STEM+21CLubs – 21st Century Leaders

Legacy Partner Spotlight: Cox Enterprises

Nicole Meadows — Tue, 06 May 2025 20:17:30 +0000

21st Century Leaders Celebrates 35-Year Partnership with Cox Enterprises

(Atlanta, GA) – For 35 years and counting, Cox Enterprises has been supporting and partnering with 21st Century Leaders (21CL) to invest in youth leadership across the state of Georgia. In three and a half decades, this legacy partnership has served over 20,000 of Georgia’s high school students with workforce readiness, career exploration, and leadership development opportunities through employee-led training, workshops, curriculum, and school-based STEM clubs.

In 1989, a cohort of business leaders established 21st Century Leaders (known as the Georgia Business Forum until 1996) in response to an identified need in the workforce: to prepare diverse, young talent to take on leadership roles in the workplace. Over the years, 21st Century Leaders has solidified its reputation as Georgia’s premier youth leadership development organization. Through collaborations with corporate partners like Cox, high school students of all backgrounds and communities have access to high-level leaders, value-driven training, and insight into talent development trends and foreplanning that position them to succeed in their various career pathways.

“21st Century Leaders is celebrating 35 years of inspiring and empowering Georgia’s future STEAM leaders, and Cox is proud to be a part of this milestone. We are thrilled to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving world,” says Maury Wolfe, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Social Impact, Cox Enterprises. “Through 21CL, we are advancing our mission to empower 34 million people by 2034. Together, we are shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for Georgia’s youth.”

In 21CL’s early years, Cox employees helped develop the leadership training curriculum that continues to be relevant today for young leaders preparing to enter the workforce. Today, Cox supports 21CL in a variety of capacities and initiatives while committing to year-round employee engagement. Cox’s 21CL board position is currently held by Michael White, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources Business Partner, who serves as the Board Effectiveness Committee Chair. Now, over 60 Cox employees engage in volunteer opportunities with 21CL each year to invest in youth leadership, STEM education, and talent development.

Cox has been a consistent collaborator at 21CL’s Summer Youth Leadership Institute (SYLI), providing opportunities for students to learn from employees in panels, workshops, and networking groups, and more recently hosting 80 students at Manheim Atlanta (a Cox Automotive business) to learn about careers, leadership, AI and robotics in the automotive industry. Through a resource ecosystem between 21CL, Cox Enterprises, and Science ATL developed in 2021, Cox supports 21CL’s school-based STEM+21CLubs, which give high school students the opportunities to serve their community and provide career exploration and leadership development for their peers, through a STEM-focused lens. Cox will support 10 STEM + 21CLubs, impacting over 200 students directly, in the 2025-2026 school year.

“Cox Enterprises has been a pillar of support and innovation in our mission for over 35 years,” says Kate Hewitt, Executive Director at 21st Century Leaders. “Their long-standing commitment to empower and invest in Georgia’s youth through leadership development, STEM education, and career exploration has helped shape the futures of thousands of students across the state. We’re proud of our partnership that exemplifies what it means to invest in the next generation of leaders.”

Additionally, Cox hosted 21CL’s Youth Ambassadors at their Ponce City Market offices for their meeting in December 2024. While there, students toured the space and learned about Cox’s goal to positively impact 34 million people by 2034. Over 22,000 students and alumni of 21st Century Leaders can be counted in that goal.

As 21st Century Leaders marked their 35th anniversary in 2024, Cox Enterprises continues to support the organization as a legacy partner, intersecting leadership, technology and inclusion through investment in the Summer Youth Leadership Institute (SYLI) and STEM+21CLubs, as an employer of 21Cl alumni, and as a gold sponsor for 21CL’s annual fundraising gala, Be the Inspiration Gala, which took place on March 15, 2025 at Zoo Atlanta.

Written by Nicole Smith, Dir. of Programs & Communications, 21st Century Leaders (21CL Alumna)

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21CL Launches STEM Leadership Program with Science ATL

Nicole Meadows — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 00:21:44 +0000

https://scienceatl.org/launch-stem-leadership-program/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21ST CENTURY LEADERS AND SCIENCE ATL LAUNCHES STEM LEADERSHIP PROGRAM ACROSS METRO ATLANTA HIGH SCHOOLS

Partners with Cox Enterprises

ATLANTA (September 8, 2021)– 21st Century Leaders (21CL) and Science ATL, in partnership with Cox Enterprises, have launched a STEM leadership program for metro Atlanta high school students.

The collaborative program will include a version of 21CL’s school-based program tailored for STEM and Science ATL’s Chief Science Officers program. It will also include a self-guided online STEM Leadership curriculum module within 21CLs’ Leadership Connect®. This online platform is housed on 21CL’s partnering company, Rali, an Atlanta-based learning management system.

21CL and Science ATL will launch five STEM+21CLubs across Metro Atlanta counties and school districts for the 2021-2022 school year including:

Banneker High School in Fulton County
Forest Park High School in Clayton County
South Cobb High School in Cobb County
South Paulding High School in Paulding County
Tucker High School in DeKalb County

Each STEM+21CLub will serve up to 25 students throughout the school year while engaging the larger student body through STEM-focused and student-led service projects, leadership forums, career coaches, and leadership and STEM online curriculum. Following this pilot year, the program’s goal is to open up to additional schools throughout Georgia for the 2022-23 school year.

“Every young person, no matter their background, has the ability and the potential to become a leader in their school, community and ultimately the workforce. They just need the opportunity, resources, and confidence to believe it,” said Kate Hewitt, executive director of 21st Century Leaders. “We’re grateful for partners like Science ATL, Cox Enterprises, and our five piloted high schools who recognize and believe in that same vision.”

The new program builds on the strengths of Science ATL’s Georgia Chief Science Officers program that empowers youth to lead STEM enrichment activities in their communities. It also leverages 21CL’s 33-year history of year-round youth leadership development programs that collectively connect, transform and inspire students to embrace diversity, explore career opportunities and develop as leaders. The impact of the program, while measurable in real-time, will also provide long-term impact results with employability skills, enhanced college and career readiness, scholarship opportunities, and internship and professional connections.

“Partnering with 21st Century Leaders is a great way to broaden access to STEM careers and to empower more youth to use STEM to make the world a better place,” said Jordan Rose, executive co-director of Science ATL. “I am so proud of the two student leaders from our Chief Science Officer program who helped to develop the new STEM curriculum for 21CL’s Leadership Connect platform – what a great example of youth voice in action!”

Cox Enterprises’ funding, along with support from the United Way and Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, will help ensure these opportunities come at no cost to the students while also providing financial support to the partner schools and faculty members overseeing the STEM+21CLubs.

About 21st Century Leaders
21st Century Leaders® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that connects, transforms, and inspires high school students from diverse backgrounds across Georgia to leverage diversity, explore career opportunities, and become leaders in their school, community, and ultimately the workforce. Since inception in 1989, 21st Century Leaders has served more than 16,000 diverse high school students from over 250 Georgia high schools through year-round leadership development, diversity and inclusion training and career exploration programs. For more information about 21st Century Leaders, visit www.21stcenturyleaders.org.

About Science ATL
Science ATL Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing people together through the wonder of science. Our mission is to cultivate an equitable community of lifelong learners across metro Atlanta who are connected and inspired by the wonder of science. Through public events like the Atlanta Science Festival, and community-building initiatives like the Georgia Chief Science Officers youth leadership program and the STEM Professional School Partnership program, we are improving access to STEM/STEAM learning opportunities and building community around science. Learn more at http://scienceatl.org.

Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is dedicated to building a better future through our leading communications, automotive and media companies. Our major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Automotive, and we are strategically investing in new industries and emerging technologies, with sizeable interests in clean technology and health care. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Cox is a global company with nearly $20 billion in annual revenues and brands that include Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book and Cox Homelife. Founded in 1898 by Ohio Governor James M. Cox, the company is a family-owned business committed to its people, communities and planet. To learn more about Cox, visit coxenterprises.com, view our collective impact report at coxcsrreport.com, or follow us on Twitter via @CoxEnterprises or @AlexTaylor_Cox.

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