Advancing a Mission-Driven Career with Rutgers School of Social Work’s Continuing Education Certificate Program

Max Gatto’s path to nonprofit leadership started right where his heart has always been: in Trenton, New Jersey. 

After graduating from high school in 2016, Max began his higher education journey at Mercer County Community College, earning his associate degree before transferring to William Paterson University. There, he completed a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2020, followed by an MBA in 2021. With a strong academic foundation and a clear skill set, Max explored roles in sales and substitute teaching, but something still felt unfinished.

“I knew my mind and heart were drawing me toward the nonprofit field,” he recalls.

That pull eventually led him back home. Max was hired as the Food Truck Coordinator at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), an organization he had volunteered with as a high school student more than a decade earlier. What once began as volunteer service had come full circle—this time as a career.

Today, Max oversees TASK’s Food Truck Program, managing all operations to ensure that five days a week, free meals are delivered across Trenton to families with young children, older adults, and individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. The program operates with a simple philosophy: no questions asked. Since launching in March 2024, the food truck has served more than 115,000 free meals to the community.

“This is my hometown,” Max says. “I volunteered with TASK back in high school, and now I’m fortunate to say this is my career.”

As Max settled into his role and found his niche in the nonprofit sector, he began thinking about how to grow. Not just personally, but as a leader capable of expanding programs and increasing impact. That search led him to the Nonprofit and Public Management Certificate Program through the Rutgers School of Social Work Office of Continuing Education.

Although he already held both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA, Max saw the certificate as a way to deepen his expertise and better align his education with his career trajectory. “I wanted to expand my knowledge and set myself up for future growth,” he explains. “This certificate helps me do my current role better while adding tools for future opportunities.”

“Many social workers move from direct practice into leadership and management roles, often without formal preparation for managing people and systems,” says Dr. Douglas Behan, Associate Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Continuing Education. “Our Certificate Program in Nonprofit and Public Management helps to close this gap and empower social workers in these vital roles.”

Throughout the program, Max gained practical, immediately applicable skills, particularly in planning, strategy, and management. He credits the coursework with sharpening his ability to set clear goals, align team members effectively, and build both short- and long-term strategies to achieve meaningful outcomes. The leadership-focused content also helped him better understand his own management style and the needs of the staff he supervises.

That learning is already paying off. As Max prepares to expand TASK’s Food Truck Program, he’s applying the tools and frameworks from the certificate program to guide his planning and decision-making. The program has helped him think more strategically about growth, sustainability, and impact, especially in the areas of food insecurity and homelessness.

“Earning this certificate gives me a new way to continue my growth and outreach in the nonprofit space,” Max says. “I’m very happy I chose this program and proud of myself for finishing it.”

For Max Gatto, Rutgers School of Social Work’s Nonprofit and Public Management Certificate wasn’t just an academic credential. It was an investment in his community, his leadership, and a career dedicated to service. And as he helps bring thousands of meals to Trenton’s most vulnerable residents, the impact of that investment continues to grow.