As military veterans, entrepreneurs, parents of five — soon to be six — and now nonprofit leaders, Camarie and Jonathan Rogers’ path has been defined by service.
Their educational journey is not just about earning another degree. It’s about growth, purpose, and preparing themselves to make an even greater impact on the communities they serve. They see Longwood University as an important chapter in a journey that seemed to align perfectly with their values, goals, and vision for the future.
A Place That Felt Like Home
Their MBA journey began with Jonathan.
Like many veterans, he had numerous educational opportunities to choose from. Yet, when he began exploring graduate programs, Longwood stood apart.
The MBA in Real Estate track immediately caught Jonathan’s attention, aligning closely with his work as a real estate investor. Longwood’s AACSB accreditation — in Jonathan’s words, “the gold standard of business school accreditations” — sealed the decision. But it was not only the academic offerings that made Longwood special; it was also the people.
At the time, the couple was raising five young children while simultaneously managing businesses and family responsibilities. They made the intentional decision for Jonathan to pursue his degree first, while Camarie focused on maintaining stability at home.
As she watched his experience unfold, she noticed something unique.
The professors made themselves accessible, and coursework addressed real-world problems. The military office offered consistent engagement and support. More importantly, the Longwood community fostered a genuine sense of care that extended beyond the classroom. “The degree absolutely helped — not just with the knowledge itself but with the credibility it lent in conversations with partners, investors, lenders, and consulting clients,” Jonathan reflected.
Years later, when Camarie enrolled in Longwood’s MBA program, she chose the Marketing track with the goal of strengthening areas within their businesses and expanding her strategic knowledge. A veterans’ funding program made the decision easier: “I was able to get my entire degree fully funded and receive a stipend while pursuing it — without having to touch my GI Bill,” she said. She discovered an environment where she could bring her real-world experience into the classroom while learning from peers whose diverse perspectives challenged and sharpened her thinking.
A Partnership Built on Sacrifice and Support
Although the couple did not attend Longwood at the same time, Jonathan and Camarie firmly believe they earned their MBAs together.
When he enrolled, she managed the responsibilities at home, creating the stability he needed to succeed. When it became her turn, he returned that support, rearranging schedules and responsibilities to ensure she had uninterrupted time to focus on her studies.
That pattern of supporting one another didn’t begin at Longwood. Together, Jonathan and Camarie completed their undergraduate degrees at Hampton University. Together, they entered the United States Coast Guard through a highly selective scholarship program. Together, they navigated military service, entrepreneurship, parenthood, and graduate education.
That partnership philosophy didn’t begin at Longwood — it’s how the Rogers family has always operated, built on the belief that investing in one another is what makes everything else they’re building possible.
Discovering a Greater Purpose
While Longwood strengthened the Rogers’ business acumen, it also helped clarify something even more significant: their purpose.
Following graduation, Jonathan expanded his work internationally. Through those experiences, he gained valuable insight into business strategy and global operations. Yet the more he traveled and worked across communities, the more he realized that the work that brought him the greatest fulfillment centered on people, not profit.
That realization became a turning point.
Together, Jonathan and Camarie founded what was then called Global Works Trust — today known as the Center for Fatherless Youth Development (CFFYD) — a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting fatherless and underserved youth. Today, the organization serves as the embodiment of the lessons, experiences, and values that have shaped their lives.
Through their Four Es Framework — Essential Needs, Education, Environmental Stewardship, and Economic Development — they equip young people with the resources, opportunities, and guidance needed to thrive as future leaders. “That model was born directly from thinking about return on investment, scalability, and intentional design,” Camarie said. “I wouldn’t have had that framework without the program.” What began as an investment in business education ultimately became an investment in community.
A Holistic Approach to Healing and Development
At the heart of the Center for Fatherless Youth Development is a belief that meaningful transformation requires a holistic approach.
The Rogers family understands that true healing and development cannot happen in isolation. Young people need more than educational opportunities. They need stable support systems, emotional encouragement, economic empowerment, mentorship, and environments that reinforce their value and potential.
This holistic model reflects their own experiences as veterans, entrepreneurs, parents, and community leaders. Their work is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: when people are given support, resources, and someone who believes in them, their potential becomes limitless.
A Legacy Still Being Written
When reflecting on their Longwood experience, Jonathan and Camarie agree that the journey was about much more than earning an MBA.
It was about preparation.
Preparation for the next season of service.
Preparation for deeper leadership.
Preparation for a mission that continues to grow.
From undergraduate degrees to military service, from entrepreneurship to parenthood, and from Longwood’s classrooms to communities around the world, every chapter has contributed to a larger purpose.
That legacy keeps growing in real time. The couple is expecting their sixth child, and Jonathan is continuing his education as a Ph.D. student in Business Administration at Hampton University, where his research examines the micro- and macroeconomic impacts of fatherlessness across the Hampton Roads region and the state of Virginia — work directly tied to the Center’s mission and the couple’s long-term commitment to understanding fatherlessness beyond the individual level.
The Center for Fatherless Youth Development is entering a new chapter, too. The organization is preparing to open its first therapeutic residential development center for teenage boys, expanding its work from community-based programming into a residential environment focused on healing, development, stability, and preparing young men for adulthood.
That legacy extends beyond their own family. One of Camarie’s professors, Dr. Lear, has continued to follow the couple’s nonprofit work long after graduation — recently reaching out to nominate her for Longwood’s Young Alumni Award. “For a professor to go above and beyond in that way, long after a student has graduated, that means so much to me,” Camarie said. Today, the Rogers family continues to live out the mission that has shaped every chapter of their story.
About the Longwood University Online MBA
Longwood University’s online MBA program is built for working professionals — veterans, entrepreneurs, and parents alike — who want to advance their careers without pausing everything else. Coursework is delivered 100% online through the AACSB-accredited College of Business and Economics, an accreditation held by fewer than 6% of business schools worldwide and one that carries real weight with employers, lenders, and investors. The program runs in accelerated seven-week terms with multiple start dates each year, so students can begin when it fits their lives.
Every concentration, including the Real Estate and Marketing tracks, requires 31 credit hours across 10 courses and can be completed in as few as 10 months. Tuition is paid course-by-course rather than in one lump sum, and totals just $14,260 for Virginia residents — well below many comparable programs.
Students choose from eight specialized tracks rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum, building real technical skills with tools like Salesforce and Tableau along the way. Longwood also provides dedicated support for military-connected students, offering veteran funding beyond the GI Bill, a dedicated Office of Military Affairs, waived application fees for military applicants, and academic advising to help every student graduate on time.
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