Venture for America (VFA), a fellowship program that empowers recent college graduates to launch their careers as entrepreneurs and revitalize American cities, announced that its current CEO, Andrew Yang, will step down from the chief executive position, effective Sept. 1, 2017. Amy Nelson, who has served as Yang's second-in-command and managing director at VFA, will become the next CEO.
Yang has grown Venture for America and nurtured its fellows since the organization's inception in 2011, with a threefold mission of revitalizing American cities and communities through entrepreneurship, enabling our best and brightest to create new opportunities for themselves and others, and restoring the culture of achievement to include value creation, risk and reward, and the common good.
He will remain an engaged board member as he writes another book (his latest, Smart People Should Build Things, was released in 2014) and continues to find ways to make a positive impact.
"Launching and expanding Venture for America has been the proudest achievement of my professional life," said Yang. "It has been so inspiring watching our young people grow as entrepreneurs, leaders and individuals, bringing ideas and innovation to cities around the U.S. I look forward to continuing to guide the organization from a board position as I explore new ways I can help bring about beneficial change in the country."
Under Nelson's leadership, VFA will place more representatives in cities throughout the U.S. to bring the organization closer to its markets. VFA will also expand partnerships to be even more diverse and inclusive. Additional priorities will be identified and addressed throughout the transition phase.
After graduating from Claremont McKenna College, Nelson, a St. Louis native, traveled to Cameroon and Cambodia, where she garnered extensive grant-writing experience and began working with startups. While earning her M.B.A. at NYU Stern, she joined the team at B Lab, where she helped launch B Analytics, the leading data platform for impact investors. In her current position at Venture for America, Nelson is focused on building new partnerships for the organization and scaling the organization's impact.
"As Andrew moves onto the next phase of his career, the board fully supports Amy Nelson as she takes over the CEO role," said Scott Krase, senior advisor at Oak Hill Advisors and member of the VFA Board of Directors. "We are confident in Amy's ability to bring the organization to the next level and continue to grow Venture for America's community and impact."
"I am looking forward to my new role at Venture for America," said Nelson. "To follow in Andrew's footsteps and benefit from his wise counsel during the transition period is an honor. Leading the organization as it continues to make a difference in the talent landscape of the country is a challenge in the best sense of the word, and one that I am confident we are ready to meet."
For more information on Venture for America, please visit: http://ventureforamerica.org.
About Venture for America
Venture for America is a 501c3 nonprofit that recruits and trains talented people to work at startups in Detroit, New Orleans, Baltimore and other cities around the U.S. Its goals are to help create 100,000 new U.S. jobs by 2025 and train the next generation of entrepreneurs. It was founded in 2011 and currently has over 1,400 applicants per year to its flagship fellowship program. Venture for America supporters and advisers include Jeff Weiner, Reid Hoffman, Dan Gilbert, Graham Weston, Dara Khosrowshahi, Josh Kopelman, Arianna Huffington, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, UBS, PwC, Bank of America, Barclays, Knight Foundation, Kauffman Foundation and many others.
