Living Cities Unveils 25 Disruptive Leaders List

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of its upcoming 25^th Anniversary, Living Cities today announced its list of 25 Disruptive Leaders working to improve economic outcomes for low-income people in America's cities. The list recognizes activists, government employees, artists, community members, entrepreneurs, elected officials and philanthropists from across the country who are committed to removing the barriers that cause racial disparities while empowering and mobilizing others to do the same.

"I'm thrilled to unveil our Living Cities 25 Disruptive Leaders list," said Ben Hecht, President and CEO of Living Cities. "These remarkable individuals are being honored for shaking up the status quo and creating new approaches to address our nation's most stubborn challenges. While they come from different sectors and focus areas, the leaders share a commitment to innovation, collaboration and risk-taking to achieve greater equity for all. They exemplify the Living Cities mission and our progress over the past 25 years in working to achieve a more equitable America."

To compile the list, Living Cities solicited nominations from more than 300 urban policymakers, practitioners and thought leaders for individuals who demonstrated disruptive leadership in their communities. 

The Living Cities 25 Disruptive Leaders List is:

• Mayor Steve Adler, Austin's 52nd Mayor, Austin, TX
• Nancy O. Andrews, President and CEO, Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), San Francisco, CA
• Tawanna Black, Executive Director, Northside Funders Group, Minneapolis, MN
• Angela Glover Blackwell, President, CEO and Founder, PolicyLink, Oakland, CA
• Raj Chetty, Professor of Economics, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
• Ta-Nehisi Coates, Journalist, Blogger, and Memoirist, Brooklyn, NY
• Jason DeParle, Reporter, The New York Times, Washington, DC
• Martin Eakes, Co-Founder & CEO, Self Help and the Center for Responsible Lending, Durham, NC
• Ashleigh Gardere, Senior Advisor to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, New Orleans, LA
• Paul S. Grogan, President and CEO, Boston Foundation, Boston, MA
• Cristina Jiménez, Co-founder and Managing Director, United We Dream Network, Washington, DC
• Don Katz, Founder and CEO, Audible Inc.; Founder, Newark Venture Partners, Newark, NJ
• Laurie Jones Neighbors, Educator and Independent Consultant; former Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, Urban Habitat, San Francisco, CA
• Julie Lein, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Urban Innovation Fund, San Francisco, CA
• Marcus Littles, Founder, Frontline Solutions, Washington, DC
• Doug Nelson, Retired, Former President and CEO, Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), Madison, WI
• Mayor Michael Nutter, 98th Mayor of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
• Jen Pahlka, Founder and Executive Director, Code for America (CFA), San Francisco, CA
• Rashad Robinson, Executive Director, Color of Change, New York, NY
• Eric S. Rosengren, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston, MA
• Reshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who Code, New York, NY
• Caroline Whistler, Co-President and Co-founder, Third Sector Capital Partners, San Francisco, CA
• Jesse Williams, Actor, Activist, and Former Public School Teacher, Los Angeles, CA
• Nancy Zimpher, 12th Chancellor of the State University of New York, New York, NY
• Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO, Facebook; Co-founder, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Menlo Park, CA

The 25 Disruptive Leaders will be honored at a ceremony at the Living Cities 25^th Anniversary convening on September 27, 2016 in Washington, DC, which will bring together over 200 public, private, philanthropic and community leaders in one room to discuss what needs to be done to close the racial opportunity gaps in America's cities, including in wealth, income, education and health. Living Cities will be featuring the winners' work on its digital platforms over the next year and looking to collaborate with them in the next phase of its work.

About Living Cities

For 25 years, Living Cities has harnessed the collective power of 18 of the world's largest foundations and financial institutions to develop and scale new approaches for creating opportunities for low-income people and improving the cities where they live. Its investments, research, networks, and convenings catalyze fresh thinking and combine support for innovative, local approaches with real-time sharing of learning to accelerate adoption in more places. Additional information can be found at www.livingcities.org. Follow the announcement on Twitter using #Disruptive25.

Media Contact

For all media inquiries, including photos of the 25 Disruptive Leaders honorees, please contact Sara Cott at [email protected].

SOURCE Living Cities

Related Links

http://www.livingcities.org