RECOGNIZING 20 YEARS OF IMPACT WITH NOTABLE HONOREES TREVOR NOAH, AMERICAN EXPRESS' ANR´E WILLIAMS, BLUE OWL AND THEIR CO-FOUNDER MICHAEL REES
NEW YORK, March 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 3rd, 2023 The Opportunity Network (OppNet) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 16th annual Night of Opportunity Gala, honoring and celebrating OppNet Fellows and industry leaders who have committed to expanding inclusion, opportunity, and access in critical ways. This fundraising event will highlight OppNet's mission to close the opportunity gap that exists for students of color that have been historically underrepresented.
Celebrating 20 years of impact, this year's Gala Honorees include Comedian, best-selling author, producer, and philanthropist, Trevor Noah; Anré Williams, CEO, American Express National Bank & Group President, Enterprise Services, American Express; and Blue Owl and Michael Rees, Co-Founder and Co-President of Blue Owl and OppNet Board Member.
"We have been working for 20 years to ensure that our students have access to every resource and social capital to thrive," said AiLun Ku, President and CEO of The Opportunity Network. "Not only do we create opportunities but have been working hard to break down the systemic barriers that stand in our students' way. We are proud of our 20 years of impact and have bold goals for the 20 years ahead."
Since its founding in 2003 by Jessica Pliska and Brian Weinstein, President and COO of Bad Robot Productions, The Opportunity Network has been working directly with students, educators, and employers to ensure young people of color from historically marginalized communities across the US, thrive in high school, college, and as they launch their careers. Since welcoming the first Fellows cohort of 10 New York City high school sophomores 20 years ago, OppNet now serves 1,100 students citywide and – since 2011 – tens of thousands nationwide annually.
"For two decades, OppNet has enabled first-generation college students to chart a successful career path – it's a mission I feel deeply connected to," said Anré Williams, CEO, American Express National Bank & Group President, Enterprise Services, American Express. "I'm proud to be honored alongside Trevor and Michael and look forward to working with OppNet to ensure talented young people get the powerful backing they deserve."
"Every OppNet student I meet further deepens my commitment to the organization. It is for this reason that I am invested in growing its impact and expanding its internship program so that even more OppNet students can bring their immense talents to the alternative investment industry. I'm proud of Blue Owl's leadership and humbled to be recognized among this year's esteemed honorees," said Michael Rees, Co-Founder and Co-President of Blue Owl.
OppNet's Gala is its most impactful night of the year, raising critical funds to support its work and bringing together a strong network of a thousand individual supporters and corporate partners. More than 800 guests attended the 2022 Gala and raised a record-breaking $3.6 million dollars in support of expanding OppNet's mission of closing the opportunity gap and scaling the impact of that work to serve as many young people of color as possible.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY NETWORK
Since OppNet was founded in 2003, they have remained committed to igniting the drive, curiosity, and agency of underrepresented students on their paths to and through college and into thriving careers. As a result, 92% of OppNet Fellows have graduated college – 90% of whom will be the first in their families to do so – and 89% have started meaningful careers or graduate study within six months of graduation, all far exceeding national trends. Through its founding NYC-based Fellows program as well as its national capacity-building partnerships with 100+ schools and youth-serving nonprofits across the country, OppNet has helped more than 150,000+ young people chart their self-determined path to and through college and to a best-fit career. For more information on The Opportunity Network visit https://opportunitynetwork.org/.
