PROFILE
Value Added
Greene works with homeless and at-risk children and young adults at Valley Youth House, a social services organization that offers emergency shelter, counseling and mentoring at 300 residential sites across Pennsylvania. In his role as director of quality, Greene ensures the myriad of programs across all levels of care meet the organization’s goals, and looks for opportunities for continuous improvement.
Greene arrived at Bucknell with intentions of becoming an engineer, but his first semester revealed it was an ill fit. Greene, who wrestled at Bucknell, ended up finding his academic footing in an unexpected place: an Introduction to Sociology course. “It was the best course I ever took,” he says. Immediately enthralled, Greene switched his major to sociology and began cultivating an interest in public policy and social work.
His first nonprofit job — as a case manager for a Poconos human services agency — was reaffirming. “I spent my time connecting people who were homeless and had mental health diagnoses to resources they needed to live a better life,” he says. “That’s where I fell in love with human services.”
Greene says the work brings up all sorts of emotions. He recognizes that while he goes home to a comfortable life, others are still in the trenches. It’s that realization that drives his ambition. He is midway through a master’s in public administration at Marywood University and ultimately aims to pursue a doctoral degree so he can continue to advance in the nonprofit management field.
“If you had asked me about my work back when I was a case manager, I would have told you how hard it was,” he says. “But looking at my career trajectory, I see how continuously putting in the work, being curious and building relationships pay off. That’s the biggest takeaway I can offer. The approach always needs to be the same: Create value, stay curious and treat people well.”