1478+
Accelerator and Post-Accelerator Fellows
A new talent strategy for NYC
Given the diversity and magnitude of New York City’s young untapped talent, its role as a global leader of industry and commerce, and the tremendous energy rallying to close the education-to-employment gap, Braven launched in partnership with the City University of New York at Lehman College in January 2020.
Big Opportunity in the Big Apple
In New York City only 1 in 4 local students from underrepresented backgrounds enrolled in a 4 year college graduate with a strong job. It’s imperative for our city’s success that students from humble beginnings leave college with a strong first job and a path to economic choice and mobility. Braven is proving that the American Dream is possible within semesters, showing that our rising talent can and must hail from all communities, including some of our lowest-income ones.
An Innovative University Partnership
CUNY is the nation’s largest public higher education system and often recognized for its student diversity and commitment to socio-economic mobility. Specifically, Lehman College was ranked 4th in the Top 10 colleges nationwide with the highest mobility rate by The National Bureau of Economic Research. Over half of the CUNY undergrads receive Pell Grants, 44% are first-generation college students, and about three-quarters are students of color.
With a shared focus on student success, opportunity, and innovation, Lehman College will be Braven’s founding university partner in January 2020. Together Braven and Lehman College are committed to empowering students from humble beginnings on the path to the American Dream.
Employers Fueling a New Generation of Local Leaders
New York City is a global center of innovation and industry. It is home to the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the United States, many of which are looking for ways to recruit diverse untapped talent, build their employees’ leadership skills, and positively impact their community.
Braven offers these local companies opportunities to do all three seamlessly, enriching both the company and the NYC community. To learn more about our various partnership opportunities click here.
Braven is proud to be joining partners across New York City to build a vibrant, homegrown, and diverse workforce to power the local economy on a global scale.
The NYC Braven Community
Our Fellows, volunteers, employer partners and university partners work together to make this startup hub a region of opportunity for all. In 2019, 88% of our Fellows identified as people of color and 61% as first-generation college students.
64%
of Braven 2021 graduates at SJSU secured a strong first job or entered graduate school within 6 months
88%
of SJSU Braven Fellows graduate college on-time
NYC Employer Partners
Our employer partners encourage their employees to participate in Braven’s professional development and engagement opportunities, sponsor events and learning experiences, provide access to externship, internship and full-time opportunities, and offer critical financial support.
Lead Partners
Anchor Partners
Keystone Partners
Innovation Partners
Impact Partners
NYC Supporters
We are incredibly thankful for the generosity of our NYC supporters, who are launching Braven in our region. For a complete list of national Braven supporters, please go to our national supporters page.
$150,000 – $249,999
$100,000 – $149,000
Richard Braddock
Ruth Stanton Foundation
$50,000 – $99,999
$20,000 – $49,999
$5,000 – $19,999
Trimble Foundation
$1-$4,900
Our NYC Team
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Alexandra Williams-Fleck
Managing Director, Lehman College
New York City, NYC
✕
Hussein Abdul
Program Manager, Accelerator – Lehman College
New York City, NY
Hussein oversees the overall student experience of Braven at Lehman College. He runs operations and logistics for Learning Labs and Braven events where he supports Fellows, Leadership Coaches, Teacher Assistants, and professors.
✕
Jennings Kuzmier
External Affairs Manager
New York City, NY
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Kilsys Payamps-Roure
- Executive Director, New York City
- New York, NY
Kilsys Payamps-Roure is the founding Executive Director for Braven in New York City where she leads strategy and management; builds and supports university, employer, and key stakeholder partnerships; and is responsible for brand awareness and fundraising. Most recently Kilsys served as Chief of Staff to the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). At NYCHA, she set organizational strategy and helped to lead the day-to- day operations of an agency serving over 600,000 residents with nearly 11,000 employees. Prior to NYCHA, Kilsys was the Operations Manager for Enterprise Community Partners in New York City overseeing administrative, facility, and IT related directives. While at Enterprise, she established a formal internship program that served as a pipeline for underrepresented students. Before that, Kilsys founded an online stationery and invitation company to fill the void for culturally relevant images. Earlier in her career, Kilsys spent 12 years in the financial services industry serving in various finance and accounting roles. Kilsys graduated with a B.B.A in Accounting from Hofstra University and resides in New York with her husband and two children.
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Stephanie Polanco
Program Manager, Recruitment & Workforce Strategy, CCNY
New York City, NY
Stephanie oversees all student recruitment for The City College of New York (CCNY), as well as managing Post-Accelerator Fellow workforce strategies for the CCNY cohort.
NYC Board of Directors
✕
Roger G. Arrieux, Jr.
New York Managing Partner
Deloitte LLP
As Deloitte’s New York Managing Partner, Roger supports the firm’s largest office by overseeing more than 6,500 professionals. This includes driving business growth, facilitating a multi-disciplinary approach towards serving clients, leading corporate citizenship strategy and creating and modeling a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture.
Roger is a transformational leader who is widely recognized for his strategic impact, technical savvy, and passion for our people and the community. With more than three decades of professional services experience, Roger leads by example in advocating for his teams, social fairness, and equal opportunity, and Roger is committed to developing industry practitioners, next generation leaders, and seasoned executives.
As a Senior Audit and Assurance Partner, Roger specializes in providing professional services to alternative investment vehicles across a diverse client base including large, complex investment advisers, partnerships, private equity funds, hedge funds, mortgage REITs, commodity pools, and funds of funds. Roger teams across service lines and sectors to provide solutions to clients and assists them in understanding the various regulatory, structural, and operational frameworks for the industry. During his career, Roger has worked with advisors in establishing domestic and offshore funds and in structuring their alternative investment organizations. Furthermore, Roger has hands-on experience in conducting regulatory reviews, operational reviews, due diligence assessments, and performance reviews. Roger has had the pleasure to speak at numerous industry conferences and has been quoted in alternative investment management industry publications.
Roger has been making an impact on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in both his internal and external roles throughout his career. Roger is a long-standing supporter of various nonprofit organizations that focus on academic acceleration and improvement for youth. Roger currently serves as the Chairperson of the Harlem YMCA Board of Directors and Chairperson of the Black Achievers in Industry Steering Committee, and he also serves on the Board of Directors of A Better Chance. In addition, Roger participates in leadership activities with various other charitable organizations.
Contact the NYC Team
Braven
c/o Teach For America
25 Broadway, 12 Fl.
New York, NY 10004
Braven Accelerator: Spring 2023
Lehman College
Eligibility
Sophomores and juniors are preferred, but the course is open to all full-time undergraduate students (including transfer students) in all majors who are:
- In good academic standing and able to register for a 3-credit elective course during the semester
- Able to meet once a week on weeknight evenings during the semester
- Able to commit an average of 4-5 hours a week to this course
Course Description
This course prepares students for the increasingly competitive, globalized job marketplace. Through online and peer learning, interactive experiences, and reflection, students will build meaningful networks, discover their innate leadership, and cultivate the “hard” and “soft” skills and habits of mind needed to thrive in twenty-first-century workplaces. This course will require your commitment. Nothing good comes easy, but this course will be equally rewarding as it is challenging.
Course Section
The Braven Accelerator is a 3-credit elective course that meets Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 6pm to 8pm ET. The course is listed as Cooperative Education:
- CED 100
- There will be two options for the course in Spring 2023:
- Fully virtual
- Hybrid: In-person on campus with 3-4 sessions virtual
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Exercise habits to persist through and thrive beyond college
- Know and demonstrate the skills and mindsets employers hire for
- Navigate the workplace
- Build a record of achievement and apply skills to land a career-accelerating internship or research opportunity
- Expand personal and professional networks
- Lead with their assets and values
Location
There will be two sections of the course. Select the one that best fits your personal preference: 1) Fully virtual 2) Hybrid with mostly in-person on-campus sessions and 3-4 virtual sessions
Braven Accelerator: Spring 2023
The City College of New York
Enroll on CUNYFirst
Course Description
The Braven Leadership Accelerator is a 3-credit foundational course designed to begin preparing students to become leaders in an increasingly competitive, globalized career marketplace. Students will define their own leadership by leveraging and highlighting their identity, values, strengths, talents and experiences via multiple formats of communication, networking, project-managing, and teamwork activities. This course, which is ideal for sophomores and juniors, will support students who seek to attain a strong post-baccalaureate leadership opportunity, whether that be graduate school or a strong first job.
Course Section
The Braven Accelerator is a 3-credit elective course that meets Tuesdays (virtual) or Wednesdays (hybrid) at 6:30pm ET. The course is listed as:
- PSY 31915 – Training for Psychology Careers – for psychology majors/minors
- SSC 31860 – Braven Leadership Accelerator – Open to all majors/minors
- ANTH 31860 – Braven Leadership Accelerator – Open to all majors/minors
- INTL 31860 – Braven Leadership Accelerator – Open to all majors/minors
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Exercise habits to persist through and thrive beyond college
- Know and demonstrate the skills and mindsets employers hire for
- Navigate the workplace
- Build a record of achievement and apply skills to land a career-accelerating internship or research opportunity
- Expand personal and professional networks
- Lead with their assets and values
Locations
There will be two sections of the course. Select the one that best fits your personal preference: 1) Fully virtual 2) Hybrid
Volunteer in New York
We are looking for professionals from all fields who are willing to share their career experience, personal stories, and unique talents with our diverse and driven Fellows.
All volunteer opportunities will be virtual while social distancing orders are in effect. To receive alerts about upcoming volunteer opportunities:
SIGN UP FOR THE BRAVEN NETWORK
Please contact danielle@bebraven.org with questions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT BRAVEN’S VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES