Executive Team Archives | Global Citizen Year

Odiaka Gonzalez

Digital Interactive — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 04:11:33 +0000

As VP, People & Operations, Odiaka Gonzalez develops and leads strategy for organizational culture, performance management, employee engagement and retention, career development, compensation, and benefits for Global Citizen Year. Prior to joining Global Citizen Year, Odiaka served as Executive Director for Oakland Leaf, a nonprofit that cultivates community transformation through creative education for youth and families. Odiaka has a long history with nonprofits and socially conscious organizations. He spent six years with Revolution Foods as the Director of Training. During this time, he helped scale the company from serving California schools to serving schools nationwide. Before Revolution Foods, Odiaka spent nine years with Playworks, a national youth development organization, developing and training staff, creating curriculum, and supporting the growth of the organization as the East Bay Program Director. Odiaka is a compassionate and thoughtful leader that focuses on the learning, development and growth of his team to reach their full potential. He has been recognized on national platforms for his leadership, being selected to participate in Pahara NextGen, Allstate Greater Good, and Aspen Ideas Festival.

Odiaka was raised in Atlanta, Georgia in a household centered around art, creative expression, and community service. He graduated from Morehouse College with a BA in psychology. He is a father of two beautiful girls, and he tries to find time to to DJ, take pictures, play soccer and read.

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Erin Lewellen

Digital Interactive — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 02:00:37 +0000

As CEO of Global Citizen Year, Erin executes the organization’s vision to address our leadership crisis by changing the composition, operating system, and impact of our next generation leaders. Erin has invested deeply in developing the culture at Global Citizen Year, with an emphasis on equity and inclusion, leading Global Citizen Year to be named #1 in Outside Magazine’s best places to work in 2021. Erin’s work has always centered on social justice. As Vice President of School Partnerships at Revolution Foods she championed bringing healthy lunches to underserved communities, and led the expansion from $500,000 to $80 Million in revenue. She served for nine years as Board Chair for Oakland Leaf, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Oakland youth in their search for social justice, and is on the Advisory Board for Rising Sun Center for Opportunity. Erin’s leadership style is rooted in a strong belief in human potential, a sense of humor (even in tense moments), and the power of ambitious goals. A coach at heart both in and out of the workplace, Erin has served as the Head Varsity Coach of the girls’ basketball team at Emery High School for the last 20 years. Erin lives with her wife Amy in Oakland, CA.

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Elikem Tomety Archer

Digital Interactive — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 00:03:44 +0000

As Chief Program Officer, Elikem is responsible for providing the strategic vision and operational oversight to ensure program growth, consistency and quality globally. She also leads the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative for the Gap Year Association.

Prior to joining Global Citizen Year, Elikem led Amercares global program work in the Middle East, Asia, Eurasia and Africa and oversaw program strategy development and implementation in about 30 countries delivering over $100 million of aid annually. Before that Elikem was Manager of Programs and New Business at Aid to Artisans where she led a team in developing a 10-year strategic plan for their work in Africa. She also has experience in public policy and strategic management consulting with the Civic Consulting Alliance in Chicago.

In 2014 she was named one of Fairfield County’s top executives under 40 and received the Fairfield Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award. She currently serves on the Board of Vennue Foundation – a startup social enterprise committed to improving pharmacy services and healthcare in the developing world.

Elikem holds a Master’s degree in International Development & Social Change from Clark University and a BA in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago. She currently lives in the great state of Georgia with her husband, son and Angel T.

Favorite Quote:

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

Leonardo da Vinci

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