Washingtonian of the Year

Veronica Nolan recognized for work in youth employment and development

Washington, D.C. (January 7, 2013)— The Washingtonian Magazine selected Urban Alliance CEO Veronica Nolan as one of ten Washingtonians of the Year in the January 2013 issue. Veronica has served for the last ten years as the leader of Urban Alliance, an organization that works to empower under-resourced youth to aspire, work and succeed through paid internships, formal training and mentoring.

When Veronica began at Urban Alliance, the organization served one school in Washington, DC.  As a former teacher at Eastern High School, Veronica was determined to open the opportunities provided through Urban Alliance to her former students.  She led the program to expand city-wide in 2003.  Since taking the lead at Urban Alliance, Veronica has secured internships for over 1300 under resourced DC youth.

Today, through her leadership and vision, Urban Alliance serves over 1000 youth, in three cities, each year.  99% of Urban Alliance youth graduate from high school on-time and 95% are accepted into college.  Well over 90% of Urban Alliance alumni are employed or enrolled in post-secondary education. Urban Alliance alumni often reach out to Veronica to tell her of the impact she and the program had on their lives.  In response to the news of the award, Nathanial Cole, DC Program Director and Urban Alliance Alumnus responded, “It only makes sense. Her passion positions her as a leader within the community.”

Veronica is driven to continue offering internships to more youth, knowing that obtaining job skills and experience are key drivers in the path to economic self-sufficiency.  Despite having a huge impact, Veronica stresses that she is part of a team, stating that “this recognition is really a tribute to the hard work of our organization- the staff, board, funders, and the youth we serve.”

Click here to view the article in the Washingtonian