December 13, 2024

With almost two decades of training and connecting leaders in cross-sector industries, New Leaders Council has built a movement of proximate leaders that center equity and create positive impact in local communities across the country. New Leaders Council alumni are in every room, across every corner of our country. In state capitals, leading their own organizations, opening doors wide for their communities, and building spaces that haven’t been designed yet.

Whether they work in public office, health, tech, non-profits, or other sectors, NLC alumni have connected and collaborated with others to make an incredible impact in their communities. Now, the 2025 NLC Fellows join them as a new kind of leader. During Institute, they’ll build lifelong relationships within their cohort and Chapter and be able to test out big ideas and create impact. 

“The NLC experience is about more than just leadership development—it’s about forging connections and reimagining what’s possible,” said Ambar Mendez, Director of Programs and Operations. “Our Fellows aren’t just participants; they’re changemakers.”

Starting in January, Fellows will begin the NLC Institute, which is delivered in chapters throughout the country. The Institute creates space for intensive leadership development and meaningful connection with other changemakers –  a key element in making lasting impact.  

While every chapter’s Institute is six months long, the national curriculum is tailored to connect Fellows’ training to local issues. The curriculum includes skill-building in areas such as collective impact, communications, fundraising, and community organizing, with equity and inclusion infused in each session. It is delivered by trainers from local networks, immersing Fellows in community-led change.

The Institute culminates in a capstone, where Fellows identify a project that fills a need in the community and is aligned with their passions and goals. Fellows leverage the skills and network NLC provides during the Institute for their capstone project – bringing the NLC experience to life in their communities. 

“This year, we welcome NLC Fellows to a network that believes in the power of their unique story, their vision, and their collective strength to drive the change our communities deserve,” said Mendez. “These NLC Fellows join our network as champions deeply connected to the communities they serve—leaders who know the names, stories, and dreams of those they advocate for. Together, we don’t just imagine change—we make it happen.”

Once Fellows graduate from Institute, they join a network of more than 13,000 NLC alumni who are making a collective impact in non-profit organizations, labor rights, government and the private sector. Whether they are strategists for work righters like Richard Fowler (NLC Washington DC 2012), advocates for criminal justice reform like Alyson Martinez (NLC South TX Frontera 2020), or founders of their own non-profits like Kytana Phillips (NLC Broward 2022), Ty Lim (NLC San Francisco 2018), Alister Martin (NLC Boston 2020), and Cat Plein (NLC Los Angeles 2017), the NLC Fellowship introduces them to a transformative community of changemakers, a comprehensive toolkit for leadership development, and a shared mission to build equitable and impactful solutions across sectors and communities.

NLC alumni have done great things in their communities, including expanding voting access, changing their state’s healthcare policy in under three weeks, and making history in the public sector. Our past cohorts have proven that systems can change when folks come together across industries, issues, and identities to make progress a reality. 

“In uncertain times, the NLC experience empowers leaders to move beyond reacting to challenges and instead step forward to shape the future with clarity and conviction,” said Karen Pandy-Cherry, Acting President and CEO. 

Pandy-Cherry continued, “By fostering community connections, providing transformative tools, and amplifying the voices of those closest to the issues, we prepare changemakers to create bold, lasting solutions. At New Leaders Council, we are not just responding to the moment; we are shaping it.”

Learn more about the 2025 NLC Fellows here.