AKIZA BODDIE-WILLIS
Founder and Executive Director
In 2008, Akiza Boddie-Willis first acted
on her idea to found an organization that would serve and uplift our youth when
she began running a pilot mentor program at William Penn Elementary School on
the west side of Chicago. With the
help and support of administrators at that institution and professional adults
who were willing to volunteer their time as mentors, the pilot ran successfully
for 2 academic years and grew into Organizing Youth, Impacting Neighborhoods, a
non-profit organization that strives to cultivate leaders who are self-aware
innovators that give back to their neighborhoods and the global community.
For over 20 years, Ms. Boddie-Willis has
shown her dedication to improving the student experience. Her background includes work as a teacher's aide for grammar school students, as a recruiter, program coordinator, and
instructor for high school students, and as an adjunct professor, college
advisor, mentor, tutor, supervisor, and program coordinator for undergraduate students. Her involvement in Organizing Youth,
Impacting Neighborhoods is allowing her to continue to fulfill her dream of having
a positive impact on others through mentoring and teaching.
Ms.
Boddie-Willis earned her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University
and her B.S. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Cornell
University.