Alexis Nicholson earns the 2020 YUSA 30 Under 30 Award

The 30 Under 30 program seeks to identify and formally acknowledge 30 full-time YMCA leaders under the age of 30 for their accomplishments and recognize their potential to lead the many Y Associations in the coming decades. Winners are selected from 220 nominees representing more than 70 Y associations to be honored by the Emerging Leaders Resource Network. Through our Commitment to America, the Y is working to develop new generations of changemakers who will create communities we all want to live in. This is a commitment not only to the young people we engage through programming and services but also to young Y staff nationwide.

Alexis Nicholson is a communications enthusiast, servant leader, and unrelenting advocate for positive changes in our community. In her role as the Act Six Spokane Program Supervisor for the YMCA, Alexis leads the recruitment, selection, training, and ongoing support components of the Act Six Leadership Scholarship, in collaboration with the National Act Six Network and staff at partner universities. This position gives her the opportunity to serve and support high school and college students through leadership training, academic evaluation, and mentorship. In the first two years of work as the Act Six Program Supervisor, Nicholson made great strides in an effort to revamp the Act Six program with accessibility in mind. This included building a relationship with new community partners to further engage marginalized groups.

In the wake of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Alexis continued to work with her Act Six partners to provide support for all students and search for additional resources to help support their COVID-related needs. She successfully adapted the 6-month Act Six Leadership Training for virtual platforms with a condensed syllabus, featuring key lessons and life skills, and virtual workshops led by Act Six alumni and some of the community’s most influential voices. She has also partnered with network leaders to gather grants and direct funding for students facing financial, housing, and food insecurity. Alexis serves as the Chapter VP of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., hosts a weekly podcast serves as the Director of Marketing and Social Media for Restoration Church and supports the National Hydrocephalus Association.