The Los Angeles Post

American Express Hosts Its Largest-Ever Leadership Academy Global Alumni Summit to Back the People Who Move the World Forward

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MOVING TO WASHINGTON, D.C. IN ITS FIFTH YEAR, THE SUMMIT HELPS EMERGING SOCIAL PURPOSE LEADERS GAIN THE TRAINING AND CONTACTS TO MAKE A LASTING IMPACT

American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) announced today its annual Leadership Academy Global Alumni Summit on April 1.  The intensive two-day immersive program offers professional development and networking opportunities to cultivate emerging nonprofit and social purpose leaders. Marking its fifth year, the summit will convene outside New York for the first time, taking place in Washington, D.C., a major hub for nonprofit organizations. A signature event of the American Express Leadership Academy, this year’s summit is expected to draw a record 80 alumni from around the world and will feature its annual Leadership Academy Alumni Award.

“As the nonprofit sector has grown significantly in recent years and the workforce is increasingly purpose-driven, it’s become crucial to provide rising social organization leaders with the required skills and broad networking opportunities to help them enrich their communities,” said Timothy J. McClimon, president, American Express Foundation. “American Express will continue to back this talent with robust programs like the Leadership Academy.”

One of the key summit highlights, Bill Drayton, founder and CEO of Ashoka, will hold a conversation with Stacy Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, in a session called Engaging All: Strategies for Thriving in Complexity. The session will be held on April 1 at 3:30 p.m. EDT and streamed live on LeaderStories.org. Mr. Drayton will share his extensive experience in the social sector and will discuss strategies for engaging various stakeholders to thrive in a complex society. He and Ms. Palmer will take questions on Twitter during the session through #amexleads. The Chronicle of Philanthropy will also host a special Facebook Live preview of the session on the same day at 2:45 p.m. EDT.

At the summit, American Express will also honor an alumnus or alumna with the 2019 American Express Leadership Academy Alumni Award for demonstrating strong leadership while continually impacting his or her community. The Award includes a $25,000 grant to the recipient’s organization and the honoree will be announced during the livestream.

The American Express Leadership Academy Global Alumni Summit is produced in partnership with Atlas Corps, a nonprofit organization focused on developing leaders through an overseas fellowship. Representatives from the Leadership Academy’s 12 training partner organizations will also be on-site for continued professional development, relationship building and collaboration.

About American Express’ Leadership Initiatives
One of American Express’ three philanthropic platforms is Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow. Under this giving initiative, which recognizes the significance of strong leadership in the nonprofit and social purpose sectors, American Express makes grants focused on training high potential emerging leaders to tackle important issues in the 21st century. More than 100,000 emerging nonprofit and social sector leaders worldwide have benefitted from American Express leadership programs, including its signature initiative, the American Express Leadership Academy.

Founded in 2008 in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership, the American Express Leadership Academy builds the personal, business and leadership skills of emerging nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs through multi-day, in-person trainings. The initiative has grown to a global program, training world-class leaders in the areas of education, the arts, social services, health, the environment, and more. To date, the company has hosted more than 130 Leadership Academy programs across 12 countries, training more than 4,300 nonprofit and social sector leaders.