CHIICAGO, IL – Former National Louis University Executive Director of Career Services and Placement, Abiodun Durojaye is set to head Urban Alliance Chicago –a national youth workforce development nonprofit. Since 2012 Urban Alliance has worked to provide young people in Chicago with paid internships, personalized mentorship, and post high school career development. The organization partners with the Chicago Public School System, the Obama Foundation, LinkedIn, and more to actively build the next generation of local talent.
“Abiodun’s dedication to youth development and career pathway programs positions her as a champion for Urban Alliance’s work to close the equity gap for Chicago’s opportunity youth,” said Elizabeth Lindsey, CEO of Urban Alliance. “We are excited about the future of Urban Alliance Chicago under Abiodun’s leadership, as well as the celebration of our fifth year of collaboration with the Obama Youth Job Corps.”
As Urban Alliance Chicago Executive Director, Durojaye will lead a vibrant team and give strategic leadership to young people in Chicago. She joins Urban Alliance at a time when the Obama Youth Jobs Corps, a program developed in collaboration with the Obama Foundation to enhance economic opportunities for youth in Chicago, is in its fifth year.
At National Louis University, Durojaye helped launch a Career Readiness Endorsement program aimed at increasing student confidence and soft skills prior to graduation. She also founded ASIDALove, an organization dedicated to inspiring young immigrant girls. Durojaye holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Master of Arts in African Studies, and a Doctorate in Interdisciplinary Leadership.
“Urban Alliance is an amazing, reputable organization whose mission of empowering under-resourced youth to aspire, work and succeed, resonates so much with me being a first-generation immigrant myself, said Durojaye, “My goal is to provide young people with the opportunities and experiences needed to move them towards economic mobility.” Urban Alliance works with schools, local organizations, students, and employers to build a more equitable, diverse next-generation workforce. The organization does so by offering deep-touch professional soft skills training, mentoring, and 9-month paid internships to young people, as well as curriculum outreach for workforce facilitators and employers. To date, Urban Alliance programs has placed more than 6,000 young people in paid internships and provided training to 22,000 additional young people across its Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit and, Washington, DC regions. For more information visit us at www.www.urbanalliance.org and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.