American Express kicked off the third American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy today, its nation-wide program to develop the next generation of leaders in the nonprofit sector. The Nonprofit Leadership Academy is a week-long training program created in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) that immerses participants in a series of leadership training and development courses. Through the Academy, participants gain a better awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses as managers and hone the skills necessary for effective leadership.

The week features sessions with American Express senior executives, including the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth I. Chenault. Participants will also hear from futurist Andrew Zolli in a discussion of the complex relationships between technology, sustainability and demographics—all elements crucial to enacting social change.

"Following the success of our first two Leadership Academies, American Express is pleased to provide this important development forum to a new group of emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector," said Timothy J. McClimon, president, American Express Foundation. "The program continues to offer the type of training that nonprofits need in order to be effective in the 21^st century."

Launched in 2008 to address the need created by a growing deficit of leadership talent in the nonprofit sector, the Leadership Academy brings together twenty-four emerging leaders from within community, environmental, international relief and cultural organizations. The twenty-four participants are selected based upon a competitive application process and were selected from twelve national and local nonprofit partners:

• Americans for the Arts
• Harlem Children Zone
• Junior Achievement Worldwide
• Points of Light Institute/Hands on Network
• Save the Children
• Teach for America

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

• American Red Cross
• Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc.
• East Market Street Development Corporation
• Junior Achievement of South Florida, Inc.
• Phoenix Theatre
• Western Governors University

Participants in this session of the Nonprofit Leadership Academy have been paired with alumni from the April 2009 class, who act as mentors, answer questions about what to expect during the week, and generally give guidance about how to get the most out of the Academy experience.

About American Express

American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global payments 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 helps unlock the potential of individual leaders and organizations 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.