Leadership

Public Allies is an innovative nonprofit program that identifies leadership at the grassroots and cultivates it make a difference at every level of business and government. Its mission is grounded in the fact that lasting social change has always resulted from the courageous acts of many, not just the inspiration of the few.

Public Allies caught the eye of Michelle Obama, who served as the founding executive director of its Chicago branch. The first lady recently recalled her time at Public Allies,

"It's one of the first model AmeriCorps national service programs. It was right when President Clinton got elected to office, and there was an infusion of new resources for wonderful innovative ideas, and Public Allies was an organization that would help 18- to 30-year-olds pursue careers in public service. And I helped to build that. I was never happier in my life than when I was working to build Public Allies."

 

The organization employs three strategies: cultivating young adults through paid full-time nonprofit apprenticeships and rigorous leadership training, connecting and engaging young leaders though its Alumni program and scaling results in communities through a training and consulting practice.

Public Allies is changing the face of leadership in communities across America by showing that everyone has the ability and responsibility to lead. Public Allies proves social change happens when individuals of all backgrounds stand up, take responsibility, and work together.