Jeremiah Program Welcomes New Members to National Governing Board of Directors

Jeremiah Program Welcomes New Members to National Governing Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gillian Linden
703.402.6507
gillian@rosengrouppr.com

MINNEAPOLIS (July 24, 2023)—Jeremiah Program (JP), a national nonprofit with one of the most successful strategies for disrupting generational poverty among single mothers and their children, is proud to welcome a strong group of new leaders to its National Governing Board of Directors. The highly accomplished female team of business, communications, and nonprofit powerhouses complement an already impressive board cohort during a critical time for the organization as it continues to break down socioeconomic barriers two generations at a time. The board will be instrumental in continuing JP’s momentum as it looks to help more single mothers and their children reauthor their lives.

“We are proud to add these powerful and distinguished leaders to our board, and look forward to leveraging their perspectives and expertise to further our mission and successes,” said Chastity Lord, President and CEO, Jeremiah Program. “This year marks JP’s 25th anniversary and having a strong board is essential in making sure JP’s goals and strategies are aligned with the women and communities that we serve.”

New members of Jeremiah Program’s National Governing Board of Directors are:

  • Charity C. Elder, Author, Speaker, Adjunct Professor & Media Executive:
    Elder is an award-winning journalist and media executive with twenty-plus years working and leading in broadcast and digital newsrooms. Currently an adjunct at Fordham University’s Department of Communication and Media Studies, Elder published her first book, Power: The Rise Of Black Women In America (Skyhorse/Simon & Schuster) in October. Selected and profiled in 2017 for NYC Media’s Vanguard: Women in Media, in 2016 she was named on Folio magazine’s list of top women in media. In 2020, she served as a senior adviser to the Mike Bloomberg presidential campaign — advising and strategizing ways to engage the Black community. Prior to joining the Bloomberg campaign, Elder was the Head of Video and Podcasts for Yahoo News, leading an award-winning team of innovative producers redefining news in the era of immersive journalism. She worked for more than a decade, as a television news producer at Emmy award-winning shows, at both CBS News and NBC News. Elder has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Trinity College and a Master of Arts in Mass Communication and Journalism from New York University. She also serves as a Board of Fellows for Trinity College. “I am very grateful to be joining the Governing Board of the Jeremiah Program. JP continues to put in the necessary work to help single mothers and their children achieve economic mobility and stronger safety nets for their families. I look forward to doing my part to help these women succeed alongside such talented and intelligent individuals.”
  • Lauren Odell, Partner and Chief Operating Officer, Gladstone Place Partners:
    Odell is partner and chief operating officer of Gladstone Place Partners. She manages the firm’s operations and leads strategy and execution on client accounts. At Gladstone, Odell has advised on a range of financial communications projects including The Walt Disney Company’s $71 billion acquisition of the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox, Pfizer’s spinoff, and combination of its $25 billion generics business with Mylan, Acceleron Pharma’s sale to Merck for $11.5 billion, the sale of Dunkin’ Brands to Inspire Brands for $11.3 billion, and Dell Technologies’ return to the public markets. She advised WeWork throughout its capital-raising, strategic repositioning, leadership transition and its $9 billion SPAC merger with BowX Acquisition Corp. She has also advised CLEAR Secure on its initial public offering, Marriott International following a data security incident involving the Starwood guest database, and AB InBev and the board of Credit Suisse on their management transitions. Odell’s litigation experience includes supporting BP following the Deepwater Horizon accident and spill. She has broad experience in investor relations issues and in working with newly public companies during the first year as a public company. Prior to Gladstone, Odell spent nine years at Brunswick Group, where she focused on crisis and litigation, mergers and acquisitions and investor relations. She also worked in the Investment Banking and Investor Relations divisions of JPMorgan in New York and London. Odell graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in Geography and is fluent in Spanish. “Joining the JP National Governing Board of Directors is a great honor. Being able to elevate the voices of those experiencing poverty at higher rates in our country is a mission I am proud to stand behind. These women are strong, hardworking and dedicated and deserve equal opportunity for themselves and their children. I look forward to seeing what they are able to accomplish.”
  • Olivia Peoples, Partner, The Bridgespan Group:
    Peoples is a partner in The Bridgespan Group’s New York office. Since joining Bridgespan in 2015, she has worked with both nonprofit organizations and philanthropic foundations on strategy development, growth initiatives, and financial analysis. She is also a facilitator and coach in Bridgespan’s two-year consulting and capacity building program for nonprofit executive teams, Leading for Impact. Peoples came to Bridgespan after spending several years at Teach For America. While there, she served as the chief of staff to the founder and CEO and advised regions on developing and executing multi-year strategies to mobilize alumni towards ending inequity in education. Prior to this role, she was at the Monitor Group (now Monitor Deloitte), consulting to nonprofit organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and financial services firms. In addition to these roles, she has worked in several community-based organizations and in local government. Peoples received an MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, and she holds a BS in Human Services from Springfield College. “These are critical times for individuals to step up and advocate for those who are most in need. As a new Jeremiah Program board member, I am very much looking forward to serving an organization that amplifies the voices of single mothers and gives them the resources they need to thrive.”

Click here to learn more about Jeremiah Program’s board leadership.

About Jeremiah Program: Jeremiah Program (JP) is a national organization whose mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children, two generations at a time. By investing simultaneously in a mother’s vision for her personal and professional goals and the education of her children, she simultaneously reauthors her family’s outcome as well her community’s — proof points matter. In 2022, JP supported 1,500 moms and children across nine cities in Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN; Las Vegas, NV; Minneapolis, MN; Rochester, MN; and St. Paul, MN.