LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
American Express Leadership
Academy at Thunderbird School of Global
Management
in Phoenix, Arizona
The goal of the American Express Leadership
Academy at Thunderbird is to provide emerging
leaders from leading international nonprofit organizations with practical opportunities to learn and build leadership skills. The Academy brings together emerging leaders from
international NGOs and nonprofits to help develop their leadership
skills while also building the organizational capacity of their organizations. This five-day program is funded by American Express and is
designed and delivered by Thunderbird. The Academy convenes up
to 30 emerging leaders, and builds on Thunderbird’s nearly 70 years of
experience in developing leaders with the
global mindset, business skills and social responsibility necessary to
create lasting value for organizations and communities.
The development of leaders in the social sector is even more important today, because it enables an organization to continue to fulfill the
social needs of people and contribute to overall social development.
This specialized program will focus on enhancing the knowledge
of participants in various leadership capabilities to lead on a global
scale. The American Express Leadership Academy at Thunderbird
School of Global Management will help equip your organization’s
emerging leaders with the skills necessary to become successful
global leaders in the social sector.
The program delivery is practical, highly interactive and immediately
applicable to the workplace. Participants will participate in team
exercises, case studies, class discussions and leadership style
assessments. Each organization will have clearly identified a strategic
organizational change project that is in alignment with its organizational strategy and can bring significant impact to the organization.
The participants from your organization will be collaborating on the
strategic organizational change project prior, during, and after the
program to develop a blue-print to impact your organization. Partici-
About Thunderbird
Thunderbird School of
Global Management is the
world’s No. 1-ranked school in
international business with
nearly 70 years of experience
in developing leaders with the
global mindset, business skills
and social responsibility
necessary to create real and
sustainable value for their
organizations, communities and
the world.
Thunderbird is ranked among
the top providers of executive
education worldwide, as a premier provider of global business
education. Thunderbird Executive Education helps professionals navigate the complexities
of global business through
cutting-edge programs, courses
and solutions that build on and
enhance the vision and skills
needed to compete successfully
in today’s global business environment. Programs are offered
around the world.
www.thunderbird.edu
pants will also have the opportunity to share their own personal examples of leadership challenges and successes within the social sector
and learn from one another’s best practices.
To promote a lasting impact, the final day of the program is devoted to
goal setting and action plans. Emerging leaders develop a plan for ongoing development and explore how to use the Academy experience
to benefit themselves and their nonprofit organization.
Post-Academy Support and Follow-up
Thanks to funding from American Express, the Academy continues to
support participants long after they have returned to their jobs. Participants receive remote coaching sessions, online networking tools, leadership goal checkpoints and a review of their progress.
Participant Profile
Each organization is asked to send three high potential emerging leaders who fit the following profile.
• High-potential leader within a global NGO or nonprofit
(individual contributors/managers of others, NOT managers of managers)
• Approximately 3 – 5 years of work experience in the social sector
AND is either entering a leadership role or has up to 3 years of leadership experience in the social sector
• Active in social media
• Fluent in English
We have identified specific “from” – “to” goals for the individuals that
are to be involved in the Academy. This program is best positioned
to help participants “stretch” one or two levels higher and facilitate moving “from” one stage of leadership development “to” another. Therefore, we ask that participants be representative of the “from” column
below.
Your Organizational Commitment
FromTo
Personal productivity
Team productivity + individual
productivity
Working as a member of a team
Building an effective and
successful team
Planning own work
Work planning for team and
performance management
Valuing professional standards
Valuing managerial work
Developing high-quality individual Developing managerial and
work skillsleadership skills
About American Express
American Express is a global
services company, providing customers with access to products,
insights and experiences that
enrich lives and build business
success. Learn more at
www.americanexpress.com
and connect with us on
www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/
americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.
American Express: Developing
New Leaders for Tomorrow
One of American Express’ three
platforms for its philanthropy
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.
Serving a Broad Spectrum of Nonprofits, The American Express Leadership Academy at
Thunderbird has served a broad range of community, environmental, international relief and
cultural organizations, including:
Action Against Hunger
Acumen Fund
American Cancer Society
Aravind Eye Care System
Ashoka
BRAC
CARE
Charity: water
Clinton Global Initiative
CIMMYT
Digital Divide Data
ENDEAVOR
FARM-Africa
Feed My Starving Children
Free the Slaves
Fresh Start Women’s Foundation
GAVI Alliance
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
Global Fund
Global Giving Foundation
Habitat for Humanity
Heifer International
iDE
IDEX
International Center for Research
on Women
International Federation of Red
Cross and
Red Crescent Societies
International Medical Corps
Make-a-Wish Foundation
Make-a-Wish International
Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors
Without Borders
Mercy Corps
National Audobon Society
The Nature Conservancy
Opportunity International
Outreach International
Pact
Peace Corps
Pencils of Promise
PLAN International
Population Services International
ProMujer
Project C.U.R.E.
Save the Children
Souktel
Special Olympics International
TED Conferences
Tostan
Un Techo para mi País
UNICEF Fund
Women for Women International
Worldreader
World Wildlife Foundation
The generous gift from American Express funds this five-day program and post program follow-up. Each
organizational commitment includes the following:
• A final list of three high-potential emerging leaders
• Support for each participant to identify his/her own mentor within the organization that will be committed to developing that participant’s leadership capabilities before, during and after the Academy
• Senior leadership and HR support for their Academy participants and holding them accountable for their
leadership development and strategic organizational change project
• Partner with Thunderbird in measuring impact on both individual and organizational levels through follow-up
• Collaborate with Thunderbird and American Express in terms of spreading the reach and impact from the
Academy to non-participants (e.g. press releases, social media, etc.)
• Transportation and airfare costs to and from Thunderbird for each of your chosen participants
American Express and Thunderbird School of Global Management look forward to learning of your
interest in the Academy. To learn more about how to be a part of this program, please contact Doug
Hoxeng, Ph.D., the Program Director, to begin the application process.
For more information:
Doug Hoxeng, Ph.D., Program Director
Thunderbird School of Global Management • 1 Global Place, Glendale, AZ USA
www.thunderbird.edu/execed • doug.hoxeng@thunderbird.edu • +1 602 978-7816
LEADERSHIP ACADEMY