For Immediate Release July 2, 2021
Contact: Cheryl R. Easley, Execu2ve Director info@empowerthevillage.org
Ayo Sanderson Wilson is Empowering The Village - Corporate, Non-Profit and Community Leader to Serve as Full-Time CEO & President of 501(c)(3) Dedicated to Empowering Black People, Businesses and Community Organiza2ons Morristown, N.J., July 2, 2021 -- The 2me for simply “admiring” problems, discussing root causes, and being sa2sfied with modest, incremental change for Black Americans has passed, according to Ayo Sanderson Wilson. That’s why she is making Empower The Village (ETV) a full-2me commitment. Sanderson Wilson recently transi2oned from ETV board chair to serve as the Chief Execu2ve Officer and President of this data-driven 501(c)(3) organiza2on she founded in 2018 to restore prosperity, peace and power to the Black community by strategically partnering with “Village” leaders and allies to empower Black people, businesses, and community organiza2ons to realize their full poten2al. “ETV is taking bold, strategic and direct ac2on to address the areas of most significant concern compromising the well-being of the Black community – economic prosperity, educa2onal excellence, employment, policy, power, health and wellness,” said Sanderson Wilson. She added that “with the global momentum and na2onal interest in racial equity that we’ve observed over that past year, now is the 2me to build upon and accelerate the great work of ETV” Sanderson Wilson and the ETV board of directors determined that the organiza2on and all of the issues ETV is addressing require her undivided 2me and aaen2on. “I’m excited about the opportunity to dedicate myself fully to accelera2ng na2onwide, collec2ve ac2on and leading sustainable change for Black America.” Sanderson Wilson boasts a 30-year history of service to the Black community and other undervalued groups as an aaorney, corporate execu2ve, board member, philanthropist, leader and community organizer. Un2l her resigna2on this spring, she was leveraging her unparalleled strategic, business skills, network and love for her community for more than two years to rapidly achieve significant and much-needed program enhancement and expansion, organiza2onal culture, professional development, leadership diversity and facili2es improvements, while serving as the Chief Opera2ng Officer and Execu2ve Vice President of Cornerstone Family Programs & Morristown Neighborhood House, which supports under-represented residents in Greater Morris County, New Jersey.
ETV Board Member and Beaer Chief Compliance Officer & General Counsel Paula Tuffin shared, “We are very proud of the work Ayo has done for and with the local Black and under-represented communi2es over many decades. However, we are even more thrilled to have her full aaen2on, leadership and passion to accelerate our na2onal strategy and ensure that ETV achieves its mission of sustainable, wide-reaching impact for the communi2es we serve.” Sanderson Wilson has successfully led public-private partnerships in professional, leadership and volunteer capaci2es with global organiza2ons, including Comcast NBCUniversal, Novar2s, BAE Systems, T-Mobile and Verizon and numerous nonprofit and civic organiza2ons. She currently serves on the board of the Community Founda2on of New Jersey, as a member of Execu2ve Leadership Council (ELC), Beaer World Leadership Council, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and as a Women Business Collabora2ve Advisory Council champion. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The Johns Hopkins University and law degree from Columbia University School of Law. About Empower The Village The ETV mission and vision was inspired, in part, by a well-known African proverb and deeplyrooted belief - “it takes a village” - or collec2ve effort to achieve posi2ve, sustainable results. For ETV, the “Village” consists of faith- and community-based organiza2ons, businesses, educa2onal ins2tu2ons, individual and corporate philanthropists, and local, state and na2onal government officials. “Village members and organiza2ons, generally working in silos, ogen lack the strategic roadmap, data, financial or human resources, exper2se, and/or trust of its intended beneficiaries, to accomplish their overlapping missions effec2vely and efficiently,” ETV Execu2ve Director, Cheryl Easley commented. “These challenges stymie the impact of their great work and inten2ons,” Easley added. ETV currently mobilizes ‘The Village’ in 25 states that encompass more than 90 percent of the Black U.S. popula2on to strategically accelerate collec2ve ac2on and foster perpetual prosperity. “When we achieve our mission, Black America will be self-empowered and prosperous,” Sanderson Wilson emphasized. ETV has used data to pinpoint specific addressable issues and strategic solu2ons within four pillars and implements ini2a2ves and programs with measurable impact in the areas of: Economic Prosperity, Policy and Power, Educa2onal Excellence and Employment, and Health and Wellness. Change is created and accelerated when individuals, organiza2ons, and allies are empowered and get involved.
### For more informa2on on Empower The Village or to make a tax-deduc2ble dona2on, please visit the website - www.empowerthevillage.org and follow ETV on social media: Facebook @empoweretv, Instagram and Twiaer @empower_etv, YouTube @ETV – Empower The Village, or LinkedIn @ Empower The Village.
Ayo Sanderson Wilson ETV Founder & CEO