JaiCe Stinton '18
Greg Sorrentino ’89, COO and CFO of the Center for Disability Services, inspired students to look outside of their comfort zones when beginning the job search during his lunchtime lecture, “Nonprofits; Business with a Purpose.” Speaking as part of the School of Business lecture series, Sorrentino shared his own professional journey and his unexpected path to nonprofit work.
While a student at Siena, Sorrentino made a list of three things that he labeled his “career expectations.” The first was to graduate and get a job at a certified public accountant (CPA) firm. Second, was to be offered the “big job,” while third on his list was to make a lot of money.
While these goals served as a broad outline for Sorrentino to follow, one thing he did not take into consideration was working for a nonprofit organization. He never had an interest in that field and barely had any background knowledge, yet, with the preparation he gained from Siena, he was able to adjust and succeed.
As a senior, Sorrentino had an internship at a local CPA firm that ultimately became a job after graduation. This job completed his first career expectation, but it wasn’t smooth sailing from there.
After a career change and several different mergers, Sorrentino found himself as a Director in the finance department of a struggling non-profit in Albany. Hard work and two promotions later, Sorrentino became the chief operating officer. This came 24 years after crossing off his first career expectation, but he had finally landed the “big job” and crossed off number two on his list.
Through time, Sorrentino realized that the third item on his list was not as important as he had once thought. Money was no longer the driving factor in his success, but the fulfillment of his career.
Sorrentino encouraged Siena students to expand the scope of their job hunting to include nonprofits. These organizations need social workers, entrepreneurs, doctors, teachers, lawyers and so many more professions. Each organization has their own mission and are often large employers and contributors to communities. Sorrentino urged students to find companies that embody the Siena mission because those are the companies that give back and promote success.
“You never stop learning. Textbook problems generally have a formulaic solution, but real life problems don’t. Listening more than talking will help you learn new solutions. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and you will spend a lifetime developing both. But when you graduate, believe that Siena has prepared you well.”
“I knew basic information about nonprofits, but Greg Sorrentino definitely convinced me to look at them differently," said economics major Kevin Murphy ’19. "I found it interesting that the main difference between profit and nonprofits is who the business is trying to please. For example, how normal businesses look out for their shareholders, but the nonprofits are all about their clients.”
