March 5, 2024

New Leaders Council Fellows and alumni are amazing and brilliant leaders, and I’m grateful to have met so many of them during my NLC journey. As a 2013 NLC Atlanta Fellow who became Finance Co-Chair of my chapter, a Convention speaker, and most recently Vice Chair of NLC’s National Board of Directors, I’ve been able to learn, serve and develop in so many ways.

Today, I am taking all of those lessons with me as I continue to advance the mission of our organization as NLC’s first alumni, first woman, and first Black woman to serve as the National Board Chair. We acknowledge through 2023, that never before have we had such a ripe opportunity to make an impact through NLC and we are moving forward in growing our network with a bold, bright vision.

As I reflect on the state of our country and our future, I also remember that locally and across the country, NLC alumni are on the frontlines strategizing and implementing solutions to ensure gender-affirming health care; voter access; the work of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; and environmental justice.

As they have been in previous years, NLC alumni were everywhere, advancing progress in every industry and issue-area across the country in 2023.

Our model is deep-rooted as a community leadership movement and we know it’s not about lifting up the singular, charismatic individual, but the work of each of us that ensures a world with opportunity for all. As the new NLC Board Chair, I look forward to our continued collective impact.