Year Up Appoints Belinda Stubblefield to Lead Atlanta Site as Executive Director

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Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) July 12, 2013

Widely recognized as one of the most effective and innovative workforce development programs in the United States, Year Up announced today the appointment of Belinda Stubblefield as the Executive Director of its Atlanta site. She officially assumed her new role on July 1, 2013.

With more than 20 years of leadership experience in large corporations as well as in entrepreneurial firms, Ms. Stubblefield is the founder of Stubblefield Ventures, LLC, a partner of Paradies-Atlanta, LCC, which operates 20 retail stores at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. As a member of the Board of CredAbility (formerly Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta) since 2007, she helped lead the Capital Campaign to raise more than $10 million in a down economy and increased Board diversity at the nonprofit.

“Belinda is an accomplished business leader and consistently delivers strong results,” said Gerald Chertavian, Year Up founder and CEO. “After an extensive search, we selected Belinda due to her broad leadership experience and her deep commitment to closing the Opportunity Divide. We were all inspired by her passion and dedication to Year Up’s mission and to the young adults we serve.”

Ms. Stubblefield will join Mr. Chertavian today at the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Be Greater Conference for Community Engagement, where Mr. Chertavian will address hundreds of community and corporate leaders at the Hyatt Regency. His keynote speech will focus on the importance of cross-sector collaboration and its impact in creating opportunities that overcome the challenges of individuals’ zip codes, income, school systems or other social determinants.

“Year Up’s cross-sector approach brings together the private, public and nonprofit sectors to help Atlanta’s underserved young adults reach their full potential through professional careers and higher education, while also providing a pipeline of qualified, motivated talent for our nation’s leading companies,” said Ms. Stubblefield. “As the Executive Director of Year Up Atlanta, I am honored and excited to lead the program’s growth and increase its impact to serve even more young adults in this community.”

“Belinda brings to Year Up a very strong background in critical areas such as leadership and fundraising, as well as an extensive network in the Atlanta community and a personal commitment to service,” said Michael Kay, Year Up Atlanta Board Chair. “We’re thrilled to have her join Year Up to help us scale the program further.”

Previously, Ms. Stubblefield served as Director of Customer Care and Vice President of Global Diversity at Delta Air Lines, where she was the first African-American female officer. The Atlanta Business League has recognized Ms. Stubblefield as one of “Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence.” She received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Mathematics Applied Science from University of California at Los Angeles.

Year Up Atlanta, one of ten Year Up sites in the U.S., has served nearly 600 young adults in the metro area. Launched in 2009, the program provides young adults, ages 18-24, with technical, professional and communication skills in areas including information technology and financial operations. Students earn up to 18 college credits at Atlanta Metropolitan College for completing their coursework during the first six months of the program, and then go on to participate in a six-month internship at one of more than 50 corporate partner firms, including AT&T, Kaiser Permanente, and Bank of America. Ninety-two percent of Year Up Atlanta alumni are attending college full-time or employed within four months of graduating from Year Up, earning an average wage of $13/hour.

About Year Up Inc.
Year Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up achieves this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college credits. Its holistic approach focuses on students' professional and personal development to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. Year Up currently serves more than 1,900 students a year at sites in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York City, Providence, San Francisco Bay Area, the National Capital Region, and Puget Sound (Seattle). To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org or http://www.youtube.com/yearupinc.

About the United Way of Greater Atlanta
Our United Way works to improve lives. We are the second-largest in the nation with more than $80 million in fundraising annually. We invest in more than 200 programs in 13 counties through the Community Impact Fund to help children succeed in school, improve the financial stability of families, provide affordable and accessible health care and end chronic homelessness. For more information or to donate, volunteer or advocate, dial 2-1-1 or visit unitedwayatlanta.org.

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