America's Promise

The stated mission of America's Promise--"The Alliance for Youth"--is to "mobilize people from every sector of American life to build the character and competence of our nation's youth by fulfilling Five Promises: ongoing relationships with caring adults, safe places with structured activities, a healthy start, marketable skills, and opportunities to give back." 

Founding
"America's Promise was founded after the Presidents' Summit for America's Future, April 27-28, 1997, in Philadelphia. Presidents Bill Clinton, George Herbert Walker Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald R. Ford with First Lady Nancy Reagan representing her husband [ Ronald Reagan ], challenged the nation to make youth a national priority. Their call to action included a commitment on the part of the nation to fulfill the Five Promises. Also attending were nearly 30 governors, 100 mayors, 145 community delegations, dozens of prominent business leaders and several thousand concerned citizens. The Summit was co-sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, the Corporation for National and Community Service and The United Way of America." 

Retired Army General Colin L. Powell served as the organization's founding chairman until he assumed the office of Secretary of State in the Bush administration. 

2006 Board Members
The Alliance for Youth Source
 * James M. Allwin - Chairman, Board of Directors, Communities In Schools
 * James L. Barksdale - President and CEO, Barksdale Management Corporation
 * Peter L. Benson, Ph.D. - President, Search Institute
 * Geoffrey T. Boisi - Chairman and Co-Founder, MENTOR
 * Katherine Bradley - President, CityBridge Foundation
 * Jean Case - CEO, The Case Foundation
 * G. Staley Cates - President, Southeastern Asset Management, Inc.
 * Raymond G. Chambers - Founder, Amelior Foundation
 * Johnnetta B. Cole, Ph.D - Chair, Board of Directors, United Way of America
 * Robert M. Devlin - Chairman, Curragh Capital Partners
 * Angela Diaz, MD, MPH - Director, Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center
 * Brian Gallagher - CEO, United Way of America
 * Stephen Goldsmith - Chairman, Board of Directors, Corporation for National and Community Service
 * Daniel Horgan - Youth Program Officer, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board
 * Michael Jordan - Former Professional Basketball Player
 * Kathryn Kendall - Youth Partnership Team Member, America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth
 * Larry Klane - President, Capital One Global Financial Services
 * Joel Klein - Chancellor, NYC Department of Education
 * Marguerite W. Kondracke - President & CEO, America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth
 * Alfred Liggins, III - President and CEO, Radio One, Inc.
 * Steven L. Miller - Chairman, Board of Directors, The Points of Light Foundation
 * C. Gregg Petersmeyer - Vice Chair, America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth
 * Alma J. Powell - Chair, America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth
 * Cal Ripken, Jr. - Founder, Ripken Baseball, Inc. and Executive Vice President,
 * Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation
 * Robert B. Rogers - Chairman Emeritus, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
 * Timothy J. Russert - Washington Bureau Chief/Moderator of Meet the Press, NBC News
 * Jin Roy Ryu - Chairman and CEO, PMX Industries, Inc. and Chairman and CEO, Poongsan Corporation
 * Rodney E. Slater - Chair, Board of Trustees, United Way of America
 * Donald L. Staheli - Retired Chairman and CEO of Continental Grain Company
 * Harris Wofford - Former U.S. Senator and former CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service
 * Judy Woodruff - Award-Winning Journalist
 * Ali Zaidi - Youth Partnership Team Member, America's Promise -

2004 Board Members

 * Alma J. Powell, Co-Chair, America's Promise
 * Harris Wofford, Co-Chair, America's Promise


 * Maya Babu, Youth Partnership Team Member
 * Peter L. Benson, Ph.D., President, Search Institute
 * Jean Case, CEO, The Case Foundation
 * Raymond G. Chambers, Chairman, The Amelior Foundation
 * Robert M. Devlin, Chairman, Curragh Capital Partners
 * Michelle Engler, Former First Lady of Michigan
 * Peter A. Gallagher, President and CEO, America's Promise
 * Jamie S. Gorelick, Partner, Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering
 * Daniel Horgan, Allegheny County's Promise
 * Michael Jordan, SFX
 * Kathryn Kendall, Youth Partnership Team Member
 * C. Gregg Petersmeyer, Vice Chair, America's Promise
 * Cal Ripken, Jr., Founder, Ripken Baseball and Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation
 * Jin Roy Ryu, Chairman & CEO, Poongsan Corporation
 * Robert B. Rogers, Chairman Emeritus, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
 * Timothy J. Russert, Washington Bureau Chief/Moderator of Meet the Press, NBC News
 * Donald L. Staheli, Elder, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
 * Lance Weaver, Executive Vice Chairman, MBNA America

Contact
URL: http://www.americaspromise.org/ ---

SourceWatch Resources

 * Bush/Republican Initiatives
 * charitable choice
 * Communitarianism
 * Compassionate Conservatism
 * David Eisner
 * Faith-based and Community Initiatives
 * Jonathan Zaff - Vice president of research