National Urban Fellows

Women’s History Month is a time to honor the legacy, leadership, and impact of women who have shaped our communities, our institutions, and our movements. From trailblazers who opened doors to today’s Women Leaders who continue to reimagine what’s possible, women’s history is deeply rooted in courage, resilience, and collective progress.

This month, we celebrate the Women Leaders across our network who lead with purpose, challenge inequities, and uplift others as they create pathways for lasting change. As we reflect on the past and invest in the future, we recommit to advancing leadership that is inclusive, bold, and grounded in the commitment to the creation of societies n which everyone can thrive.

This month, National Urban Fellows is honoring African American History Month by lifting up Black Leaders across our network who are shaping the future with courage, creativity, and community commitment.

We connect today’s leadership to the legacy behind us: the organizers, educators, public servants, and culture-makers who proved that change is built through collective care and collective action. As we celebrate Black history, we also celebrate Black leadership in real time. We are lifting leaders committed to building a society in which we all can thrive.

On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we honor Dr. King’s legacy by recommitting to the work of building a society where everyone can thrive.

At National Urban Fellows, we develop and partner with community-rooted leaders—people closest to the challenges and the solutions—equipped to bridge divides, advance equity, and strengthen the institutions our communities rely on. Dr. King reminded us that lasting change isn’t driven by rhetoric alone, but by committed people showing up for one another, day after day, in big and small ways.

He also named what leadership in the social impact sector demands: “New forms of work that enhance the social good will have to be devised.” That call is familiar to so many in the NUF Network—leaders who don’t just manage what exists, but imagine and build what communities need next.

Across the country, leaders in the NUF Network are:

-Reimagining philanthropy and community investment so resources reach communities with greater speed, trust, and impact
- Building collective impact strategies that align institutions, coalitions, and cross-sector partners around shared outcomes
- Strengthening support for vulnerable communities by expanding access to care, housing, safety, and economic opportunity
- Advancing policy and systems change that protects dignity and expands opportunity for those most impacted
- Investing in leadership pipelines, mentorship, and capacity-building so communities have the leaders they need for the long term

These powerful acts take us closer, step by step, into the future we envision, where everyone can access the American dream.

On this MLK day, we honor this legacy of service and salute our network of Leaders who are building a better tomorrow.

New Board Member Spotlight: Nikole Collins-Puri ('10)

We are delighted to welcome Nikole Collins-Puri (NUF ’10), Co-founder & CEO of Mo-saiQ and President of NCP InspireIMpact Consulting to the Board of Directors. An Alum and Mentor, Nikole brings a rare blend of strategic thought leadership and lived experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and education sectors—bridging vision with ex*****on, asking the right questions, and offering actionable solutions that drives scalable impact.

“NUF gave me the skills, experiences, and network to step into the sector that leads change and to do it authentically. As an alum, mentor, and now Board member, it’s an honor to invest in the organization that equipped me to live out a purpose-driven career.”- Nikole Collins-Puri (NUF ’10)
Please join us in welcoming Nikole to the NUF Board! 💙

Meet the National Urban Fellows Class of 2026!
Every one of these remarkable individuals brings lived experience, deep commitment, and bold vision to the work of social change.

At NUF, our Fellows don’t just pursue careers, they pursue purpose. They are community-rooted leaders who transform challenge into opportunity and channel their experiences into real solutions for the people and places they care about most.

We can’t wait for you to meet them.
Read their bios and get inspired: https://nuf.org/ourfellows/

Help us welcome the newest members of our National Urban Fellows program!

Eduardo Ramos
Karla Reyes-Diaz
Lorenzo Vicente
Natalie Delille
Patrick Rodriguez
Rhea Elcock
Stephanie Ramirez-Zarate
Tejeswara Reddy

“I have not felt such community in a very long time. And seeing how all of you all will make such a huge difference, made it easy to stand behind you no matter what… So, anything that I do to support you guys, it feels like I am impacting the work that you do. I’m impacting the policy that you’re going to be impacting in the future, I am supporting the resources that you will be providing to your communities, and I am so grateful to do that.”
— Laura Camila Rivera, 2025 NUF Cohort Award Winner

This year’s Cohort Award goes to Laura Camila Rivera, a Fellow who has deeply shaped the journey for her peers.

When we asked Fellows who stood out, one name consistently rose to the top.

Her peers described her as always present and supportive—lifting others up both professionally and emotionally. One Fellow shared, “They are so welcoming, fun, and enthusiastic—our spirits are raised because of this person.”

Laura was a tireless advocate who went above and beyond to develop systems that made the program run more efficiently, while also taking on extra roles to ensure her cohort felt connected, heard, and cared for. She even spearheaded fundraising efforts for this and future cohorts—demonstrating a deep commitment to community.

She embodies what it means to be a leader: not only celebrated for her excellence, but for her humanity.

Thank you, Laura, for making this cohort experience richer for everyone around you. 💙

“The big aha moment was that this was not a theory or something that people had been warning me about, but this was something that I was seeing in real time, that my friends were experiencing, that the communities I cared about were experiencing. Part of the problem was that people were not thinking about equity at the forefront...

Here is a project that is just starting, its spanning 25 years, what would it look like if LA thought about equity at the forefront and actually put our numbers and money to it?”

– Candice Wynter, 2025 NUF Capstone Award Winner for “Greener Neighborhoods, Same Neighbors: Mitigating Green Gentrification Along the LA River”

This year’s Capstone Award goes to Candice Wynter! The Capstone award, selected by a committee at the McCourt School’s Master in Policy Management honors a Fellow with the best Capstone policy paper. Three criteria: policy relevance, analytical quality and rigor, and clarity in writing and presentation. Thank you to Dr. Nuku Ofori and all the GU capstone advisors for guiding the fellows through the process.

Congratulations to Candice, your capstone blew us away and we are so proud of you achievements!

“I am so grateful to be a part of this incredible cohort… I emerge as a leader who is no longer fighting doubts or struggling with imposter syndrome. I feel qualified in any room I enter—in any seat I occupy. And I hope that I carry all the communities I aim to serve with me as I continue to fight for an equitable world.”
— Sagal Ali, 2025 NUF Star

We are so proud to award this year’s NUF Star Award to Sagal Ali. The NUF Star is presented to a Fellow who excels in all three core areas of the program—the Residency, Academics, and NUF Leadership Programming.

Sagal demonstrated excellence not only in performance, but also in her deep commitment to building a society where everyone can thrive. She embodied the leadership competencies, traits, and values outlined in the NUF Leadership Framework—and inspired all who had the privilege of working alongside her.

Sagal, congratulations! Your leadership gives us hope for the future. Thank you for showing us what transformative leadership truly looks like.

When we invest in leaders from within our communities, the returns are exponential! That was clear last Friday as we celebrated the Class of 2025 at their Transition and Pinning Ceremony—centered on the theme “Rooted in Purpose: Together We Thrive.”

Over the past 14 months, these Fellows have completed an intensive and transformative experience that includes:
- A fully funded master’s degree from Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy
- A 9-month, full-time Residency at a Philanthropic, Non-Profit, Government, or Corporate Social Responsibility partner organization across the nation.
- One-on-one executive mentorship
- One-on-one leadership coaching
- NUF leadership development programing

The NUF Class of 2025 has now have fully joined a lifelong network of over 1,700 NUF Alumni who are rooted in the purpose to create a society in which EVERYONE can thrive.

These Fellows are ready to lead across sectors, create transformational impact, and ensure every community has a stake in our shared future.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025—your leadership gives us hope!