All news

From IT to property management, paid internships are connecting teens to careers
By Laura Aka, Working Nation
Published: October, 15 2021
Urban…

Chicago Executive Director Jenna Ketchum details what makes Urban Alliance’s signature High School Internship Program model successful in our Chicago…

Detroit Executive Director Margrit Allen shares more about our work to increase economic opportunity for Detroit youth alongside our anchor partner…

Greater DC Executive Director Monique Rizer appears on K-Love’s Closer Look to dive into the impact our Urban Alliance model has on students, mentors,…

Urban Alliance Greater DC Executive Director Monique Rizer published the following piece for the National Apartment Association:

Urban Alliance…

New program teaches D.C.-area students skills for careers in property management
By Michele Lerner, Washington Post
Published: June, 23 2021
While…

Bank of America Invests $4.2 Million In Underrepresented Talent, Announces New Partnership
By Ali Shahbaz, Forbes
Published: June, 16 2021
Bank of…

DC nonprofit connects underserved youth with internships at real estate firms
By Melissa Howell, WTOP
Published: June 2, 2021
The D.C. nonprofit…

Featured Mover | Elizabeth Lindsey, Urban Alliance
Published: March 30, 2021
Elizabeth Lindsey has been named CEO of Urban Alliance, a youth…

Elizabeth Lindsey is the New CEO of Urban Alliance

By Nickolas Bagley
Published: March 16, 2021

Elizabeth…

Following Her True Passion, CEO Elizabeth Lindsey Announces Transition From Byte Back to Urban Alliance

By Michelai Graham
Published:…

Urban Alliance Taps Elizabeth Lindsey as CEO
By Sherri Kolade
Published: March 9, 2021
Urban Alliance, a national youth workforce development…

Tech training nonprofit Byte Back is losing its CEO next month: Elizabeth Lindsey is leaving the NoMA-based org after five-and-a-half years to lead national youth development nonprofit Urban Alliance.

Investing In The Next Generation At The Rock Family Of Companies
By Dan Ngoyi, Vice President of Talent Acquisition at the Rock Family of…

Margrit Allen Named Executive Director of Urban Alliance Detroit

Published: Dec. 30, 2020
Margrit Allen was named Urban Alliance Detroit’s new…

Meeting the Moment with Eshauna Smith
By Eshauna Smith, CEO of Urban Alliance

In 2020, the intertwining and inequitable systems,…

Urban Alliance Announces Margrit Allen As New Detroit Executive Director
Published: Dec. 9, 2020
Urban Alliance, a national youth workforce…

It’s #GivingTuesday 2020 and these local tech orgs want your support
By Michelai Graham
Published: Dec. 1, 2020
We all may have just gone over…

How Colleges Can Grow Community Service Despite Coronavirus
Published: Nov. 24, 2020

EAB · How Colleges Can Grow Community Service Despite…

Urban Alliance CEO Eshauna Smith published the following op-ed in Forbes:

This week, Urban Alliance released the first in a series of…

Nonprofits enrich the fabric of our community
By Analiese Kreutzer
Published: Oct. 27, 2020 
Nonprofits support our community in so many ways.…

Urban Alliance CEO Eshauna Smith and DC Executive Director Monique Rizer published the following op-ed in the Washington Business Journal:

In the…

Urban Alliance: Connecting Youth of Color With Internship Opportunities
Published: Oct. 13, 2020

Along with sharpening technical skills,…

By Eshauna Smith, CEO
When you imagine your first job growing up, you think about earning a paycheck, befriending coworkers, receiving a…

Youth Workforce Programs Step Up to Meet the Needs of Young Adults During COVID-19

Prosperity Now
August 12, 2020
Since 2017, Prosperity Now has…

Urban Alliance alumna Marissa Hatter penned a blog post for America’s Promise Alliance:
Internship Programs Are Filling A Crucial Gap During…

Urban Alliance alumna K’asia Eubanks penned a guest blog for America’s Promise Alliance:
Young Entrepreneur Perspective On Employment During…

5 in 5: Eshauna Smith, Urban Alliance’s Chief Executive Officer

Results for America
July 14, 2020
Results for America Fellowship Alumni give…

Urban Alliance CEO Eshauna Smith appeared on the Seneca Women’s Here’s Something Good podcast to discuss our work and longtime partnership with Bank…

The Newly Virtual Workplace: Employers and Trainers Adapt
By Hannah Dalporto, Will Swarts
Published: July 1, 2020
Work-based learning includes…

Urban Alliance CEO Eshauna Smith penned a guest blog for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce:

Another View of Racial Equity: How Businesses Can Level…

Read full article below or in the Hyde Park Herald:
Kenwood senior introduces Obama before graduation speech
May 18, 2020
Aniyah Fisher, a senior…

Local student joins former President Obama for “Graduate Together” ceremony
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — Tomorrow night, former President Barack Obama and…

Urban Alliance student CJ Johnson interviewed on CBS 9 DC’s ‘Get Up DC’:

Read full article below or on NBC 5 Chicago:
Barack Obama to Deliver Virtual Commencement During Primetime Graduation Special

May 15, 2020
Former…

Read the full article below or in Youth Today:
Nicola Diamond Appointed Chief Operating Officer at Urban Alliance

ByNickolas Bagley
February 25,…

Read the full article below or in the Alexandria Gazette-Packet:
People At Work: Urban Alliance Partners with Inova to Sponsor High School…

Northern Virginia students intern in healthcare industry while in high school
By Kellye Lynn
February 7, 2020
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — It’s a school…

Detroit Executive Director Sherri Davis Chisholm appeared on ‘American Black Journal’ on Detroit Public TV:

Urban Alliance CEO Eshauna Smith was interviewed for Community D.C., a community affairs podcast aired across five iHeartMedia radio stations in the…

Rosalyn Stewart | Keswick

By Daily Record Staff
September 5, 2019
Rosalyn Stewart, volunteer and external relations manager at Keswick, a campus…

Read full article below or in Youth Today:
Providing Youth Services at Schools Benefits Nonprofits, Schools and Students

By Carol Thompson…

Read full article below or in the Washington Informer:
Public Speaking Competition Culminates Internship Program
By Sam P. K. Collins
August 14,…

Urban Alliance CEO Eshauna Smith appeared on the Power Station podcast with Anne Pasmanick:

APasmanick · Power Station with Eshauna…

Read full article below on in The Grio:
Surprise! Barack Obama drops in and drops knowledge during youth program in Chicago
By Ny Magee
July 18,…

Read full article below or in The Root:
Barack Obama Gives Urban Alliance Interns the Surprise of Their Lives

By Jay Connor
July 18, 2019
In his…

Read full article below or on Blavity:
Former President Barack Obama Surprises Teen Interns In South Side Chicago

By Chelsea Burwell
July 17,…

Read full article below or on BET:
Barack Obama Surprises Chicago South Side Youth

By Angela Wilson
July 17, 2019
On Tuesday, July 16, a dozen…

Read full article below or in the Chicago Tribune:
Obama surprises teens in his Youth Jobs Corps with visit at Chicago foundation
By Lolly…

Read full article below or on ABC 7 Chicago:
Former President Barack Obama surprises students in Chicago

ABC 7 Chicago
July 17, 2019
CHICAGO…

Read full article below or in the Chicago Sun-Times:
South Side youths get surprise visit from President Obama
By Maudlyne Ihejirika
July 16,…

Read full article below or in The Hill:
Obama surprises students in Obama Youth Jobs Corps
By John Bowden
July 16, 2019
Former President Obama…

Read full article below or on Inside NOVA:
Arlington students lauded for exceptional internship efforts
By InsideNOVA.com
July 15, 2019
Chelsie…

Detroit Executive Director Sherri Davis Chisholm was a guest on WJR Radio’s ‘Opportunity Detroit’ show:

Read the full article below or in Essence:

Barack Obama, Hollywood Celebs And Youth Celebrate Nelson Mandela’s Legacy
By Donna M. Owens,…

Read the full article below or in Youth Today:
Sherri Davis Chisholm is Urban Alliance’s First Detroit Executive…

Read the full article below or in Corp! Magazine:
Urban Alliance announces Sherri Davis Chisholm as first Detroit Executive Director
By Guest…

One year into Urban Alliance’s partnership with the Obama Foundation, our joint Obama Youth Jobs Corps program was featured on ABC 7 Chicago’s…

Read the full article below or in The Daily Record:
Demo Day gives teens insights into world of surveying
By Daily Record…

Read the full article below or in Forbes:
Creating Economic Opportunity for Detroit’s Youth: Quicken Loans Partners with Urban Alliance
By Eshauna…

CEO Eshauna Smith and DC alumnus James West discuss the impact of both Urban Alliance and winning a Bank of America Neighborhood Builders grant on…

Read the full article below or at ABC 2 Baltimore:

Baltimore students map potential careers in surveying

By Zachary Babo

Baltimore students…

https://youtu.be/fQ0_ESS9Sdg

Part 5 of the TED Radio Hour episode Luck, Fortune, And Chance.

About Eshauna Smith’s TED Talk

Eshauna Smith…

Read the full article at ourtowndc.com or below:
Our Town DC: Eshauna Smith – CEO, Urban Alliance
By Janice Iacona Ockershausen, January 29.…

Read the full article at lanewarrior.com or below:
The Warrior: High School Internships: Leading the way for Successful Futures
By Daniela…

Read the full article at InsideNoVa.com or below:
Arlington schools to benefit from college-, career-readiness effort
By Scott McCaffrey, Dec. 10,…

Read the full article at Technical.ly DC or below:
Urban Alliance awarded $1 million grant from AT&T to expand high school internships in DC
By…

Read the full article on AlexandriaNews.org or below:
AT&T To Award $1 Million To Urban Alliance To Support Students’ Success After High…

Watch the video on Vox.com.
One in six high schoolers don’t graduate on time. This is how one organization hopes to raise that stat
A look at the…

Listen to Urban Alliance CEO Eshauna Smith interviewed on WJR Radio’s ‘Opportunity Detroit’ with hosts Paul W. Smith and Laura Grannemann.

Read the full article at CorpMagazine.com or below:
Corp Magazine: Quicken Loans partners with Urban Alliance to bring youth employment program to…

Read the full article in RISMedia or below:
Quicken Loans and Urban Alliance Bring Flagship Youth Employment Program to Detroit
By RISMedia Staff;…

Read the full article below, or in The Detroit News:
Partnership aims to fill pipeline with talent
By Ingrid Jacques
When Eddie Cotton was growing…

Read the full article below, or in DBusiness:
Washington D.C.’s Urban Alliance, Detroit’s Quicken Loans Bring Internship Opportunities to Detroit…

Read the full article below, or in Crain’s Detroit Business:
Quicken Loans, other organizations take on Detroit high school interns through national…

Urban Alliance’s Northern Virginia Executive Director Chrissy McCurdy and alumnus Eddie Amoah were featured on the region’s Smart Alex podcast with…

Watch the video on WJLA.com and read the article below:
Students in Wards 7 and 8 to benefit from new workforce readiness training partnership
by…

Read the full article below or on bizjournals.com/washington:
Why Urban Alliance’s Monique Rizer wants your jobs
By Emily Van Zandt
Published:…

Read the full article in the Baltimore Workforce Development Board’s blog or below:
Word Press: Future Surveyors’ Second Year Wraps Up
Published…

Read the full article at Cannondesign.com or below:
Cannon Design: Spotlight on Khalid Dyer: Urban Alliance Intern in the Baltimore Office
By…

Read the full article at MyMCMedia.com or below:
MC Media: Program Offers Paid Internships To Underserved Youth
By Mitti Hicks, July 27,…

Read the full article at InsideNoVa or below:
Wakefield High grad honored by Urban Alliance for internship success
Published: July 21,…

Read the full article at Prosperitynow.com or below:
Prosperity Now: A DIY Approach to Building Financial Capability
By Ola Wadibia, July 19,…

Read the full article at edweek.org or below:
5 Ways to Introduce Students to the Workplace
By Eshauna Smith, July 18, 2018
Omega Dyson is a driven…

Read the full article below or in Youth Today:
Monique Rizer is the New Executive Director of Urban Alliance’s Washington D.C. Region
By Nickolas…

Read the full article at themreport.com or below:
M Report: Bank of America Makes a Business Case for Inclusion
Published June 8, 2018
From…

Read the full article at AlexandriaGazette.com or below:
Alexandria Gazette Packet: Thanks a Million in Alexandria
By Jeanne Theismann, May 7,…

Read the full article at Alextimes.com or below:
Alexandria Times: Spring2ACTion breaks fundraising records in eighth year
Published on April 27,…

Read the full article at Patch.com or below:
Patch: Record-Breaking $1.7M Raised For Alexandria’s Spring2ACTion
By Emily Leayman, April 26,…

Read the full post below and on Strada Education Network’s blog:
Investing Early in the Workforce of the Future
By Eshauna Smith
CEO, Urban…

Read the full article below or in the Las Vegas Sun:
Building a better education in the post-recession world
By Ric Anderson 
While job prospects…

Read the full article below on in The Chicago Citizen:
New Partnership Connects South Side High Schoolers with Professional Internships
By Katherine…

Read the full article below or in the Hyde Park Herald:
Obama Foundation, Urban Alliance announce Obama Youth Jobs Corps
By AARON GETTINGER
The…

Read the full article at Hpherald.com or below:
Hyde Park Herald: Obama Foundation, Urban Alliance announce Obama Youth Jobs Corps
By Aaron…

Read the full article below and in HR Dive:
Obama Foundation to train high schoolers for the workplace, with a focus on soft skills

By Riia…

Obama Foundation Launches Workforce-Training Program for Chicago Youth
By Catherine Gewertz, Education Week
Former President Barack Obama’s…

Read the full article below or in The Hill:
Obama Foundation announces new job training program for Chicago students
By Morgan Gstalter
The Obama…

Read the full article below or in Education Dive:
Chicago high schools to participate in Obama Foundation-Urban Alliance ‘workforce readiness’…

Read the full article below on in the Hyde Park Herald:
Obama Foundation and Urban Alliance launch Obama Youth Job Corps
By GABRIELLA…


Read the full article below or at WLS’ website:
Obama Foundation, Urban Alliance expand job training program
By Leah Hope
CHICAGO (WLS) — On…

Read the full article at abc7chicago.com or below:
ABC7 Chicago: Obama Foundation, Urban Alliance expand job training program
By Leah Hope, March…

Read the full article at Curbed.com or below:
Curbed: What does a presidential building look like?
By Alexandra Lange, March 22, 2018
On February…

Read the full article at Thinkabit.com or below:
ThinkaBit: Anfal is Urban Alliance’s Intern of the Week!
Posted on March 22, 2018
Our wonderful,…

Read the full article at thekojonnamdishow.org or below:
The Kojo Nnamdi Show: Beyond College: How To Prep Young Students For The Working…

Read the full article below and in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Nonprofit Leader Shares Her Life Story to Promote Jobs for Youths 
By Nicole…

Read the full article in The Chronicle of Social Change.
Trump Calls for More Workforce Development, Urban Alliance Makes Recommendations
By…

Read the full article on The 74.
The Path of Opportunity, the Path of Despair: John King offers Urban Alliance a Tale of Two High Schools

By KATE…

Read the full article at Medill on the Hill.
Former education secretary pushes for more student help for life after high school
by Caroline Vakil |…

Read the full op-ed in Investor’s Business Daily.
How High Schoolers Can Boost American Business
By JD HOYE, 1/22/2018

Employers are struggling…

Read the full story at WMAR’s website.
Urban Alliance gets $160,000 grant for city youth financial education program
Cassie Carlisle, Nov 30,…

The Maryland Daily Record ran a story about the $160,000 grant Urban Alliance received from the Citi Foundation and Prosperity Now as part of their…

Citi Foundation president Brandee McHale shared the logic behind their inaugural Pathways to Progress Youth Financial Capability Fund – for which…

Our partner, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, wrote about the impact of their investment in Urban Alliance’s High School Internship Program…

Our Baltimore Executive Director Stephanie Amponsah shared some advice on nonprofit fundraising in the Maryland Daily Record’s November 2017 issue of…

We learned a lot during our six-year RCT study released this summer. Our CEO Eshauna Smith shared some advice and lessons learned in Nonprofit…

Read the full article in The Baltimore Times.
Urban Alliance Baltimore helping to build bright futures

By Ursula V. Battle | 10/13/2017

Vernon…

Our partners at Strada Education Network shared the the benefits of our program, along with our recent RCT results, in a blog post on their website.…

Read the full article on Medium.
Take a chance on a high school intern — and you could change a life
By Eshauna Smith, CEO of Urban…

Our partners at Urban Institute shared the results of the six-year, randomized controlled trial they conducted of our program’s impact in their Urban…

High School Internship Boosts College-Going for Boys of Color, Study Finds
By Sarah D. Sparks, Education Week
Mentoring young men of color with…

Our Northern Virginia Executive Director Alessandra Colia penned an op-ed in this week’s edition of the Alexandria Gazette Packet. 

Here’s what…

UA champion and astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz shared why she supports Urban Alliance in an interview with Space.com:

“My interaction with Urban…

Read the full article below and in The Huffington Post.
Nonprofit Works With City Public Schools To Fix The Youth-To-Work Crisis In Chicago And…

Dedrick Asante-Muhammad and Kylie Patterson of the Racial Wealth Divide Initiative at the Corporation for Enterprise Development write about their…

Read the full article below and on WJLA’s website.
10 DC Students Awarded Full Scholarships to George Washington University
By Kristen Wright and…

Read the full article below and at WUSA’s website.
10 DC students surprised with full ride to George Washington University
By Michael Quander
March…

Read the full blog from AirbnbCitizen.com

“Airbnb is proud to announce we are partnering with Urban Alliance on the work they are doing to…

A new book, Moneyball for Government, encourages government at all levels to improve outcomes for children, their families and communities by…

Giving Back to Teenagers

By ELIZABETH OLSON

JUNE 28, 2014

Nathaniel M. Cole, 27, is executive director of the Washington arm of the…

Aida Villalta is a senior at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. She has been an Urban Alliance Intern with the Arlington County Office of…

Urban Alliance on CNN Original Series: Chicagoland
The Urban Alliance visit from First Lady Michelle Obama was showcased in the season finale of the…

The teen unemployment rate clocked in at 20.9 percent in March, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it shows few…

After graduation, Aysa Nixon, a senior at McKinley Technological high school, plans to attend beauty school while working to save money toward…

Alexandria Renew Enterprises is keeping its latest intern, Jenny Melara, hard at work. Jenny is a student at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria…

Over its 16-year history, the Urban Alliance has placed some 11,000 low-income D.C., Chicago and Baltimore youth in paid internships and curriculum…

Veronica Nolan recognized for work in youth employment and development
Washington, D.C. (January 7, 2013)— The Washingtonian Magazine selected…

In cities across the country, Wells Fargo is partnering with charities and organizations that are making a real difference in their communities, and…

The Bittersweet Zine is a quarterly publication that identifies the critical social issues in the community and determines how professionals can…

With fewer opportunities for young people to earn money this summer, city advocates are working to fill the gaps and trying to understand why the District hasn’t done more to promote alternatives for job-seekers left empty-handed.

Urban Alliance is proud to announce that two of our incoming interns were invited to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s press conference. Click for video.

Urban Alliance was recently featured on Comcast local edition. Click on the title to learn more and watch the video.

Urban Alliance Batlimore Intern Menelek Hendricks was featured in a Batlimore Industry Magazine for his recent testimony in front of the Baltimore City Council.

Urban Alliance was a featured segment on News Channel 8 on August 12 during Washington Business Tonight. Click for more information.

Urban Alliance Executive Director Veronica Nolan was featured in the July 24th edition of the Washington Biz Journal.

Veronica Nolan, Executive Director of Urban Alliance, is featured in Trinity Magazine’s Spring 2009 publication.

The economy is hitting everyone hard–including Urban Alliance. We need your help! Become a job partner.