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Listen to this articleRadhames Nova: The Heart of Achievement
By Evan J. Cutts
Every day Radhames Nova, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Northern New England (JA), steps into his role with a go-giver attitude: “My position at Junior Achievement is far more than a job—it is a privilege to help others receive the same opportunities that I had. Having been a beneficiary of philanthropy and youth organizations has prepared me to lead from the heart.”
“By investing in today’s youth, we empower them to strengthen our communities, region, and country in the future. Our programs teach young people from kindergarten through high school critical life skills they are seldom learning at home or school, specifically: understanding and managing their finances; preparing for their careers of the future; and gaining the confidence to know they can start their own businesses in the future,” stated Nova.
At the age of thirteen, Nova immigrated from the Dominican Republic to Lawrence, Massachusetts. Like many immigrants, he had to “learn a new language and a new way of life.”
As an active member of the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence throughout high school, he learned essential leadership skills and the value of supporting youth’s potential.
Those leadership skills prepared him for assuming the position of Director of Development at that very Boys and Girls Club from 2002 to 2006 and for his local and national roles as Executive Director of the Boston Chapter and Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) from 2011 to 2015.
A lifetime member of ALPFA, Nova shared, “ALPFA taught me the power of leveraging networks, in order to open doors for others to access their potential. Shortly after I joined JA in 2016, I activated the national partnership between ALPFA and JA locally, [further integrating our networks and resources].”
In his leadership roles, passion, authenticity, commitment, and leading by example are his core values. As one of thirty members of the Lawrence Leads Program, Nova is positioned to continue empowering youth of color in New England. “Being a proud Lawrencian and having worked in Boston for the past twelve years, this was a perfect fit for my next development opportunity and a way for me to give back to the city of Lawrence,” explained Nova.
Nova defines success beyond traditional notions of wealth and fame, “Success is about becoming a productive member of the community; it is finding [your] passion and pursuing it to the fullest.
For those of us who have broken through code, it is our responsibility to open doors for others, especially young people of color.”
