I have said many times that the nonprofit world desperately needs next generation leadership (especially in a challenging economy) and in 2010, this rings true more than ever. I’ve exalted the incredible energy and skills of young leaders that possess advanced education, mastery of technology, and a spirit of collaboration, yet I’ve been challenged by the question of whether next generation leaders really want social change or just a cushy nonprofit job with a corner office. And now that we’ve come to meet face to face with a brand new decade, I now have to state the obvious because it’s long overdue: the “next generation” that I’ve been talking about on this blog for almost three years has quickly become the “now generation.”
In 2010, the oldest of Generation Y will be 30 years old. No longer the “baby” in the workplace, our peers, our organizations, and our communities are looking at us with hearts filled with hope to see what we will do, where we will take the crooked places in our world and make them straight. 2010 demands not that young people get “ready to lead” but actually lead. The world is watching to see if we will step up to lead with compassion, innovation and a sense of urgency to fix the myriad of problems we’ve inherited. What I think we’ll see in 2010 is more young people answering that call.
And guess what? For the entire month of January, I will be showcasing a few who already are! Meet four “now generation” leaders you should watch in 2010. They’ll be doing some big things for social change, and they’ve each agreed to talk to me about their leadership journeys during a series of feature interviews on my radio show this month. Read about them here, then tune in this month to hear what they have to say live on the air! I have noted the air date and the link for each their upcoming interviews in parentheses.
Andre Blackman (January 6, 12:00-1:00pm EST)
Andre Blackman is an agent of change and innovation within the public health community. He is very passionate about the role of new media, mobile technology and other useful innovations as it relates to health communications and public health in general – resulting in Public Health 2.0.
Andre feels that both public health and new media are focused on the people, so there should be parallels to how they both interact.
Andre’s background has involved work with science and technology organizations, health nonprofits and traditional public relations. He aims to educate and provide strategy for public health focused organizations and projects who want to make use of the new social interactive landscape and innovative opportunities. You can find his thoughts on public health and innovation through his blog, Pulse + Signal and via Twitter.
Maya Enista (January 13, 12:00-1:00pm EST)
Maya Enista has been with Mobilize.org since July 2005. She has worked in both the Washington, D.C. and California offices as the Chief Operating Officer. On March 3rd, 2008, Maya became the Chief Executive Officer of Mobilize.org, following the departure of Founder and Executive Director David Smith.
At 26 years old, Maya is a veteran in the public service sector, beginning her non-profit career 8 years ago. Maya has been active in public service since she was an undergraduate at Rutgers University, focusing mainly on voter empowerment and youth civic engagement. She began her career as the East Coast Coordinator for Rock The Vote at age 17, a position in which she registered over 30,000 young people. Through her work with Rock The Vote, Maya was awarded the first ever Rock The Vote “Rockin’ The Street’s” award.
She continued her voter registration work when she accepted the position of National Field Director for the Hip Hop Civic Engagement Project, a project that grew out of the successful National Hip Hop Political Convention in Newark, NJ. Maya organized a 13 state campaign that registered over 300,000 new voters in the “hip hop generation.”
In addition to her work with Mobilize.org, Maya serves on the Advisory Board for CIRCLE, the Working Group for the Civic Health Index of the National Conference on Citizenship, and the Board of Directors for Youth Service California. For her leadership, Maya has been awarded a YouthActionNet Fellowship, the Independent Sector NGEN American Express Fellowship and Utne Reader’s 50 Visionaries Changing Your World Award.
Maya, very proud of her Jersey roots, grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey and attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Her black labs, Hudson and Zin, have grown accustomed to her busy life style and have now lived in 5 states in less than 2 years.
Dwayne Marshall (January 20, 12:00-1:00pm EST)
Dwayne Marshall currently serves as the Founder of The Hope Institute. The mission of The Hope Institute is to serve as a catalyst for social justice and civic engagement through youth empowerment, engaged citizenship and leadership development. The Hope Institute is currently developing a public policy training curriculum to educate youth in Georgia on the leading social issues that adversely affect their lives and communities. The goal is to empower Georgia’s youth by providing them with the education and training for them to become citizens that can make a difference in the future direction of their communities and inspire them to potentially pursue careers in public service.
Prior to establishing The Hope Institute, Dwayne served as a Regional Field Director & GOTV Lead for the Obama-Biden Campaign for Change in Georgia during the 2008 presidential election. In this role, Mr. Marshall oversaw the field operations for Fulton County and played a vital role in the largest voter registration drive in Georgia history. As a result of his dedication and involvement with the Campaign for Change, Mr. Marshall was featured in a documentary entitled “Movement of the People” which profiles the Obama- Biden campaign experience in Atlanta, Georgia.
In addition to the Hope Institute, Dwayne is currently involved with other organizations that promote social justice, community empowerment and youth education such as the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Ray of Hope Christian Church – Social Justice Ministry, City of Atlanta Neighborhood Planning Unit system, Georgia Stand-Up and the Fulton County Board of Elections – Deputy Registrar Program. Previously, he has been involved with the Brotherhood of Afrocentric Men and the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program as a mentor to young African American male youth.
Dwayne Marshall remains an active commercial real estate representative with Red Rock Global, LLC which is based in Atlanta, Georgia. He previously held the position of Vice President with the firm. Dwayne received a leadership award at the first annual Global Diversity Summit which recognizes minority professionals in the commercial real estate industry. Mr. Marshall is a graduate of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree in Organization Management and Marketing. As a result of his activism and service to the community, Dwayne has been featured in TIME Magazine and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Mr. Marshall’s vision is to further develop The Hope Institute in an effort to empower future generations and give a “voice” to all of the citizens of Georgia.
Samuel Isaac Richard (January 27, 12:00-1:00pm)
Samuel Isaac Richard was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, by two public school teachers. Community service has always been a large part of his life, even before he knew what “community service” was. His family was always involved in church inadvertently learning what it meant to care for our neighbor. They traveled the country camping in National Parks during the summer unintentionally learning about responsibly caring for the earth and those dependent upon its resources, and as a Boy Scout he coincidentally learned the foundations of leadership, civic engagement, and group dynamics. Sam got married last year and lives in Downtown Phoenix.
I met Sam at the 2008 Nonprofit Congress after a speech I gave there. He came up to me with this ball of energy he seemed to be carrying around with him in his jacket pocket. We exchanged cards, and I started following his writing on his first blog, Deserted After Dark. Sam is a deep thinker on community issues, who has been shaking up the nonprofit world and is now running for office on the Phoenix City Council. Find out more about Sam by reading my 2009 interview with him here.
Thanks so much for this opportunity Rosetta!
These guys are fabulous – thanks for inspiring us with their bios. It’s good to know there is a community out there doing amazing things…
I echo Andre’s sentiments. Thanks so much for this opportunity Rosetta, I can’t wait for our talk!
What a great way to start the new year–inspiration and challenge from the lives and work of those our age who are leaving their marks! Thanks, Rosetta!