development. NPT’s professional teaching artists and performers lectured on the importance of public image and public speaking for overall leadership development to the UCONN SSS/CAP students and Cloonan Middle School student scholar attendees. Panelists at the UCONN-Stamford campus event included Kristin Huffman, Scott Bryce, Neil Fuentes, and Mark Holleran.
9/18/15 – Michelle Hopson participated as a selected guest for the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative’s Taste of Advanced Leadership in Action (Agenda) symposium with established and emerging leaders of regional non-profits, cause-advancing organizations, public and government organizations. Led by Rosabeth Moss Kanter and joined by Harvard faculty members including James P. Honan, attendees had an action-packed day of interactive learning about working across organizations and sectors, when to think big and when to think small, and how to change surrounding systems. Smaller group mentoring and cross-fertilization conversations with current AL Harvard Fellows nearing the end of their learning journey were also offered.
“Your enthusiasm was infectious. I hope that someday I get a chance to see in person some of the work you are doing with the New Paradigm Theater. Nice to hear about some of your cutting edge programs. You clearly are influencing your communities and changing the face of regional theater. The conversation will be very helpful to me as I put together my final presentation.” ~Harvard Fellow & Sony Executive/TV
Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative, in collaboration with the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative
4/27/15 – HTN & Michelle Hopson’s commentary on EAGLE Student Mentoring, Inc.
The Haitian TV Network broadcasted a cable access tv segment on EAGLE Student Mentoring, Inc.’s after-school program at Stamford High School. Commentaries from EAGLE’s Founder & President, along with the staff were aired for greater community appeal and information of EAGLE’s youth development, ESL/ELL program.Michelle served as EAGLE’s Consulting Executive Director for the 2014-2015 academic term, which ended on May 29, 2015. Visit Eagle Student Mentoring, Inc. to view the high-impact community based organization.
HC 