Dr. Robert Simmons III Becomes New President of Service Year Alliance

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On Monday, February 5, 2018, Dr. Robert Simmons III joined Service Year Alliance as the organization’s new President. Simmons comes to Service Year Alliance from his previous role as Vice President of Strategy & Innovation for the Campaign for Black Male Achievement. As a nationally recognized scholar on issues of diversity and equity in higher education and K-12, Robert has served as an award-winning STEM teacher in Detroit, a tenured professor of education and African & African American Studies at Loyola University Maryland, and the Director of the Center for Innovation in Urban Education. Robert has spoken across the country and authored over 40 publications.

“My long-standing commitment to service stems from my parents attending Spelman and Morehouse colleges my mother working in the public library system in Detroit for over 20 years, and the challenges and mental incarceration I faced during my father’s life in and out of prison. This dedication to service, combined with my devotion to increasing opportunity for young people — both in and out of the classroom — has been the focus of my career for decades. I am eager to continue this important work at Service Year Alliance where, together with the service year sector, we can empower the next generation of young Americans to come together in service to our communities and country,” said Robert Simmons III, President of Service Year Alliance. “With deep cultural differences currently threatening to divide us, the need for a bold solution is urgent. Fortunately, a service year can bind diverse young Americans together in common purpose. I look forward to continuing to explore the transformational impact that service year experiences have on young people and our society in my new role.”

As President, Dr. Simmons will spearhead fundraising, business development, and public relations efforts at Service Year Alliance, while also bringing his passion and expertise in youth empowerment, race, and equity to the service year field.

Simmons’ addition to the team comes just after Richard Stengel, former Managing Editor of TIME Magazine; Dorothy McAuliffe, former First Lady of Virginia; and Reginald Brown, Chair of the Financial Institutions Group at WilmerHale joined the board of Service Year Alliance — which is chaired by Gen. (Ret.) Stan McChrystal — at the end of 2017. Additionally, seven influential leaders have joined the growing Leadership Council of Service Year Alliance, agreeing to aid and endorse the organization’s mission. New Leadership Council members include:

• Seth Goldman, Executive Chairman, Beyond Meat; Co-Founder & TeaEO Emeritus, Honest Tea
• The Honorable Jack Lew, Former Secretary of the Treasury
• Dr. Vanessa Kerry, Chief Executive Officer, Seed Global Health
• Brad Meltzer, Author
• Steven Olikara, Founder and President, Millennial Action Project
• David E. Shaw, Managing Partner, Black Point Group
• Kristen Soltis Anderson, Author; Pollster and co-Founder, Echelon Insights
• Lisette Nieves, Clinical Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, NYU Steinhardt