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American Express extends Thunderbird leadership academy programAmerican Express extends Thunderbird leadership academy program 

The American Express Foundation has announced a grant to Thunderbird that will allow for the expansion of a weeklong leadership development program that brings rising stars in the social sector to Thunderbird over the next three years.
 
The program, which started in 2009 and returned to campus in 2010, will establish the American Express Leadership Academy at Thunderbird starting May 2-6, 2011.
 
Under the expanded format, Thunderbird professors led by academic directors Michael Finney, Ph.D., and Mary Teagarden, Ph.D., will design the curriculum and teach courses with involvement from American Express executives.
 
Faculty coaches will follow up with participants at various intervals following the program, and assessments such as the Thunderbird Global Mindset Inventory will measure progress.
 
Thunderbird Associate Vice President Joy Lubeck will continue as program director. “The program helps participants from across the sector broaden their perspectives,” Lubeck said. “They are able to learn from one another and see things through a different lens.”
 
During the first two years of the program, teams of participants came from global organizations such as Ashoka, Acumen Fund, CARE International, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The new academy will incorporate a similar format, bringing teams of three from 10 different organizations.
 
Executive sponsors in each organization will serve as mentors, helping guide each participant to achieve “stretch goals.”
 
"Developing the next generation of leaders for the social sector is extremely important,  not only to those organizations but to society," said Timothy J. McClimon, President, American Express Foundation. "We understand that helping organizations thrive from an organizational standpoint is critical to their continued success, and the creation of the American Express Leadership Academy at Thunderbird is part of a long-term commitment that we have made at American Express to developing the future leaders of this sector."

American Express: Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow
One of American Express' three philanthropy platforms is “Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow.” Under this giving initiative, which recognizes the significance of strong leadership in the nonprofit sector, American Express is making grants focused on training high-potential emerging leaders to tackle important issues in the 21st century.