Jenise Terrell will become the chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based AmeriCorps national service program
Public Allies, the organization announced today.
Terrell officially assumes the CEO position after a six-month interim stint, becoming the first alumni and first Black woman to hold the title at the nonprofit.
"Jenise Terrell so powerfully embodies the mission and values of Public Allies," said Kanwar Singh, board chair of Public Allies. "We cannot help but recognize her as exactly the kind of leader our social justice movement needs today. Her appointment to this position represents a shift towards the alignment of our values with our practice.”
A nonprofit dedicated to social and racial equity, Public Allies operates a leadership development apprenticeship program at 25 sites across 21 states. Participants complete a 10-month nonprofit apprenticeship program that includes working at community organizations and completing leadership training.
Terrell herself became a Public Allies AmeriCorps member in 1997. Throughout her more than 20-year history with the nonprofit, Terrell held several roles, including Ally mentor and supervisor, field operations leader, fundraising strategist, government relations lead, executive vice president of program strategy, and most recently, interim CEO.
"Every day, I have the privilege of working with an amazing group of driven leaders. My appointment to CEO is a reflection of their brilliance, and a reflection of the values that we hold so dear. It is the greatest honor of my life to serve at the helm of the organization that not only helped shape my own leadership, but has been responsible for launching the careers of thousands of noteworthy changemakers across our nation,” Terrell said. “I am enthusiastically committed to furthering the reach of our premise that leadership is an action to be taken, not just a position to be held."
"In a time of increasing inequity and division across the country, Public Allies' values-based leadership practice, our signature Ally Program, and our talented, mobilized alumni network are needed now more than ever,” Terrell continued. “We have the leadership, network, passion, and programming in place to support that vision."
Public Allies is headquartered at The CityCenter at 735 building in downtown Milwaukee downtown and has corporate offices in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New York.
