NASHVILLE, TN — New Leaders Council Nashville, the local chapter of the nation’s leading organization for progressive Millennial thought leadership and skills-based training, announced today the selection of Alandis Brassel and Erika Burnett of Nashville as a 2018 NLC Fellow. Brassel and Burnett will join 20 fellows throughout Tennessee this winter and spring in skills-based trainings to prepare them to be the changemaker of the future.
“New Leaders Council Nashville is thrilled to welcome Alandis and Erika to our growing cohort of local changemakers and community members,” said Brenda Gadd, Co-Director of New Leaders Council Nashville. “All our new fellows are already exemplary members of Tennessee, through the NLC Institute, they will be provided the skills, training and network to focus their efforts on real and systemic change for Tennessee and for our country.”
Alandis Brassel is an entertainment attorney based in Nashville, TN. He serves as Program Director for the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville, where he manages the organization’s core programs: The Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts, Education for Artists, Arts Board Matching, WorkCREATIVE and the Fiscal Sponsorship Incubator.
Erika R. Burnett is the founder and principal trainer for The Burnett Group, LLC whose mission is to inspire professionals, deepen impact, and challenge the status quo of service delivery in Middle TN and surrounding areas. She enjoys serving as a master trainer, consultant, and facilitator across a variety of topic including volunteer management and engagement, youth development, team building, leadership exploration, and generational differences.
Jyoti will join the national class of nearly 900 fellows in 50 NLC chapters across the country. Nationally, the new Fellows class self identified as is the most diverse in the organization’s history with 63 percent non-white, 61 percent female, and 17 percent LGBTQ+.
“NLC is proud to announce its largest and most diverse cohort yet. In 50 cities and states, our fellows will be driving change in their communities and their workplaces,” said Mark Riddle, President, New Leaders Council. “These nearly 900 individuals are the future of our country, ensuring a more progressive and prosperous future.”
The NLC Institute is a six-month training program focused on skills transfer for each cohort on issues such as entrepreneurial goal setting, strategic communications and digital outreach, economics, finance and fundraising, management and coalition building, progressive policy, and diversity and inclusion.
Chosen fellows went through a rigorous, locally-driven selections process including an application with an essay component and an in-person interview. Roughly 25 percent of those who applied to the Institute were accepted nationally.
NLC Fellows are paired with a mentor who is a professional in their field. Through the mentorship program, Fellows are exposed to successful individuals who are committed to supporting the next generation of progressive leaders.
NLC Fellows are civic, social, and business entrepreneurs who lead the charge on the ground to solve the most critical challenges facing our communities. NLC’s Capstone Project, a cornerstone of our Institutes, challenges Fellows to identify a project that captures their passion, fills a need in the community, and leverages the skills NLC provides through the Fellowship in order to come up with a plan to address it head on. This is where NLC’s training effectively comes to life.
New Leaders Council Nashville graduated its first cohort of Fellows in 2013 and has since provided skills-based, leadership training for more than 75 Tennesseans. NLC Nashville alumni are leaders in business, nonprofit, and government, among others.
Nashville NLC Class of 2018 consists of the following:
• Brenda Ayala, Plaza Mariachi
• Alandis Brassel, The Arts & Business Council
• Erika Burnett, The Burnett Group, LLC
• Phil Cobucci, Bam! Social Media, LLC
• Chuck Corra, Cooley Public Strategies
• Ryan Driscoll, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Amber Finlay, State of Tennessee
• Kelia Franks, Tennessee Justice Center
• Jyoti Gupta, Vanderbilt University
• Lindsey Krinks, Open Table Nashville
• Giccola Lane, Just City
• Jeffrey Lichtentin, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
• Casey Miller, Vanderbilt University
• Briana Perry, Healthy & Free Tennessee
• Ramon J. Ryan, Genesco Inc.
• Dana Smith, United Campus Workers
• JC Torres, Conexion Americas
• Thomas Walker, United Campus Workers
• Whitney Washington, Black Lives Matter Global Network
• Nate Zeitlin, Manuel Zeitlin Architects
Read more about the 2018 NLC NASHVILLE fellows class here: https://www.newleaderscouncil.org/nashville_2018_fellows
Once this class of fellows completes the Institute in June 2018, they will join NLC’s robust alumni network of nearly 6,000 changemakers nationwide.
