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American Express Academy alumna Elena Zee selected for 2019 Aspen Institute Fellowship, the fourth consecutive year an alum was chosen
June 13, 2019 (Phoenix, Ariz.) – The ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation is pleased to announce that Elena Zee, President & CEO of the Arizona Council on Economic Education and a 2015 alumna of the American Express Leadership Academy at the ASU Lodestar Center, has been selected to participate in the American Express Leadership Academy 2.0 at the Aspen Institute: A Fellowship for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders. The Fellowship will take place at the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Meadows campus in Colorado from Sunday, August 18, to Friday, August 23, 2019, and marks the fourth year in a row that an alum from the ASU Lodestar Center’s academy was selected to participate.
“I am humbled for the opportunity to join the Aspen Institute with 14 amazing nonprofit leaders from across the country and around the world,” said Zee, who was part of Class Seven of the academy at the ASU Lodestar Center. “I would not have had this opportunity without the foundation that the Lodestar Center’s American Express Leadership Academy afforded me. I look forward to this experience to enhance my ability to work with our community and positively impact more lives.”
The American Express Foundation and the Aspen Institute established the Fellowship program to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders. The Fellowship provides participants a neutral forum in which to reflect on the values that animate their work and an opportunity to develop a strong and supportive peer network. Nominations were accepted by invitation only. Fifteen fellows are selected each year through a competitive process.
“We are pleased that Elena Zee, another outstanding alumna of our Center’s American Express Leadership Academy experience, has been selected for the Aspen 2.0 experience,” said Dr. Robert F. Ashcraft, executive director of the ASU Lodestar Center and Saguaro Professor of Civic Enterprise in ASU’s School of Community Resources and Development. “She is a stellar choice. She will not only gain much from the experience that will help advance Arizona, but she will also contribute to the learning in ways that benefit all participants.”
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ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation
The ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation is recognized as a national leader in undergraduate and graduate nonprofit education, research and technical assistance. The ASU Lodestar Center exists to enhance the quality of life in communities through the advancement of nonprofit leadership practices and provides knowledge and tools to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations, professionals, board members, donors and volunteers by offering a selection of capacity building workshops, conferences, classes, and programs. For more information, please visit: lodestar.asu.edu.
American Express Leadership Academy at the ASU Lodestar Center
The American Express Leadership Academy at the ASU Lodestar Center operated as the Generation Next Nonprofit Leadership Academy for six years. Now beginning its 12th year at ASU, this highly effective leadership development program is now the American Express Leadership Academy at the ASU Lodestar Center. Currently, over 30 individuals are selected through a competitive process to participate in the nine-month program beginning in August and ending in May each year. Each program day covers a variety of topics including, but not limited to, public policy and advocacy, collaboration, marketing and media relations, board development, donor relations, and leadership development. The American Express Leadership Academy at the ASU Lodestar Center offers: increased awareness and understanding of the nonprofit sector and issues affecting its growth and prosperity; leadership skills development, cultivation and opportunities for engagement; and a broader network of personal and professional relationships. For more information, please visit: lodestar.asu.edu/leadership.