Twelve young leaders are selected for a year-long fellowship to develop their leadership skills and expand collective knowledge for the charitable sector
(WASHINGTON, May 7, 2018) – Independent Sector is proud to announce the 2018 cohort of the American Express NGen Fellows program.
The NGen Fellows, 12 outstanding charitable sector leaders aged 40 or under, are selected each year to participate in a range of activities that deepen their individual capabilities, expand their collective knowledge, and grow their professional networks. This selective fellowship program continues to build the next generation of charitable leaders as part of IS’ NGen: Moving Nonprofit Leaders from Next to Now initiative.
This year, the program, which is in its ninth year, produced a record number of applications. Changes to the program included a revamp of the selection criteria, which involved opening submissions to emerging leaders across the social sector and accepting applicants of organizations that do not hold Independent Sector membership.
The 2018 NGen Fellows are:
- Schylar Baber, Executive Director, Voice for Adoption, Washington, DC
- Joyvin Benton, Development Director, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Sherwood, AR
- Terri Seay Bryant, Program Director, Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement, Atlanta, GA
- Elizabeth Cervantes, Director of Organizing, Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project, Romeoville, IL
- Kenya Collins, Mississippi Program Manager, FoodCorps, Jackson, MS
- Maria Dautruche, Vice President, Partnership & Advancement, National Urban League, Bronx, NY
- Seyron Foo, Director, Public Policy & Government Relations, Southern California Grantmakers, Los Angeles, CA
- Nesha Jairam, Data & Systems Manager, Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, Atlanta, GA
- Jose Luis Plaza, Manager, The California Endowment, Sacramento, CA
- Matthew Roberson, Executive Director, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe – Department of Athletic Regulation, Pine City, MN
- Sean Tennerson, Director of Social Innovation, The Case Foundation, Washington, DC
- Autumn White Eyes, Executive Director, Lakota Children’s Enrichment, Edison, NJ
“We are thrilled to recognize yet another slate of 12 talented young professionals for this program’s ninth year,” said Daniel J. Cardinali, president and CEO of Independent Sector. “This newest cohort joins an alumni network of more than 100 accomplished leaders who are actively transforming our communities through collective action and creativity—two hallmarks of this prestigious program. We’re thrilled to see how this cohort builds on the legacy of this NGen rogram.”
The program runs May 2018 to the end of the year. The Fellows will convene in person three times. The first meeting was held at the Independent Sector offices in Washington, DC last week, the second will take place in Chicago in July, and the final meeting will be during Upswell, Independent Sector’s annual summit, in Los Angeles in November.
“American Express has long-advocated for the advancement of nonprofit leaders, globally,” said Timothy J. McClimon, president of the American Express Foundation. “Through initiatives like the NGen Fellows program, we are proud to continue recognizing and developing exceptional, emerging talent across the social purpose sector.”
Learn more about the Fellows at independentsector.org/ngenfellows
About Independent Sector
Independent Sector is the leadership forum for nonprofits, foundations, and corporations whose member networks collectively represent tens of thousands of organizations locally, nationally, and globally. Learn more at www.independentsector.org.
About American Express: Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow
One of American Express’ three philanthropic platforms is Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow. Under this giving initiative, which recognizes the significance of strong leadership in the nonprofit and social purpose sectors, American Express makes grants focused on training high potential emerging leaders to tackle important issues in the 21st century. More than 70,000 emerging nonprofit and social sector leaders worldwide have benefitted from American Express leadership programs, including the American Express Leadership Academy among others. Launched in 2008, the American Express Leadership Academy addresses the growing need of leadership development programs in the nonprofit sector by bringing together emerging leaders from a diverse set of nonprofit, social sector and non-governmental organizations. For leadership journey stories and additional resources, visit LeaderStories.org.
