American Express, Thunderbird School of Global Management
Team Up for 7th Annual American Express Leadership Academy
Academy helps Emerging Leaders from Social Sector Organizations Build Capacity of
their Organizations and Individual Personal, Business and Leadership Skills
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Jay.Thorne@asu.edu; 602-677-7518
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2015
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Building on a global record of success in enhancing the leadership skills of
managers from nearly 60 international social purpose organizations, Thunderbird School of Global
Management is once again teaming up with American Express to offer the 7th Annual American Express
Leadership Academy, May 17-22, 2015 at Thunderbird’s metropolitan Phoenix campus.
The Academy is a five-day program tailored to fit cultural nuances and different social purpose needs,
with the consistency of core elements. Participants engage in team exercises, case studies, class
discussion, and leadership style evaluation – the Global Mindset Inventory assessment is used to
measure the Global Mindset profile of the participants. The program is practical, interactive and can be
immediately implemented into the workplace. Following the Academy, participants receive individual
coaching from Thunderbird Executive Education faculty and work with their organizations’ senior leaders
to implement what they learned.
Included in the week long Academy is a live-streamed event open to the public on Wednesday, May 20th
at 9 a.m in Arizona, 12 p.m. EST. Members of the public may register at: http://amexleads.wprny.com/ to
watch: “A candid conversation with Reynold Levy”, author of the new book "They Told Me Not To Take
That Job: Tumult, Betrayal, Heroics, and the Transformation of Lincoln Center". Interviewed by Timothy J.
McClimon, president of the American Express Foundation, Levy will share how he was able to overcome
obstacles and successfully transform Lincoln Center into a more visitor-friendly place. He will also give his
perspective on the fragility of the nonprofit sector and the need for accountability. “Our partnership with American Express to deliver the Leadership Academy is very important to
Thunderbird because what we are able to do together is so impactful for individuals and organizations
throughout the world” said Thunderbird CEO and Director General, Allen J. Morrison. “As technology,
information and innovation continue to connect us in a global community, the Leadership Academy is a
more valuable tool than ever before and the Thunderbird faculty is proud to be a part of it.”
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This year, the Academy will focus on increasing each participating organization’s capacity and enhancing
the leadership skills of individual “emerging leaders” from 10 unique international social sector and
nongovernment organizations. Senior leaders from these organizations apply for selection by the
Thunderbird Academy’s leadership – when an organization is accepted, three “emerging leaders” are
selected by the organization to take part in the Academy. (American Express is not a part of the selection
process).
“The selection process for the Academy is rigorous and strategic in nature,” states Doug Hoxeng, Ph.D.,
Thunderbird program director for the American Express Leadership Academy. “The application process
includes executives reviewing their strategic challenges and proposing to Thunderbird a related project
for their ‘emerging leader’ participant team to further develop at the Academy. Each team project must
have the potential for significant results within the team’s organization and benefits for those the
organization serves. During the Academy, our faculty provides thought leadership and coaching to each
organizational team to turn insight and good intentions into meaningful outcomes.”
For those who are selected and go through the Academy, the results are impactful. Many participants are
given higher levels of responsibility from their organization’s senior leadership soon after their Academy
experience. By the end of this program, more than 200 emerging leaders will have participated in this
program since its inception in 2009.
Mushtaque Chowdhury, Executive Director of BRAC—the largest NGO in the world — explains that
BRAC team members who were part of the 2014 Academy, “got additional responsibilities. They have
improved further in innovating, thinking strategically and negotiation skills. They are now more aware of
the balanced approach of problem solving when it comes to management and organizational growth.”
Mary Teagarden, Ph.D., Professor of Global Management at Thunderbird and the academic director of
the Academy praised American Express for its philanthropic goal of focusing on the development of social
sector leaders. She said the larger benefit of the Academy is for the social sector overall.
“These Academy participants are on their way to positions of senior leadership,” Teagarden said.
“American Express and Thunderbird are committed to developing emerging social sector leaders for
achieving real impact, not only within their own organizations, but also in their greater social sector
community. The Academy helps participants grow as leaders and inspires them to spread their learning to
others for creating sustainable change.”
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Thanks to the success of the preceding six Academies, the upcoming 7th Annual American Express
Leadership Academy is part of a three-year grant awarded to Thunderbird Executive Education by
American Express. This year’s Academy includes the following organizations:
1. AmeriCares empowers frontline health workers in 90 countries to improve health outcomes and
save lives in communities affected by disaster and poverty. This emergency response and global
health organization works to expand and resource health services in times of crisis and catalyze
lasting improvement in health services delivery for those under-served and under-resourced.
www.americares.org
2. DoSomething.org gives young people (ages 13-25 years) ways to take action on virtually any
cause about which they care. This global organization of 3.7 million youth tackles campaigns that
impact causes ranging from poverty to violence to the environment. www.dosomething.org
3. Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB) gives disadvantaged women, men and
children greater voice, reduces their vulnerability, increases their use of citizenship rights, and
helps them enhance their quality of life. FIVDB does this through grassroots service delivery,
social mobilization, advocacy and collaboration with communities, civil society, government and
private sectors. www.fivdb.net
4. Juzoor for Health and Social Development promotes wellbeing and health as a right for all
members of the Palestinian society by influencing health and social policies and creating
innovative, sustainable development models. Juzoor emphasizes empowering local women,
youth, and children to become catalysts of change. www.juzoor.org
5.
L’Arche International welcomes people with intellectual disabilities , assistants/caregivers, and
others into homes, work programs, and other settings in which all are invited to offer their gifts
and be transformed through mutual relationship. L’Arche fosters an environment in community
that responds to the changing needs of their members from diverse cultures; and engages them
in working together toward a more humane society. www.larche.org
6. Polaris Project serves victims and survivors of human trafficking, as well as related populations
such as survivors of labor exploitation or domestic violence. Polaris provides direct services (e.g.,
case management, hotline referrals) and indirect services. Polaris works toward long-term
change that focuses communities on identifying, reporting and eliminating human trafficking
networks. www.polarisproject.org
7. Public Health Institute (PHI) globally addresses the social determinants of health and issues of
health equity. PHI generates and promotes research, leadership, and partnerships to build
capacity for strong public health policy, programs, systems and practices to address both
communicable and non-communicable diseases in developed and developing countries.
www.phi.org
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8. Sustainable Preservation Initiative seeks to preserve the world’s cultural heritage by providing
life-changing and sustainable economic opportunities to poor communities in which archeological
sites are located. SPI’s paradigm alleviates poverty by empowering local entrepreneurs and
creating jobs that are dependent on the preservation of cultural heritage sites.
www.sustainablepreservation.org
9. Splash focuses on children in need of clean water at institutions (schools, orphanages, childrens
hospitals, shelters) in urban areas of Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, India, and Nepal.
Spash is a social justice organization committed to the poor, an international development agency
disciplined around urban economies, and a social enterprise dedicated to putting itself out of
business. www.splash.org
10. Vital Voices Global Partnership identifies, trains, and empowers emerging women leaders and
social entrepreneurs around the globe including Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Latin America, the
Caribbean, and the Middle East. Vital Voices invests in and brings visibility to these extraordinary
women by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and
prosperity in their communities. www.vitalvoices.org
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About Thunderbird School of Global Management
Thunderbird is the world’s No.1-ranked school of international business with nearly 70 years of
experience in developing leaders with the global mindset, business skills and social responsibility
necessary to create real, sustainable value for their organizations, communities and the world. Dedicated
to preparing students to be global leaders and committed global citizens, Thunderbird was the first
graduate business school to adopt a Professional Oath of Honor. Thunderbird’s global network of alumni
numbers 40,000 graduates in more than 140 nations worldwide. The school is sought out by graduate
students, working professionals and companies seeking to gain the skills necessary for success in
today’s global economy. In January, 2015 Thunderbird merged with Arizona State University becoming
th
the 16 college at ASU. For more about Thunderbird, visit http://www.thunderbird.edu.
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About 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 and
social sectors, American Express is making grants focused on training high potential emerging leaders to
tackle important issues in the 21st century. More than 15,000 emerging nonprofit and social sector
leaders worldwide have benefitted from American Express leadership programs. Launched in 2008, the
American Express Leadership Academy addresses the growing deficit of leadership talent in the nonprofit
sector. The Academy brings together emerging leaders from a diverse set of nonprofit, social sector and
non-governmental organizations. To date, American Express has hosted over 50 Leadership Academy
sessions in six countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Mexico and
Canada, supporting more than 1,600 nonprofit and social sector leaders. In 2015, the Academy will
extend with programs in China, Kenya and Senegal. To learn more, please visit
http://about.americanexpress.com/csr/nla.aspx
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 americanexpress.com and
connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, foursquare.com/americanexpress,
linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress and
youtube.com/americanexpress
Key links to products and services: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift
cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, corporate card and business travel.