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 Ben Cope, MBA ’05, knew that his MBA degree would give him the professional
skills he needed. What he didn’t know was that it would also give him connections
that would provide him with some important advice and assistance for his fledgling
enterprise.
Cope is the development director for 4-year-old Team Academy, a charter school
in Newark, NJ, and part of the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) network of
high-performing charter schools around the country. The schools all serve low-income
rural and urban communities. “I do fundraising, public relations, some financial
management, a little teaching and mentoring,” says Cope. “Like any entrepreneurial
venture, everyone in the back office does a little bit of everything.”
When Team Academy had problems with its Web designer, Cope knew just where to
turn: Smith classmate John Kavanaugh, MBA’05, who in addition to his full-time
job also runs a small Internet hosting company. Cope and Kavanaugh had collaborated
on a content management system at Smith; Cope contacted his fellow Terp to see if
there was a way for Team Academy to use that system for the school. Kavanaugh provided
Team Academy with an easy-to-use system that fit their needs.
“With the previous provider, it was very costly and time consuming for us to
edit content on our Web site,” says Cope. “John’s system is much more efficient
and effective. And John has been extremely helpful every step of the way.” Cope
went on to recommend Kavanaugh’s system to other charter schools within the KIPP
network.
Kavanaugh is not the only Smith alumnus to be part of Cope’s network. Etim
Edim, MBA ’05, another one of Cope’s classmates, is sharing his expertise by
mentoring two eighth-grade students at Team Academy. Cope has talked with another
classmate, Ivan Cayabyab, MBA ’05, about improving the school’s marketing
materials. Even the school’s public events are well-attended by Smith alumni from
the New York City area.
Making use of the
Smith alumni network has helped Cope deal with some of the
challenges he faces in his job. “One of the projects John and I are in discussion
on is to develop a supply chain management system which will track teachers’ need
for supplies online. This will help us keep teachers and order managers better informed
about what has been ordered and when it is coming,” says Cope. “Without an MBA,
I never would have thought of even sticking my nose into the ordering process.”
Cope continues to reach out to other Smith alumni and hopes to see even more
volunteer involvement with students at the school in the future.
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