This week Charli is joined by Delores Morton of Step Up. Delores is the chief executive officer of Step Up, the nonprofit that guides girls, and those who identify with girlhood, to their success. Under Delores’s leadership, Step Up supports high school girls and young women ages 18-29 in becoming confident, connected and career-focused through free mentorship programs. Delores is an accomplished nonprofit executive with more than 20 years of experience designing and leading creative enterprises that make a lasting difference. Since joining Step Up as CEO, Delores masterfully navigated the nonprofit through pandemic challenges to adopt a new 5-year strategic vision and expand Step Up's mentorship programs to girls nationwide. She also unveiled programs and supports for young women ages 18-29, marking the first time the organization offered structured services for those who had already graduated from high school. During her tenure, Delores expanded Step Up’s on-campus mentorship model to soon-to-be eight markets nationwide, including reestablishing Step Up’s presence in Atlanta and growing to Nashville, Houston and San Francisco. She also secured the organization’s first federal funding with a $400,000 grant from AmeriCorps, which enables Step Up to leverage the power of volunteers and bolster its mentor training and engagement infrastructure. Prior to joining Step Up in 2019, she served as vice president for the West region of City Year. At City Year, Delores supported the organization’s efforts to improve graduation rates by preparing students with the social, emotional, and academic skills and mindsets to succeed in school and in life. Before City Year, Delores was the chief program officer for Points of Light, where she designed and delivered programs that mobilized thousands of volunteers to meet education, economic opportunity, emergency response and preparedness needs in communities. Throughout her career, Delores has helped Fortune 500 companies drive their philanthropic platforms, including L'Oreal's Women of Worth and Walt Disney Company's Give A Day Get a Disney Day, and was honored by President Barack Obama as a 2012 Champion of Change. A Louisiana native, Delores splits her time between Atlanta and Step Up's headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature and a graduate degree in human resource management. For media requests, speaking engagements, and event invitations for Delores Druilhet Morton, please contact Executive Director of Communications Alissa Zito Cruz at alissa@suwn.org. Find us @EmpoweringPumps on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter and using the hashtag #EmpoweringIndustryPodcast or via email podcast@empoweringpumps.com
