“When you’re talking about our neighbors, we’ve got to look at other underlying issues that cause people to live in poverty … but one organization, one entity, can’t do it alone. We have to come together. Leave the egos outside the door. Come together, sit at a table and talk about what’s best for our community.”
Bernard’s nonprofit roots run deep. He came to Belmont University 11 years ago to begin the nation’s first social entrepreneurship undergraduate program. Before that, he worked at Meharry Medical College and has traveled the country working, volunteering and advocating for organizations that support those affected by HIV and AIDS, even writing the grant that brought the Ryan White Part B HIV/AIDS initiative to United Way in 1989.