To Nominate a Young Professional* for the YNPN 2011 Awards, please see the attached applications and submit by Friday May 27th, 2011.
Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year Application
Young Board Member of the Year Application
Young Advocate of the Year Application
*Nominations for YNPN Awards recognize young people in their twenties or thirties. YNPN Board Members are ineligible to be nominated for a YNPN Award.
YNPN 2010 Awards:
Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year 2010 – Recognizing a young leader who demonstrates professionalism and has deep impact in the community and/or their organization through their nonprofit work.
Amanda Bissell, Program Director, SPOT for Community Wellness
“I can think of no person of any age more deserving of this honor. Throughout New Mexico, as well as nationally, organizations find it difficult to attract young people back to the communities where they grew up. The general thinking is that once young people receive college education, they find job opportunities in larger, more urban areas. Amanda received a world-class education at Colorado College but then returned to share her talent with her home community, Peñasco… After a short time working with Amanda, it became obvious that she was a unique young person: creative, capable and innovative, ready to design and run programs on her own.”
Carol Miller, Executive Director, National Center for Frontier Communities
“The impact of Ms. Bissell’s work is far-reaching and profound. She has infused a community with intangibles like hope and concrete basics like food. Amanda created Project GROW where she mentors high school interns to farm in the local community and distribute the harvest to families in need. She accelerated the food pantry program by taking her personal vehicle on a 150 mile roundtrip to Santa Fe to obtain abundant fresh produce. She spearheaded an initiative and enrolled 600 families in Medicaid in under six months. When the SPOT office needed a change in leadership, she raised funds, found a new fiscal agent, and stepped up as Director. Amanda has worked countless hours as a volunteer and has inspired others to meet community needs in ways that are creative, respectful, and sustainable. Amanda’s conduct is sincere and intelligent, and her leadership and commitment to her community’s health and well-being are widely admired.”
Barbara E. Arnold, MA, Public Health Consultant
Amanda’s Bio:
Amanda Bissell was born and raised in northern New Mexico and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Geology from The Colorado College in 2004. After working with an environmental surveillance company in Boston she developed an interest in advocacy work, which led her to the nonprofit sector. She gained experience by working with various nonprofits including The Food Project, National Center for Frontier Communities, and Wise Fool New Mexico. Amanda’s most recent work has been at the SPOT for Community Wellness in Penasco, NM, where she began as a volunteer in January 2008 and was hired as the Director later that year. As the Director of SPOT, she has developed new programming focused on food security via local food banks and a youth community garden project.
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Young Board Member of the Year 2010 – Recognizing a young board member who demonstrates professionalism and provides valuable service in governance to a local nonprofit organization.
Patrick J. Dolan, Board Member, Santa Fe Community Foundation
“Patrick’s commitment to the community is evident both in his enthusiasm and energy and in his willingness to give generously of his expertise. Patrick contributes dozens of hours of legal volunteer hours each year – in addition to his service on Boards and committees and at SFCF events for the community. He is thorough and conscientious and has a wonderful ability to ask tough questions with tact and sensitivity.”
Brian T. Byrnes, President & CEO, Santa Fe Community Foundation
“Patrick is like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a self-deprecating young volunteer who has quietly gotten the job done for the Santa Fe Community Foundation. He has spent weekends in jeans locked away in his law office quietly drafting legal agreements ranging from a memorandum of understanding to a board conflict of interest policy and redrafting of estate plans… Most volunteers make splashes by speaking out at meetings, by dishing up food for the hungry, or by teaching kids to play the violin. Patrick’s contributions are given quietly, freely, privately, and out of a belief that nonprofits should adhere to the strictest legal and ethical principles.”
Sarah Sawtell, Vice President for Finance and Operations, Santa Fe Community Foundation
Patrick’s Bio:
Patrick J. Dolan is a Santa Fe lawyer practicing primarily in the areas of estate planning, probate and trust law, as well as real estate and business law. He earned his B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He is honored and pleased to serve the Santa Fe Community Foundation as a member of its Board of Directors and Legal Committee.
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Young Leaders Advocate of the Year 2010 – Recognizing a young leader who advocates for the development of young leadership through programming and community connections.
Bianca Sopoci-Belknap, Associate Director, Youth Programs, Earth Care
“Bianca does an excellent job facilitating the leadership of young people under the age of 21 by structuring opportunities for meaningful youth involvement within Earth Care International, in the community, and also with public policy makers at both the state and local levels. Whenever there is a forum calling for youth participation and input, Bianca can always be counted on to identify those opportunities and facilitate the participation of her young people by having them present, prepared, and actively engaged. In addition, Bianca understands process as well as roles for strong youth-adult partnerships that help to create positive social change in communities, including, but not limited to Santa Fe.”
Shanetta Martin, Youth Development Consultant
“Bianca believes strongly that the leaders of our community should reflect its diversity. Through Youth Allies she works to bridge divides across cultures by bringing Native, Hispanic, Latino, Anglo and other diverse youth together, and training them in anti-oppression and cultural competency so they have the skills to work together, unified in creating sustainable communities.”
Christina Selby, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Earth Care
Bianca’s Bio:
Bianca Sopoci-Belknap, 28, is the Associate Director of Earth Care in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is also a Mayor appointed Sustainability Commissioner for the City of Santa Fe, board member of Earth Works Institute, and appointed member of the Santa Fe Food Policy Council. Hired by Earth Care to launch its youth leadership program, Youth Allies, in 2006 when she was 24 years old, she has spent the last four years developing and leading the program with youth participants and community partners. Before joining Earth Care, she worked as an educator and community organizer for Local Energy in Santa Fe promoting locally produced energy as a means for strong local economic development and self-reliance. She has worked for nonprofits across the country including Global Exchange, Destiny Arts Center, the Border Network for Human Rights, Del Pueblo Inc., and OffCenter Community Arts.
2010 YNPN Selections Committee:
Kevin Elder, Tricklock Theatre
Riesha Fiorina, Drug Policy Alliance Network
Virginia Graumann, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central New Mexico
Krista Kelley, Adelante Development Center, Inc.
Robert Nelson, Metropolitan Homelessness Project
Theresa Olguin, PB & J Family Services, Inc.
Anna Sanchez, CNM Foundation
Nancy Vandenberg, Safer New Mexico Now
Facilitator: Ian Esquibel, The Center for Philanthropic Partnerships
YNPN received over 35 nominations for young leadership in our communities. Thank you!
Award recipients and nominees were recognized at the National Philanthropy Day Award Luncheon on Monday, November 15th, 2010 at the Embassy Suites in Albuquerque, NM. If you are interested in more information about National Philanthropy Day please visit http://www.afp-nm.org/philanthropy.htm.
