Taking Meaningful Action to Support Leaders in the Not-for-Profit Sector

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Bridget Johnston

Bridget Johnston is a writer with an eye for all things F.W. Olin. She's most excited to tell student success stories, sharing their experiences with the broader Babson community. When she's not writing for Babson Thought & Action, she is connecting prospective students with Babson's Graduate programs through a variety of mediums, including email, print, and Babson's website. She graduated with her MFA in Fiction from Temple University and can be found in Philadelphia, befriending new dogs and embroidering.

| February 5, 2026

A portrait of Debra Blair set against a background of headshots of the DBA students

Debra Blair DBA’28 is the chief operating officer of May Institute and the National Autism Center, and a member of the inaugural cohort of Babson’s Doctor of Business Administration program. (Photo: Nic Czarnecki/Babson College)

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Editor’s note: As Babson’s new Doctor of Business Administration program begins, we are highlighting the individual entrepreneurial leaders who comprise the inaugural cohort. This is one in a series of DBA candidate profiles.

At every juncture in the career of Debra Blair DBA’28, her passion and care for the autistic and neurodiverse community have served as her north star.

Now, as many organizations within the nonprofit sector are facing significant change and heightened demands, Blair has the joined the inaugural cohort of Babson’s new Doctor in Business Administration (DBA) program to increase her ability to contribute to thoughtful and evidence-informed solutions for her organization and industry.

Meet Blair, the chief operating officer of May Institute and the National Autism Center, as she reflects on the start of her DBA experience at Babson and where she hopes to take this next stage in her career.

What drove you to want to pursue your DBA? 

 “As COO at May Institute, I operate in the increasingly complex and rapidly evolving not-for-profit landscape. Many organizations in this sector are responding to significant change as service expectations, funding environments, and regulatory and workforce challenges grow in scale and difficulty. As my role at May Institute has expanded to include involvement at the state and national trade and policy levels, my perspective on these challenges has broadened beyond a single organization. Together, these experiences have highlighted the value of additional research to support leadership practices in the sector. These are the forces that drew me to pursue a doctoral degree.”

What made you feel like Babson was the right fit for your goals?

“While I value the incredible contribution of advancing theory, a PhD was not the right fit for my passion for action and practical application. I consistently challenge my team to reframe obstacles, focusing on ‘what is needed to make it happen’ rather than why something can’t be done. I’m fueled by a conviction that financial performance and profound social impact are not mutually exclusive. Babson College’s Doctor in Business Administration, with its emphasis on entrepreneurial leadership and applied research, perfectly aligns with these core beliefs, offering the practical rigor needed to translate education and insight into meaningful action.”  

“I consistently challenge my team to reframe obstacles, focusing on ‘what is needed to make it happen’ rather than why something can’t be done.”
Debra Blair DBA'28

What part of the program are you most looking forward to? 

“I am particularly drawn to the program’s focus on entrepreneurial leadership and its direct application to the not-for-profit sector. I believe an entrepreneurial lens can provide the action-oriented orientation we need to drive meaningful change. I want to explore frameworks that help leaders to challenge the status quo, move past obstacles, and focus on solutions. This mindset shift is vital for not-for-profit organizations as they continue to adapt to rapidly changing conditions.”

What are your hopes and aspirations professionally after the DBA program? 

“My professional aspiration post-DBA is to contribute to the continued evolution of leadership practices within the human services and special education sectors. While our field has developed strong, data-informed approaches to clinical and educational decision making, organizational management has not always benefited from the same level of analytic support. As a result, leaders are often operating without the tools they need to make decisions, adjust operations, and plan for the future

“My goal is twofold. I plan to further strengthen my current leadership practice by consistently applying the practical rigor of the DBA in my own work. In addition, I hope to use my research to translate my findings into accessible, practice-ready guidance that can support leaders across the not-for-profit sector. I am particularly interested in helping organizations sustain balance between financial performance and social mission.”

This is part of a series of profiles highlighting the individual entrepreneurial leaders in the inaugural cohort of Babson’s new Doctor of Business Administration program. Read more about Babson’s first DBA candidates.