American Express NGen Fellows: Minnesota Connections!

I took a cursory glance through this year's honorees for the 2010 American Express NGen Fellows Program and was delighted to find I knew a number of the Fellows. In fact, two of them live in Minnesota and another one has been here twice in the past year! MacArthur and I presented at the same Minnesota Campus Compact conference this winter, Jennifer and I co-chair the Citizens League Communications Committee, and I spoke on a panel entitled, "The Next Minnesota Miracle," regarding a 2009 report that David's agency, the National Conference on Citizenship, released last fall announcing Minnesota as the most civically engaged state.

I can chalk up these connections to the fact that it is a small nonprofit world, particularly here in Minnesota. However, I also consider this a great example of what will happen time and again as the rising generation continues to establish itself and take on critical leadership roles. This intentional network-building and the parallel efforts to identify and engage Minnesota's emerging civic leaders are part of the work Minnesota Rising hopes to be a part of in coming years. See below for more details about the 2010 American Express NGen Fellows and drop us a line when you're highlighted next year!

The American Express NGen Fellows program gives emerging nonprofit leaders an exceptional opportunity to strengthen their capacity for future impact. Over the course of nine months, fellows collaborate with other talented under-40 leaders, interact with established mentors, and contribute to Independent Sector's work on nonprofit impact and leadership.

MacArthur Antigua is director of national recruitment and expansion for Public Allies, where he has overseen both the growth of their national network to 21 cities and the highest numbers of applicants in their history. Prior to this position, he served as Program Director for Public Allies Chicago and led the development of Turning The Tide, an AmeriCorps Professional Corps/human services fellowship jointly managed by both Public Allies and the Alliance for Children and Families. Mr. Antigua is also the founder of Massive Creativity, a consulting and coaching firm that has provided pro-bono coaching for nonprofit executive directors and social entrepreneurs. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication studies from Northwestern University.

Jennifer Ford Reedy is vice president of strategy and knowledge management for Minnesota Community Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation, where she is charged with driving strategy development and implementation. Since joining the Foundations in 2008, Ms. Reedy has guided two major ventures: GiveMN.org, a giving portal that raised $16 million from more than 40,000 donors in its first six months; and the Minnesota Idea Open, a platform created with Ashoka Changemakers to get Minnesotans talking about solutions to critical issues facing the state. Ms. Reedy was previously a consultant with McKinsey and Company and from 2003-2007 was “on loan” to direct the Itasca Project, a CEO-led regional economic development initiative in the Twin Cities. Ms. Reedy holds a master’s degree in social policy from the University of Chicago and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Kansas, where she received a national Truman Fellowship for Public Service.

David B. Smith is executive director of the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), a Congressionally-chartered nonprofit that defines modern citizenship through tracking, measuring and promoting civic engagement with the goal of building a more informed, engaged, giving and trusting citizenry. Prior to NCoC, David founded and directed Mobilize.org, which, under his tenure, expanded from a team of 10 students to over 30,000 activists in over 200 communities and published the acclaimed Mobilizer's Guidebook and Democracy 2.0 Declaration. David co-founded the Youth Policy Action Center and serves on the board of directors of Common Sense California, Prepare the Future, Americans for Generational Equity, and Mobilize.org. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Splashlife, and on the Steering Committee of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools. David holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley

Independent Sector is delighted to announce the selection of the second cohort of American Express NGen Fellows. Over the course of nine months, these accomplished and innovative leaders will collaborate with other talented under-40 leaders, interact with established mentors, and contribute to Independent Sector's work on nonprofit impact and leadership.

The 2010 American Express NGen Fellows are:

• MacArthur Antigua, Director, National Recruitment and Expansion, Public Allies


• Janella Franklin, Vice President, Development, Communities In Schools


• Ruben Gonzales, Deputy Vice President, Resource Development, National Council of La Raza


• Tine Hansen-Turton, Vice President for Health Care Access and Policy, Public Health Management Corporation


• Andrew Ho, Member Services Manager, Council on Foundations


• Tanya Clay House, Director of Public Policy, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law


• Lynsey Wood Jeffries, Executive Director – DC Metro, Higher Achievement


• Casey Lozar, Director of Corporate and Tribal Development, American Indian College Fund


• Jethro Miller, Vice President, National Campaign, American Red Cross


• Ruth Rechis, Director of Evaluation and Research, Lance Armstrong Foundation


• Jennifer Ford Reedy, Vice President, Strategy and Knowledge Management, Minnesota Community Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation


• David Smith, Executive Director, National Conference on Citizenship