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About the Leader
Verneé Green is the Chief Executive Officer of Mikva Challenge, a national civic education nonprofit which develops youth to be empowered, informed, and engaged citizens. Verneé has over 25 years experience in the education and nonprofit sectors, and has been at Mikva Challenge since 2018. Verneé holds a Bachelor's from Illinois Wesleyan University and a Master's from the University of Chicago's Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy & Practice. Verneé is a fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago, a member of EdLoc, and was a recipient of The CAFE Group's 1954 Project's Beacon Award in 2022.
About the Work
Mikva Challenge is a national, nonpartisan organization that equips young people with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experiences needed to become informed and engaged civic leaders. We do this by providing training and resources to educators that help them create classrooms where students engage deeply, think independently, and participate collaboratively. We also work directly with youth, engaging them in experiential learning processes where they learn democracy by doing democracy.
THE 1954 PROJECT
Investing in Durable Leadership & Institutions
The 1954 Project identifies visionary education leaders whose work is strengthening Black communities and invests in them and what they are building with significant, flexible capital and long-term relationship.
Named for the year of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, The 1954 Project honors that promise by backing leaders closest to the work with resources that follow their vision.
This is philanthropy shaped by trust in leaders and commitment to what they’re building.
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