Senior leaders and board members will be immersed in programming focused on culture change, inclusion and board diversification.
Orlando, Fla – After a great response to the application process, the Black Boardroom Leadership Institute (BBLI) announces 10 nonprofits selected for its first nonprofit leadership training track. Developed to help grow the Orlando region’s talent pipeline of Black leaders and ensure they have a voice on local nonprofit boards, the program recently announced by the Orlando Economic Partnership’s (the Partnership) Leadership Orlando, will kick offits first class on February 22, 2022.
BBLI was created through honest conversations and ideas generated by committed community leaders. The transformational program is designed to address the significant diversity gap amongst Orlando’s nonprofit boards of directors, with only 11 percent of local nonprofit boards represented by Black leaders.
Each nonprofit organization will all be represented in the program by their senior leader and a senior board member. Selected organizations include:
- Ability Housing
- Central Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America
- FusionFest
- Junior Achievement of Central Florida
- ONEPulse Foundation
- Samaritan Resource Center
- The Sharing Center
- True Health
- United Against Poverty Orlando
- United Arts of Central Florida
“To truly be authentic and effective, the boardroom tables in Central Florida must represent the community they aim to serve, that is why United Against Poverty Orlando is thrilled to have the opportunity to participate with the Black Boardroom Leadership Initiative to learn and be part of this change,” said Nancy Robbinson, executive director of United Against Poverty Orlando.
“Central Florida has become a unique and special community because of the diverse and dynamic people that live here,” said Jason Scott, business banking executive director at JPMorgan Chase and chair of Junior Achievement of Central Florida.
“In order to serve our community in an effective and authentic manner, the boardroom tables in Central Florida need to reflect and represent the diversity that makes our community great.”
Jason Scott, Business Banking Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase, Chair of Junior Achievement of Central Florida
BBLI’s program consists of two leadership training tracks, with one for current nonprofit executive leadership focused on culture change, inclusion and board diversification, and the other focused on authentic leadership and future board placement for Black community leaders.
“The impact of this program is driven through the active engagement of both the nonprofit’s senior leader and a local board representative,” said Tim Giuliani, Partnership president and CEO.
“It was critical to the program’s Advisory Council that accountability measures were built into the program design, so the nonprofit leaders feel supported when implementing new board governance practices and ultimately creating culture and regional change.”
Tim Giuliani, Orlando Economic Partnership President and CEO
BBLI represents an additional layer of the Partnership’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts. In January 2021, the Partnership spearheaded a DEI pledge in which local corporations committed to educating themselves about systemic racism, using their corporate power and influence to endorse racial justice policies and improving wage equity, growth potential and advancement opportunities for racial minorities. To date, more than 150 corporate leaders have signed the pledge.
BBLI will begin recruiting individuals in April for its second track, which is focused on preparing Black leaders with the skills necessary to have the greatest an impact while serving authentically on local nonprofit boards. For more information on the BBLI program schedule and application, visit the Black Boardroom Leadership Institute webpage.
About Leadership Orlando
With over 7,000 graduates, Leadership Orlando is Central Florida’s only community leadership program that spans across the entire seven-county region and is the largest program in America, offering multiple classes each year. For more, visit orlando.org
About Central Florida Foundation
Central Florida Foundation stewards philanthropic dollars on behalf of individuals, families, and nonprofits. We partner with people who are determined to make a difference in their community. Knowing that true change demands more than dollars and cents, we foster collaboration, fuel ideas, and spearhead the innovation that will transform our region for good. Learn more at www.cffound.org.
