Disability Futures

Kellie Boyd has always liked helping people. That’s why she studied psychology at Michigan State University and then earned a master’s degree in counseling from MSU. She has worked most of her career with nonprofit organizations focused on counseling and assisting those in need.

As her career developed, Boyd has taken on more administrative leadership positions and currently is executive director of Disability Network Oakland & Macomb.

That’s when she realized that to be more effective she needed to go back to college for a degree—but not one in psychology and counseling. She needed to better understand the business side of nonprofit work.

“I never had a business background, just a background in social work. But I was running the organization and needed more understanding of finance and accounting, as well as strategy,” Boyd said. “After six years in the organization, I knew I wanted to be a better leader. I knew I could learn more.”