The two-time School of Business and Public Administration graduate credits her Barry education with helping her advance in her chosen field of Nonprofit Administration.
“I am a woman full of purpose and desire to fulfill it,” says Aretha Sanders, MPA. Those who know and work with the two-time Barry University graduate would certainly agree. Sanders possesses the rare balance of energy and focus that allows her to be both selfless and ambitious, not just holding space for family, faith, and career but approaching each with a determined spirit.
In 2019, she earned her bachelor’s in Business Administration from Barry’s D. Inez Andreas School of Business and Public Administration, completing her degree while working, serving as a minister at her church, and caring for her elderly father, who suffered from dementia. Her roles as wife, mother of four, and grandmother of thirteen also kept her busy. She chose Barry because she wanted an educational experience that would help her advance her career while also supporting her life commitments. “I needed flexibility,” Sanders says.
Sanders’s first Barry degree led her to a temporary position with St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners, where she worked as an intake specialist for a Covid-19 relief program within the housing department. While in this role, she accepted an invitation from Barry to return for her Master of Public Administration, where she was thrilled to focus on Nonprofit Administration.
Now a graduate of Barry’s MPA program, she has also transitioned to a full-time position with St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners, working as a Program Specialist in the Human Services department, where she helps people with specific needs such as rental assistance, minor auto repair, and attaining GEDs. She credits her Barry training with strengthening her candidacy for the advanced role.
As she continues to grow in the realm of Public and Nonprofit Administration, Sanders recognizes the synergies between her deepest passions, namely her career and her faith. “It has been in my heart to help people however I could for as long as I can remember.” Outside of the assistance she provides through her work with St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners, she acts as a minister and Youth Director at her church. Within the next year, she plans to take a course in grant writing and start her Doctorate in Pastoral Family Counseling. “I have strong goals that I have set for myself and look forward to achieving them,” she says.
Two-time Barry School of Business and Public Administration graduate Aretha Sanders is advancing her career in Nonprofit Administration after earning her MPA