Profiles in Collective Leadership

Introduction

At a time of intense polarization and widespread anxiety about what the future holds for America’s young people, Profiles in Collective Leadership supports local leaders who are forging ambitious partnerships in their communities, helping students pursue meaningful education, fulfilling work, and engagement in civic life.

Through the Profiles initiative, Carnegie Corporation of New York is awarding $200,000 grants to 10 communities where leaders from different fields – such as medicine, business, technology, and public schooling – are joining forces to help low-income students thrive and participate in their communities. The 10 recognized partnerships in 8 states will act as exemplars, sharing what they have learned with each other and more broadly.

The Corporation, in partnership with the education nonprofit Transcend, identified candidates through a competitive national process. The winners were selected by a panel of jurors comprised of a broad range of leaders in business, higher education, and philanthropy, including Corporation board member Kurt L. Schmoke, president of the University of Baltimore and the former mayor of Baltimore.

The projects span California’s Coachella Valley, where teams are building a talent pipeline to health care jobs, to Tennessee, where a major insurer works with a state university to offer students a 27-month bachelor’s degree in computer science and a position at the company. Nonpartisan collaborations in Alabama, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Mexico, and Texas serve students from a mix of rural, suburban, and urban areas.

With so much of today’s news highlighting political divisions, these partnerships offer hopeful exemplars of how communities are helping young people from all backgrounds move from the classroom to meaningful careers, spurring the socioeconomic mobility necessary to create a thriving economy and sustain a healthy democracy. According to a Harvard University study in 2022, 80 percent of young adults migrate less than 100 miles from where they grew up, and 90 percent migrate less than 500 miles. These collaboratives underscore that investing in young people is an investment in communities.

Successfully creating opportunities for young people, many of whom have lost faith in institutions, can counter a trend that sees youths disengaging from civic life. A Harvard Youth Poll from late 2023 found that only 49 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 said they definitely planned to vote in the 2024 elections, down from 57 percent in 2019, at the same stage of the last presidential election cycle.

“At Carnegie Corporation of New York, we are gravely concerned by the growing polarization of American politics and society,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of the philanthropic foundation. “Through our Profiles initiative, we wish to recognize the work of local educational collectives who act creatively together across public and private sectors to create career opportunities for young people. Congratulations to our 10 exceptional winners whose contributions to our society benefit all of us.”

Community

The ten winners are part of a community of practice facilitated by Transcend. Together the partnerships will have the opportunity to grow their networks, contribute to learning in the field about collective leadership, build organizational capacity, and invest in their leadership development. They will also have opportunities to uplift components of their work that could be replicable in other urban, suburban, or rural communities across the United States.

Jurors

The Corporation greatly appreciates the time, generosity, and expertise of the thirteen jurors who selected the Profiles in Collective Leadership winners.

• Jay Altman, Senior Advisor, America Achieves, Founding Partner, Greenhouse E3
• Phoebe Boyer, President and CEO, Children’s Aid Society
• Jean-Claude Brizard, CEO, Digital Promise
• Cass Conrad, Executive Director, The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation
• Cora Daniels, Senior Editorial Director, The Bridgespan Group
• Frank Gettridge, President and CEO, National Public Education Support Fund
• Deborah A. Gist, Superintendent-in-Residence, Transcend; and Senior Advisor to the President, University of Tulsa
• Hanseul Kang, Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Broad Center and Lecturer in Management, Yale School of Management
• John Kania, Founder, Executive Director, Board Chair, Collective Change Lab
• Tim Knowles, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
• Kurt L. Schmoke, President, University of Baltimore, Trustee, Carnegie Corporation of New York
• Javaid Siddiqi, President and CEO, The Hunt Institute
• Caroline Altman Smith, Deputy Director, Education, Kresge Foundation