Hamilton Friends

"Hamilton Friends challenged us to do more than we thought possible and to rise to the challenges we face as a society today."

-Danika Young, '06 Hamilton Scholar

Hamilton Friends Welcomes a New Executive Director

May, 2010

The Alexander Hamilton Friends Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Melanie Lyons as the new Executive Director.

With an extensive background and education in non-profit leadership, Melanie brings twelve years of youth programming, fundraising and organizational capacity building experience to the role of Executive Director on the Hamilton Friends team.

�Hamilton Friends� founding belief that the talents and achievements of America's youth are frequently under-appreciated is what originally attracted me to the organization and to this leadership opportunity. I share this belief and have dedicated my work to transforming this reality. I admire the accomplishments of Hamilton Friends to illuminate the vitality of the youth of this country and to help pave ways for their dreams,� said Lyons.

This change in leadership marks a turning point for the Hamilton Friends team.

�We are really excited about Melanie. She is smart, has a world view of things and will bring to us the vision and discipline we need at Hamilton Friends to grow to the next level,� said Founder and Board President George Cox.

When asked what that next level is, Cox added: �We want to extend the Hamilton Leaders Academy to a full four years. This will require a new fundraising approach combined with board development in order to make this expansion possible. Melanie is perfect for these needs."

As the organization matures, serving more students and supporting an ever-increasing alumni group, there will be opportunities and challenges ahead for Hamilton Friends. We are fortunate to have an Executive Director with Melanie�s impressive experience as we move forward to accomplish our goals.

�It is an honor to be asked to lead the organization at this time and I look forward to working with a dedicated Board of Directors and a talented staff,� said Lyons. �I truly feel that I am joining the organization at a very exciting time. We just announced our fourth cohort of Hamilton Award Winners and they are incredible group of young people. We will have our largest internship season to date this summer. We are poised to have our best Leader Weeks yet in both Seattle and Guatemala - and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to participate personally in both.�

Melanie was most recently the interim Executive Director for the Seattle non-profit organization, Bike Works, an organization focused on building sustainable communities by educating youth and promoting bicycling. She has served in a variety of leadership positions at youth serving non-profit organizations over the past decade including Passages Northwest; First Place School; YWCA of Seattle, King County and Snohomish County; Salish Sea Expeditions; and Great Hollow Wilderness School.

In addition to her administrative experience she has worked extensively on curriculum/program development and one-on-one with young people as an educator in both classroom and wilderness settings.

Melanie has an incredible commitment to serving the community. She currently serves as a facilitator for Seattle Mayor�s Youth and Families Initiative Facilitator, she�s a member of the Northwest Development Officers Association Conference Scholarship Committee, and she continues to serve as a member of the Bike Works Risk Management Committee.

Melanie holds a both a masters in Social Work and a masters in Public Affairs from the University of Washington. She also has an undergraduate degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the University of Washington. Additionally, Melanie holds a certification in Advanced Fundraising Management from the University of Washington.

During her time at the UW, Melanie received several awards for academic and leadership achievements. She was honored as a NDOA Scholar in 2007, received the Leadership Award from the College of Architecture and Urban Planning in 2006, was honored as a Denice Johnson Hunt Scholar in 2005 and was a University of Washington Mary Gates Leadership Scholar in 2005.

Melanie emphasized that her office door is open and she welcomes all of you to be in touch. Her primary focus in these early weeks is to meet with many members of the Hamilton Friends� community. She plans to immerse herself in the viewpoints of those who know the organization best and to develop her own well rounded understanding of Hamilton Friends� strengths and opportunities for improvement. She believes this understanding will be critical as she moves forward to work in partnership with the Board of Directors in charting and carrying out a strategic plan for Hamilton Friends that will ensure the programmatic and fiscal vitality of the organization.

Coming Up:

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"I had an amazing time in Quetzaltenango. This trip affected me more than any other experience I have ever had in my life... I gained an entirely new perspective on life and I thank Hamilton Friends for providing me with the opportunity to do so."

-Jillian Ogren, '07 Hamilton Scholar and Guatemala Leader Week attendee

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Seattle Leader Week SLIDESHOW!

Coming Up:

CLICK HERE to see a slideshow of the 2009 Seattle Leader Week.