Our Story
The idea for Represented Foundation was born in South Africa in 2008. That year our founder, Noel, interned at an NGO committed to rehabilitating street children, in Cape Town, South Africa. There he witnessed the organization serve a population comprised of 100% people of color, while the only non-White employee in the company was the van driver. Noel wondered how program participants were supposed to learn to become leaders, without the opportunity to see what themselves reflected as one. He would return to the US - motivated to find a real community for Black and Brown social entrepreneurs.
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Over the next 10 years, Noel worked in Human Resources at high-performing charities in New York, while growing his own network of diverse leaders in the field. In the fall of 2017, Noel decided to use his experience in leadership development to create Represented Foundation, a community network where emerging Black and Brown social entrepreneurs could get the training they need, before stepping confidently into the role, themselves.
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The Problem
According to a 2018 study from the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, White residents make up close to 32% of the NYC population, but almost 70% of nonprofit CEOs.
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9 in 10 CEOs of the largest US nonprofits are White |
Despite a rise in public attention for racial equity until entrepreneurship methods centers Black and Brown experiences as a necessary part of the solution, the diversity gap in social impact leadership isn't getting better.
Our Mission
Close the diversity gap in social impact leadership
By the year 2043 when people of color are estimated to comprise 50% of the US population, we want to see 50% of social impact leaders to be people of color as well.
Our Team
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Andrea Sanchez-Mendoza
Marketing Coordinator |
Judy Reissmann
Copy & Design Editor |
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Amari Smothers
Strategic Partnerships Consultant |
Our Board of Directors
Vicky Checo
The Knight Foundation |
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Calvin Smith
Founder, Hire Llama |
Nakia James-Jenkins
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Our Advocacy Board
Razvan Petric
Principal, Root Financial |
Liran Amrany
Team8 fintech |
Neil Kulkarni
Highmark Health |
Eunice Nyandat
Founder, MBM Africa |
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Our Volunteers
Kiera Del Vecchio
Volunteer |
Cristina Simons
Volunteer |
The more we grow, the more I see a need to educate. I don’t believe that the same solutions work for all communities, but I do know that pretending that Black issues aren’t Queer issues aren’t Trans issues aren’t Latinx issues aren’t Low-income issues is how we all lose, and
at Represented Foundation, we play to win.
Noel McKenzie,
Founder & Executive Director
Our Inspiration
One thing we love about Black and Brown entrepreneurship is that it’s organic in nature. From the Icee man to the Dollar van driver, Black and Brown commerce can emerge from the dearth in a community and grow to become a living part of its culture. At Represented, we pull much inspiration directly from the Caribbean. From the biodiversity of its plants and wildlife to present-day interpretations of African and Indigenous traditions, we find inspirations worth teaching.
Often told to leave out culture for the sake of professionalism, we want Black and Brown social entrepreneurs to see lush green foliage and visualize their own diverse, flourishing careers. We teach them to lean into their rich identities and use entrepreneurship to create their own versions of paradise on Earth.
Often told to leave out culture for the sake of professionalism, we want Black and Brown social entrepreneurs to see lush green foliage and visualize their own diverse, flourishing careers. We teach them to lean into their rich identities and use entrepreneurship to create their own versions of paradise on Earth.