Alumnus Evan Solomon was recently interviewed for the Ethics & Society MA Alumni Spotlight Series about the journey that brought him there and what Ethics & Society students can learn from his path. He currently President is Solomon Leo Strategie, a boutique firm offering finance, operations, research, and development services for nonprofit organizations.

What drew you to the nonprofit sector, and how did Fordham’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences shape your path toward founding Solomon Leo Strategies? Were there particular courses, professors, or experiences at Fordham that influenced your direction?

Solomon was always drawn to doing good from a young age. He wanted to have a meaningful influence on the world, and nonprofits seemed like the best fit for that. He found that Fordham’s slogan — “New York is my campus, Fordham is my school” — truly rang true for him, both as an undergraduate and as a graduate student. As an undergrad, he majored in philosophy and political science, and he appreciated that the master’s program built directly on that foundation, deepening and expanding what he had already learned. Through internships and his master’s program, he gained real-world experience while also learning to think in an interdisciplinary way. One course that stood out in particular was an international politics class taught by Professor Melissa Labonte, which he found both memorable and intellectually formative. That combination of hands-on experience and rigorous coursework helped him acquire skills he continues to draw on in his day-to-day professional life and beyond.

You’ve built a career at the intersection of finance, operations, research, and development for nonprofit organizations. Can you share a specific moment or project that felt especially meaningful or transformative — either for you personally or for the organizations you served?

Evan came to this work with a strong background in development and fundraising, including grants writing and communications. At one point, he joined a nonprofit where there was a gap on the finance side, and a role was essentially created for him to help fill it. That experience proved transformative — drawing on the interdisciplinary education he received at Fordham, he was able to learn and grow quickly, gaining fluency in both the finance and development sides of an organization. Having that dual perspective gave him a more complete understanding of how nonprofits operate, and it became a defining part of how he approaches his consulting work today.

Your background gives you a unique combination of strategic planning, data and systems management, and external affairs expertise that many in the nonprofit space don’t have.How does that multidisciplinary foundation show up in your day-to-day consulting work?Are there specific frameworks or approaches you find yourself returning to?

The interdisciplinary nature of his graduate program is, without question, the strongest asset he brings to his consulting work. On any given day, he finds himself constantly shifting between different functions and client needs — and the ability to move fluidly between those areas is something he credits directly to his training. One principle he consistently returns to is their importance of always seeing the bigger picture. No matter the task at hand, keeping that broader perspective in view helps him connect the dots across strategy, operations, and external affairs in ways that serve his clients most effectively.

You work with nonprofit organizations across different operational needs — from finance to development to research. What have these diverse client contexts taught you about effective nonprofit management, and how do you adapt your approach across them?

Working across different organizations has shown him firsthand what strategies are effective and what are not. A recurring theme is the importance of communication — listening to and adapting to each team’s specific needs while staying grounded in sound budgeting practices, all without losing sight of the organization’s core goals or principles. Navigating team morale and long-term sustainability are challenges that show up consistently across clients, and working through them in different contexts has sharpened his instincts considerably. Perhaps most importantly, it has taught him how to build systems that work independently of any one person — structures that are durable, transferable, and designed to outlast any individual’s tenure.

What advice would you give to current Fordham graduate students hoping to translate their education into meaningful careers in nonprofit consulting, social services, or mission-driven entrepreneurship?

Evan’s first piece of advice is to network — but not in the traditional sense. Rather than collecting contacts, he encourages students to genuinely connect with peers, professors, and career centers, and to develop those relationships as real human connections. Most of his own opportunities have come through personal relationships and word of mouth, and exposure to leaders in his field has been especially impactful in shaping his trajectory. He also emphasizes the importance of showing up and doing good work, even in roles that may not eel like a perfect fit. Every experience, whether or not it aligns exactly with your goals, sets you up for the next opportunity and teaches you something valuable along the way. Finally, he encourages students to be a sponge — absorb as much as you can from the leaders around you, stay curious,and never stop learning from your environment.

About Evan Solomon | Evan Solomon (Ethics & Society MA ’18) serves as President of Solomon Leo Strategies, a boutique consulting firm offering finance, operations, research, and development services for nonprofit organizations. He is a nonprofit operations and development specialist with extensive experience in the social service sector, uniquely skilled at identifying immediate and innovative changes that result in strategic shifts and measurable improvements. His core competencies include strategic planning, data and systems management, and external affairs. He earned a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from Fordham University and an MA in Ethics and Society from Fordham University.