American Express NGen Fellows Program 2021 Fellows
The American Express NGen Fellows program, part of the American Express Leadership Academy, offers a transformative opportunity for changemakers, age 40 and under, to strengthen their leadership capacity, hone their change-making skills, and build connections with some of the social sector’s most influential leaders. Every year the NGen Fellows program selects 12 individuals to participate in a nine-month leadership development program.
The program centers on six core results. By the end of the Fellows experience changemakers will have furthered their practice of self-awareness, racial equity, adaptive leadership, using a results based frame, systems change, and developing a network of peers.
These results serve as a foundational framing to accelerate peer learning among cohort members. This isn’t your typical nonprofit leadership bootcamp with a ton of technical knowledge consumption, instead you will work with your peers through activities and discussions to deepen one another’s practice of core program results.
2021 Fellows
Our group of 12 emerging leaders age 40 and under were selected following an extraordinary response to the call for nominations and a rigorous review process. The cohort will be expanding their access to networks, knowledge, and resources that will enhance their work in communities nationwide, while helping to advance Independent Sector’s goal to ensure that all people in the U.S. thrive.
Jazmín Chávez
Associate Vice President of Public Affairs
Hispanics in Philanthropy
Denver, Colorado
Dion Dawson
Founder and Executive Director
Dion’s Chicago Dream
Chicago, Illinois
M. Michelle Derosier
Chief Program Officer
iCouldBe.org
New York City, New York
Tasha R. Fridia
Assistant Director
Tribal Youth Resource Center
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Kahina Haynes
Executive Director
The Dance Institute of Washington
Washington, DC
Gabriel Maldonado
Chief Executive Officer
TruEvolution
Riverside, California
Melaak Rashid
Development Director
Smart Development
Cleveland, Ohio
Erica Reid
National Director of Programs
Friends of the Children
Charlotte, North Carolina
Sundiata Salaam
Chief People Officer
Freedom Preparatory Academy
Bartlett, Tennessee
Yadira Sanchez
Co-Executive Director
Poder Latinx
Seattle, Washington
Jimmy Simpson, Jr.
Manager of Partnerships
The Center for Effective Philanthropy
YouthTruth
Oakland, California
Nellie Tsai
Social Innovation Officer
Michigan Nonprofit Association
Detroit, Michigan