Leading for the Greater Good

What makes for a great leader? Stepping up in a time of need is how Said Hassan (pronounced Sey-Eed) began his quest to become a great leader and build leadership qualities. The co-founder and executive director of COSMA (Community Service Agency) faced personal challenges amidst the Somali civil war. “I came here as a refugee from Somalia,” he recalls.

Taking on challenges is at the heart of UW-Green Bay’s newly launched Doctorate in Applied Leadership, a program designed to shape and refine the leadership skills of rising leaders in diverse organizations and with a variety of backgrounds. “What I like about the program is that it’s more hands-on and pragmatic rather than just theoretical,” Hassan notes. “It helps me think about my leadership and the kind I want [to embody] here.” ‘Applied’ refers to the focus on practical application. This means that what you learn – even on a near daily basis – can be applied to organizations and have a direct and immediate impact on the organization and on the clients they serve.

One of the unique features of UW-Green Bay’s doctorate program is the spirit of teamwork among the students in the cohort. “The richness of discussion in class is great! We have police officers, other nonprofit leaders, business people, and educators. The diversity in thought and discussion provokes our thinking in ways we hadn’t considered before.” Students work as a team, identifying and offering solutions to the problems and challenges that organizations and non-profits face every day.

This creative thinking with the group helps Hassan in his day-to-day work. In the case of COMSA, the clients they serve are immigrants and refugees who have been displaced from their home countries due to war or civil unrest and brought to the United States by the American government. “We have been working with these communities for the past seven or eight years now. We serve immigrants from Somalia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other countries,” Hassan explains. The organization aims to provide ongoing culturally appropriate support and programming vital for successful integration into the community and each individual’s social and emotional well-being.

Hassan holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and degrees in Communication Studies and International Development from the University of South Africa and the University of the Western Cape. “When I came to Green Bay, I was volunteering for Job Center Wisconsin, where I saw a lot of need for nonprofits in the area at the time. That’s how COMSA was born.” Hassan’s extensive work with COMSA and his role on the city’s Equal Rights Commission and as a board member of Bellin Health, demonstrate his commitment to social justice and community development.

Transforming Challenges into Positive Changes

The first year of the Doctorate program is dedicated to exploring what leadership means to each individual and how this quality can be expressed to those they lead in a transparent and positive way. Students engage in self-reflection and discussions to understand their unique leadership styles and how to effectively communicate and inspire their teams.

In the second year, the program pivots to each student determining a specific problem to solve and developing a strategy to address it. This phase often involves group projects, where students work together to identify common issues organizations face. The collaborative nature of the program encourages students to pitch problems among themselves as an exercise to receive feedback and further direction. This combined approach not only helps in finding solutions but also enhances their leadership skills through practical application and peer learning.

Hassan is actively collaborating with others in his cohort to explore and improve best practices within service-driven non-profits. “We share common areas like program monitoring, evaluation and case management.” Despite serving different clients and having varied missions, the cohort members share the goal of enhancing their organizations’ effectiveness. Through discussions and joint projects, they exchange ideas and strategies to address common challenges such as funding, fundraising, and communication/marketing goals.

Although this program is applied and not purely theoretical, it involves abundant research and academic rigor. Hassan’s thesis project focuses on the power of positive storytelling in media narratives about immigrants and refugees. He aims to explore how positive storytelling can improve the community and social environment for refugees, especially in the current political climate. “I want to explore the power of positive storytelling in media narratives about immigrants and refugees, using content analysis and collecting data from the field,” he shares. Hassan is considering implementing these practices within COMSA to highlight refugees’ contributions and counter the negative perceptions often portrayed in the media.

Looking ahead, Hassan hopes the leadership program will have a lasting positive impact on his life. Training a new generation of leaders to continue the mission of COMSA and address the evolving needs of the community is a key goal. Seeking out the next challenge, Hassan remains committed to making a difference, using amplified talents from this experience to help form tomorrow’s leaders. “We aim to use our research to fill gaps and make our work more impactful.”

Wondering if the Doctorate in Applied Leadership is right for you? Visit our web site and one of our professors can help.