The Leadership Academy will bring together twenty-four representatives from community, environmental, international relief and cultural organizations. The Academy is part of a broader commitment from the American Express Foundation to work with these and other organizations to develop a broader pool of world-class leaders committed to working in the nonprofit sector.

The Leadership Academy will focus on building the personal, business and leadership skills needed to run a successful nonprofit organization. American Express executives participating in the Leadership Academy will focus on topics that include career development, business strategy, customer service, brand management and marketing.

"For our inaugural American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy, we have assembled some of the country's finest emerging leaders who are dedicated and poised to be at the helm of the nonprofit sector," said Timothy J. McClimon, president, American Express Foundation. "At American Express, we appreciate the impact that talented leaders have on business, in the community and in society. We are committed to providing current and future nonprofit leaders with opportunities to build and hone leadership skills that are critical to the sector."

"We feel privileged to partner with American Express on developing and launching the American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy,” CCL President John Ryan said. "As a nonprofit itself, CCL has a keen interest in seeing this sector thrive. We look forward to helping these gifted men and women make an even greater impact on our local communities and our country."

After a competitive application process, twenty-four emerging nonprofit leaders from across the country were selected for the inaugural Leadership Academy class. Each of the participants hold manager-level positions, is dedicated to a career in the nonprofit sector and has built strong momentum in their respective fields. To ensure the Nonprofit Leadership Academy has a lasting impact and to measure its effectiveness, participants will set goals and action plans during the training, and will have access to follow-up support from CCL in the form of online networking tools, telephone coaching sessions, leadership goal checkpoints and a one-year review to complete their training.

The twenty four emerging leaders were selected from twelve national and local nonprofit partners. The national nonprofits are:

• Earthshare
• International Rescue Committee
• Jobs for American Graduates
• National Urban Fellows
• NPower National
• Public Allies

The local nonprofits based in American Express Service Center locations are:

• Valle del Sol (Phoenix)
• The Heard Museum (Phoenix)
• Hispanic Unity of Florida (Ft. Lauderdale)
• Urban League of Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale)
• Greensboro Ministry (Greensboro, NC)
• Guilford Green Foundation (Greensboro, NC)
• Inclusion Center (Salt Lake City, Utah)

About American Express
American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

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.

About the Center for Creative Leadership
The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) is a top-ranked, global provider of executive education that develops better leaders through its exclusive focus on leadership education and research. Founded in 1970 as a nonprofit, educational institution, CCL serves more than 20,000 leaders and 2,000 organizations annually in the corporate, education, government and nonprofit sectors.

Contacts:
Leslie Berland
212.640.5142
Leslie.A.Berland@aexp.com

Joanna Lambert
212.640.9668
Joanna.G.Lambert@aexp.com