Urban Alliance Names Executive Director for Detroit Region

Detroit, MI, April 24, 2023 Urban Alliance, the national nonprofit youth workforce development organization, has named Alphonso Amos Executive Director of its Detroit region. Urban Alliance connects young people to paid internships, mentoring, and professional development opportunities. Amos will lead the region’s strategy, partnerships, and operations to build the next generation of local talent across career pathways throughout Detroit  

Urban Alliance expanded to Detroit in 2018 to launch its flagship High School Internship Program (HSIP). To date, more than 290 Detroit Public High School seniors have been connected to paid work-based internships, job skills training, one-on-one mentoring, and college and career-planning. Urban Alliance’s partners in the region include Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), Rocket Community Fund, the Rock Family of Companies, The Skillman Foundation, Bank of America, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Henry Ford Health, and Project Destined. 

“Alphonso brings a wealth of cross-sector experience that will continue to elevate Urban Alliance in the Detroit region. Moreover, his commitment, drive, and passion for social justice and equity to help young people excel will expand our reach to connect more young people to career opportunities that lead to economic mobility,” said Veronica Nolan, Urban Alliance Interim CEO. 

Amos has more than 15 years of experience in the public, private and nonprofit sector. Before joining Urban Alliance, he was the National Director of Volunteer and Community Engagement for HBCUvc where he helped develop the next generation of venture capital leaders in communities where entrepreneurs face barriers to accessing capital. Amos was also the Program Director of StreetWise Partners Michigan, an essential skills workforce development and mentoring organization  

I am honored and incredibly excited to work with our schools and employer partners to align education with workforce development for our young leaders,” said Amos. “Our unique model—working with schools and employers—allows us to serve as a hub that connects our employers to young talent. As the workforce continues to evolve, I hope to ensure that every young adult in Detroit is prepared with the right essential skills and a comprehensive post-high school plan to enter the workforce, attend college or pursue additional training.” 

Amos serves on various boards including as past president and current youth advisor of the Port Huron Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a National (NAACP) NextGen Fellow. He was also a member of the Port Huron City Council, and the Michigan Municipal League Energy, Environment, & Technology Policy Committee.

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Urban Alliance is nationally recognized for having 25 years of unique and valuable experience creating successful and supportive internship experiences for young adults with large and small employers across multiple private and public sector industries throughout our regions in the Greater Washington, DC area, Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit. Since 1996, Urban Alliance has placed over 6,000 young adults in paid internships and trained 23,000 more in workforce skills. Visit www.urbanalliance.org and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Raiyana Malone, rmalone@urbanalliance.org