American Express today welcomed the ninth class of nearly 50 emerging nonprofit leaders to the American Express Leadership Academy. The American Express Leadership Academy is a global training program, conducted in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership, designed to develop the next generation of leaders in the nonprofit sector.

Held this week at the company's New York headquarters, participants in the week-long program will hear from American Express senior executives, including the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth I. Chenault. Other speakers include Gail McGovern, President of American Red Cross and Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

In an effort to reach more leaders, the Academy will host a moderated, public Twitter chat on October 23, 2012 from 2:00 pm EST - 3:00 pm EST with its more than 800 global alumni and other nonprofit leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities nonprofit leaders face in the current environment. Just follow @ccldotorg and use the hashtag #amexleads to participate in the conversation.

"Nonprofit and social sector organizations are tackling some of our most challenging issues, and we believe fostering a pipeline of talent will help ensure nonprofits thrive in the future," said Timothy J. McClimon, President, American Express Foundation. "The Leadership Academy has proven to be an effective tool for building the leadership and business skills that are critical the sector's success and we hope opening this conversation online to the public will drive new insights and ideas."

Launched in 2008 to address the need created by a growing deficit of leadership talent in the nonprofit sector, the Academy brings together emerging leaders from a diverse set of nonprofit organization twice per year at American Express' headquarters in New York. After being nominated by national and local nonprofit partners, participants are selected based upon a competitive application process. Attendees to this week's Academy come from organizations including the US Fund for UNICEF, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Lincoln Center, Rainforest Alliance, Autism Speaks, National Urban League and grantees of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Designed in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership, the program curriculum features individual Myers Briggs and 360 degree assessments, leadership training, experiential exercises, individual executive coaching, and team activities. Participants will also have the opportunity to join a network of past Academy participants.

About the American Express Leadership Academy
The American Express Leadership Academy is a week-long program created in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) that immerses participants in a series of leadership training and development courses. Launched in 2008, more than 600 participants have trained on the personal, business and leadership skills needed to run a successful nonprofit enterprise in the "new normal" of today's complex economic climate. Annually, nine Academies operate in the U.S., U.K., India and Japan, with the support of other nonprofit training partners.

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 American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com/ and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, twitter.com/americanexpress and youtube.com/americanexpress.

Key links to products and services: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, business travel, and corporate card

About the Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, Social Innovation Fund, and other programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.

About the Center for Creative Leadership
The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) is a top-ranked, global provider of executive education that accelerates strategy and business results by unlocking the leadership potential of individuals and organizations. Founded in 1970 as a nonprofit, educational institution, CCL serves clients through an array of programs, products and other services. Ranked among the world's Top 10 providers of executive education by Bloomberg BusinessWeek and the Financial Times, CCL is headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., with offices in Colorado Springs, Colo.; San Diego, Calif.; Brussels, Belgium; Moscow, Russia; Singapore; New Delhi-NCR, India and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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