Recently, Kim James, Executive Director of the Young Leaders Council, sat down for lunch with Diane Hayes, the beloved former YLC Executive Director for more than 25 years. Their conversation covered numerous topics, including Diane’s legacy at YLC, challenges faced as a nonprofit leader, opportunities to advance YLC’s mission for the future, the many perks of retirement life, and what’s next on Diane’s to do list.
Kim James: Diane! I am so excited to have this conversation and reflect with you! Thank you for joining me today. Having had the opportunity to work with you during my time in the program, I never realized all that it took to keep things running smoothly at YLC – now I’m aware! Leading an organization for 25 years is no small feat. What are you most proud of accomplishing in your time with YLC?
Diane Hayes: I’m so proud of how we worked hard to build the name recognition and respect for Young Leaders Council. When we first started, so many people didn’t know who we were or what we did. So as people started understanding more about our mission and the value of YLC’s training, that helped spur growth for the organization. The growth helped us reach more young professionals who benefited from training and moved on to serve as leaders on nonprofit boards. Ultimately all of this was great for the community.
Kim: After investing so many years in the growth and success of YLC, what’s your biggest hope for the future of this great organization?
Diane: My biggest hope is that the organization will continue to grow and that more companies will realize just how important community service and leadership is for their employees. And with that more young professionals will see how impactful it is for their personal lives to be involved as leaders within the nonprofit community.
Thankfully YLC managed to survive during the most difficult season of the pandemic, and I’m even more hopeful at how the organization will continue to impact the community as a whole as things continue to improve.
Kim: What was the most difficult part of serving as the Executive Director for YLC?
Diane: I think most nonprofit executives would agree that the never-ending need for funding to support your work is the toughest part. With so many organizations doing great work, the resources are limited and that often makes it difficult to fundraise.
Kim: I can certainly identify with that. How are you enjoying your retirement?
Diane: Well, I don’t have to worry about deadlines anymore! I have just been enjoying the lighter load and less responsibility. I really enjoy traveling and spending quality time with my granddaughter!
Kim: You’re living the dream, Diane! I’m happy for you and so very grateful that you continue to support YLC and me in this capacity. Thank you so much for sharing your time and wisdom with me today!
What a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with one of Nashville’s treasured nonprofit leaders! It was such a pleasure to catch up with Diane and hear her reflect on her time with YLC. I was also excited to learn that Diane is currently focusing on a new professional journey as a nonprofit consultant! To learn more about Diane’s company and the services offered, please email her directly.
We are excited to share that we have selected Kim James as our new Executive Director. She brings more than 15 years of experience to the role and has held leadership roles across the nonprofit, corporate, and higher education sectors.
Kim formerly served as the Grant Partnerships Manager at Tennessee SCORE and is a graduate of YLC Class 49. She is a thoughtful, seasoned leader whose vision and energy make her the right leader for the organization as we celebrate our 35th year and look to the future. As a graduate of the program, she is deeply familiar with our mission and knows the impact our work has across the community and beyond.
James has extensive community relations, program management, and communications experience. She is a graduate of Fisk University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in financial economics before obtaining a master’s degree in business administration from Tennessee State University in 2003.
In 2018, James received the Women in Leadership of Central Illinois’ Woman Leader of the Year Award. She is also a 2018 graduate of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School.
“After conducting an extensive search, we are pleased to welcome Kim as our new executive director,” Joshua Livingston, Young Leaders Council board chair, said in the release. “Kim is a thoughtful, seasoned leader whose vision and energy make her the right leader for our organization. As a graduate of the program, she is deeply familiar with our mission and knows the impact our work has across our community and beyond.”
The board also thanks Robinson Regen, our interim executive director, for her leadership over the past few months as we conducted a thorough search process. Robinson has kept the organization running smoothly, launched our virtual fall classes and been instrumental in preparing for next month’s Leadership Luncheon. She will also help transition Kim into her role over the coming weeks.
Please join us in welcoming Kim and kicking off this exciting new chapter for Young Leaders Council.
Join cityCURRENT for a webinar event, Get On Board, co-hosted with the Center for Nonprofit Management. If you are interested in future nonprofit board service or growing in your skills as a current board member, you will want to tune in. This event will feature a panel of former Salute to Excellence Board Member of the Year Award Winners. They will share about their experience in board service and insight about best practices regarding board leadership and service.
Contact admin@youngleaderscouncil.org for application process questions or issues.
Applications are open for YLC Fall Classes – Nashville 75 and Williamson Class – with the goal for our meetings to be in-person. Click here to apply and send this info along to co-workers or friends who might be interested as well. Demand is higher than ever for seats in YLC classes.
We accept applicants on a first come, first serve basis, and accept students in rounds. For example, Round 1 admits will include students who applied for previous classes but were wait-listed. They will have 7-10 days to secure their seat, and then we will make Round two decisions, Round three decisions, etc. So, do not delay!
Plus, our application is easier than ever to complete. Applying takes 10 minutes on our website. Once you send in our application, you will receive instructions to create a video interview. Once you send your video in for review, we will respond with admission decision. It is that easy!
If you have other questions about our admission process, please contact YLC program manager, Rachel Blue, with questions | admin@youngleaderscouncil.org | We are happy to help!
Applications will be accepted until July 20 or until the class is filled, whichever comes first.
City Lights 2020 | Family & Children’s Service March 28, 2020 – 6:30PM
We love our nonprofit friends at Family & Children’s Service! In fact, they hosted our most recent Opening Class Session for Young Leaders Council! They are hosting a spring event, City Lights 2020 – honoring Hunter Atkins & John Steele.
The party will feature a 70s Disco theme with live music by legendary funk band Delicious, dancing, and catering by Johnny Haffner. John Steele and Hunter Atkins will be honored for their community service and support of FCS. It’s a cocktail supper (open buffet; no tables). This makes it easy for partygoers to mingle all night. 70s costumes are encouraged (but not required), and there will be fun surprises throughout the evening.
The event benefits Family & Children’s Service, which serves more than 50,000 of our community’s most vulnerable children and families each year.
If you or your business would like to sponsor the event, please contact Beth Hall at 615.340.9718
Continuing Education | March 26 | Second Harvest Food Bank | 11:30-1:00
No better place to learn more about Social Enterprise than from the experts themselves! Join us for an Impact Luncheon featuring Hal Cato (Thistle Farms), Mike Lenda (The Well Coffeehouse), and Kim Molnar (Second Harvest Food Bank).
This conversation will be led by Michael Woodnorth of Woodnorth Advisory. We will define social enterprise and discuss its benefits for nonprofits through examples and real-world experience. We will also explore how social enterprise fits into (and enhances) the traditional nonprofit structure and the questions you should ask to help decide if social enterprise is right for your nonprofit.
