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  • Writer's pictureNonprofit Learning Lab

3 Nonprofit Leaders to Watch

Updated: Jun 9, 2023

The number of nonprofit organizations is growing in size and popularity. The public is beginning to trust nonprofits more and more as vehicles to serve their communities. Leading these organizations is no easy feat; here are some leaders of nonprofit organizations to look out for!


  1. Leah Thomas, Intersectional Environmentalist Leah Thomas is the founder and values officer of Intersectional Environmentalist, a nonprofit organization that focuses on eco-justice by centering marginalized voices and communities to lead the work in climate justice. Thomas has her degree in Environmental Science and Policy and her work at Intersectional Environmentalist includes consulting with local organizations and activists on climate justice. Her organization also prioritizes the redistribution of wealth to grassroots organizations, local activists, and climate movements as a way to break ground at the community level on this issue. To learn more about how to effectively lead your team, collaborate with partners effectively, and engage with the core audience of your organization, register for our upcoming series-based training “Leading Teams, Partnerships, and Collaborations Towards Greater Impact” here.

  2. The 8 Co-Founders, Native Women Lead The organization, Native Women Lead, had its beginnings with a panel on Native Women Mentorship at the 2017 Women’s Economic Forum that resulted in zero attendance. However, with this “failed” event came something even greater when the 8 panelists in attendance, Kalika Davis, Lisa Foreman, Kim Gleason, Jaime Gloshay, Alicia Ortega, Stephine Poston, Vanessa Roanhorse, and Jaclyn Roessel, began to talk with one another. Their conversation of shared passions led to the creation of Native Women Lead, an organization that prioritizes the prosperity of Indigenous-women-owned businesses. An example of what they do is the establishment of the Matriarch Fund which is an immensely successful restorative fund, investing in small businesses owned by Native women. To learn more about creating and implementing a fundraising plan for your organization, register for our upcoming bootcamp “Create, Revise & Implement A Fundraising Plan: Strategies for Staff, Volunteers & Board Members” here.

  3. Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson is a Harvard-educated lawyer who has dedicated his career to fighting and ending the effects of mass incarceration and exposing the racial bias that exists in the justice system today. He founded the Equal Justice Initiative in 1989 with the intention of providing legal services to those who have been unfairly or excessively punished. His organization is also dedicated to educating about the history of mass incarceration and its links to segregation and slavery. He has opened the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, as well as marketed the immensely successful “A History of Racial Injustice Calendar”, to further the organization’s mission of educating the public. To learn more about how you can effectively utilize marketing and communications tactics to further the mission of your organization, register for our upcoming workshop “Leveraging Effective Marketing & Communications For Nonprofit Growth” here. To learn more about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in nonprofit workspaces, check out our Free DEI Resource page here.


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