CFTEA Board Member and St. Joseph’s College Alum

Joe Happnie joined the CFTEA board of directors in 2020 after completing MANP’s Emerging Leaders Program. It was a perfect fit for many reasons – Joe has a passion for learning and development with a powerful perspective and history with our long-time collaborating partner – St. Joseph’s College. He graduated in 2011 with a Business Administration degree.

Reflecting on his time at St. Joseph’s College, “It had a lot to offer. A beautiful location on Sebago Lake (Maine) and a well-rounded offering of academic programs for an 18-year-old who wasn’t sure what professional direction to go in. But I think the biggest factor was the comfort I found in the community. It was incredibly welcoming and that made it really easy for me to find my place and develop some strong relationships that I still have today.”

Joe’s journey is coming full circle, starting at St. Joseph’s College, and now supporting students in their journey to complete their college degree as a CFTEA board member.  After looking at the number of cost-effective courses that can transfer into St. Joseph’s College from CFTEA toward a Business degree, Joe noted how the partnership between CFTEA and St. Joseph’s College is helping students’ careers.  “I believe there are two big benefits. One is that CFTEA courses provide an expanded offering of topics that allows students to be even more specific when choosing what they want to learn. Additionally, the capability of transferring credits allows for more flexibility and creativity around scheduling and mitigating the cost of education.”

[Learn More About the CFTEA / St. Joseph’s College Opportunities and Degree Program]

By connecting with CFTEA as a non-profit that is directly partnered with St. Joseph’s College remarked on the benefits. “Having been out of school for over ten years and spending the last seven in the training and development industry, this has allowed me to re-engage and refresh my approach to developing learning opportunities. Additionally, the insight has helped reset my perspective and engage more meaningfully with employees just entering the workforce from college.”

Looking back at what he may have done differently, “I definitely would have pursued learning through CFTEA. Outside of the benefits mentioned, this would have been an incredible opportunity to gain insight into the financial services industry to help identify what might be available to me as opportunities after graduation.”

Thinking back on joining a CFTEA board meeting as a guest while participating in the MANP (link to MANP) Emerging Leaders program and then joining the board to support a non-profit tied to being a St. Joseph’s College Alum has special meaning to Joe. “I couldn’t be happier that CFTEA has been pursuing support of college education. Especially in today’s world where students can be so easily overwhelmed by options and cost. And I think an underrated benefit to this relationship is that it provides an avenue for established professionals to connect or reconnect with higher education if they want to pursue their degree after having already gained some professional experience. Anything that makes higher education (any education really) more accessible and more impactful is a good thing. The fact that I get to contribute to an initiative like this in and of itself is great. But the fact I get to do so with my alma mater to help connect people with that great community at St. Joseph’s College is even more special to me.”

Thank you for sharing your story, Joe! Your support of our non-profit board is so appreciated.

Looking for information on transferring courses to St. Joseph’s College from CFTEA? Message our office  or call 888.366.3242 for individualized support and guidance.