Today we’d like to introduce you to Alysia Lee. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Alysia receives national recognition for advancing access, equity, and decolonization with leaders, organizations, and communities. Her methods center on anti-racism, creativity, and justice.
Alysia is the inaugural President of the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund, the bold hyperlocal grantmaker stewarding public funds to support the success of Baltimore’s young people. Unlike traditional philanthropic efforts in Baltimore, BCYF, Inc. is committed to authentic community engagement, and all strategy and grant decisions are shaped and led by Baltimore community members and youth leaders. With the core values of Racial Equity, Intergenerational Leadership, Community Ownership, and Collective Decision-Making, BCYF strives to resource a future where children and youth programs have the resources they need to equitably serve all young Baltimoreans.
A Baltimore native, Lee joins BCYF from the Maryland State Department of Education where she served as an education program supervisor for Fine Arts Education across five arts disciplines: music, dance, visual art, theatre, and media arts. She supported the statewide arts learning community through policy, evaluation, technical assistance, and advocacy. A talented force of nature, Alysia is no stranger to program leadership and positive youth development with a keen focus on equity and anti-racist approaches to philanthropy and non-profit leadership.
Her long list of accomplishments in this field includes providing local school systems with over one thousand hours of technical assistance in anti-racism, culturally relevant pedagogy, and decolonization practices to support public school students throughout Maryland. Further accolades include leadership in the Anti-Racist Educators in the Arts Learning Lab, the first statewide professional academy for arts educators to elevate their pedagogical approach within a racial equity framework, and Supporting LGBTQ+ Students and Families through technical assistance for adult allies.
She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Sister Cities Girlchoir (SCG), the El Sistema-inspired, youth leadership choral academy in its tenth season. SCG is an award-winning and trendsetting choral education program with performance credits from Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and numerous school and community stages. Lee is also a Board member of Chorus America and a National Advisor to ArtsEdSEL.
Recent recognitions include awards from the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association, The Kennedy Center, The Knight Foundation, the National Association of University Women, Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and BEQ Pride.
Recent speaking/facilitation engagements include the U.S. Department of Education, The Kennedy Center, VH1 Save the Music, Arts Education Partnership, TEDX, Carnegie Hall Peabody Conservatory, and many universities/colleges, and professional associations.
A Baltimore native, Lee is an alumna of Baltimore County Public Schools. She earned her graduate degree from Peabody Conservatory. Alysia also completed Executive Education programs at Harvard University and La Salle University.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am honored to serve my city in this new role as the President of the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund. My previous work in the education, nonprofit, and youth development sectors prepared me to lead BCYF in its next steps. We have built an incredible team of passionate leaders to realize the vision of BCYF.
BCYF is a funder, but that is not the totality of the vision for BCYF. Our grantmaking work is surpassing our equity goals, for example, over 90% of our grantees are Black-led organizations surpassing the national average of 2.3%. So as we continue to build sustainable infrastructure for the organization, we are also excited to launch a suite of opportunities to engage with the youth development ecosystem in Baltimore in full and authentic partnership.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The effort to create a dedicated fund to support programs for Baltimore’s young people was launched in 2015 by then-City Council President Bernard “Jack” C. Young — a response to the unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, an event that sharply illuminated longstanding inequities in public funding in Black communities. The mission of Baltimore Children & Youth Fund is to ensure our children and youth are healthy, ready to succeed in school and live in stable, safe, and supportive families and communities.
Most people know the BCYF as a funder, however, we also have provide robust capacity-building support for any local youth program in the form of application support, professional learning, and vibrant convenings.
We are launching a BCREDS, the micro-credential professional learning program for Baltimore nonprofit leaders and boards. It is a “Duolingo”-model for learning skills like financial management and youth development best practices.
Later this winter, stay tuned for the launch of the BCYF Learning Lab, the city-wide learning series to explore racial justice and liberatory practice in youth-centered organizations with BCYF as a convener for intergenerational leaders to explore ideas in real-time. You can expect field experiences, guest speakers, and experiential convenings all across the city.
We are building new ways of learning together at BCYF!
I bring my creativity and love for learning to my work. I look forward to working with collaboration, reflection, and imagination beside our 104 grantees and the incredible BCYF team this year through our new programming and beyond.
Contact Info:
- Website: bcyfund.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bcyfund/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BCYFUND
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bcyfund/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bcyfund
