IOP Emerging Leaders

IOP Emerging Leaders is an initiative to uplift a select group of emerging leaders 14 to 25 years old who have made a significant contribution in politics and public service. IOP Emerging Leaders will be brought to Harvard University in April for a multi-day program to engage with Harvard faculty, staff, and students, as well as prominent leaders in politics and public service, to share their work and expand upon it moving forward.

Meet our Spring 2022 cohort here! Should you have any questions, please check our FAQ page or contact Kevin Ballen at kballen@college.harvard.edu.

Batouly Camara, 25, New York, New York

Batouly Camara is a native New Yorker with family roots in Guinea, West Africa. She founded and now leads Women and Kids Empowerment (W.A.K.E), a non-profit organization addressing girls' empowerment and women's sports, education, and social entrepreneurship. Camara & W.A.K.E. give young girls opportunities and resources, and created the first all-girls basketball academy in Guinea to provide girls with the resources needed to play basketball, including professional development training and scholarships. Camara is a TedX and international speaker, published author, professional basketball player, Forbes Sports 30 Under 30 Honoree, and 2020 ESPYs Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award Winner. Camara played basketball at both the University of Kentucky and the University of Connecticut as a top recruit coming out of high school.

Kellen Hoard, 18, Kirkland, Washington

Kellen Hoard is a high school student and the former Chair of the Washington Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC), where he spearheaded the conception, writing, lobbying, and passage of a state law that expanded accessibility to behavioral health resources for 1.1 million students. He coordinated the lobbying of 106 legislators in order to pass 8 laws, helped LYAC partner with nearly 200 organizations to improve their advocacy, and testified in the House and Senate Education committees. Beyond LYAC, he has served as Campaign Manager, Field Director, intern, and volunteer for 8 national, state, and local campaigns.

Zoë Jenkins, 18, Lexington, Kentucky

Zoë Jenkins is an empathy and education practitioner who founded DICCE, an initiative which creates curriculum and resources for Generation Z to be more culturally responsive, empathetic, and equity-driven. Jenkins has facilitated workshops with various groups including Stanford's d.school and The Nobel Prize, and has been featured in The Washington Post and NPR's All Things Considered. Jenkins is also the founder of the Get Schooled podcast and is an advisor for the Kentucky Student Voice Team, an organization elevating Kentucky students as partners in education research, policy, and decision-making. Jenkins is a first-year student at the University of Virginia.

Marcus McNeill, 18, Boston, Massachusetts

Marcus McNeill is a high school senior from Boston who was appointed to serve on the Transition Committee and as an advisor to the mayor of the City, Michelle Wu. As the youngest person to ever be appointed to serve on a Mayoral Transition Committee in Boston, McNeill was involved in key decision-making conversations and used his love of advocacy to bring youth voices into City Hall during his time on the Committee. In McNeill's previous role as the Chairperson of the Student Superintendent Executive Cabinet, he served as a direct advisor to the Superintendent and the Chief Financial Officer and provided counsel and guidance on district priorities.

David Nelson, 25, Anchorage, Alaska

David Nelson is the youngest state legislator in Alaska, representing Muldoon, Creekside Park, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. In 2021, he authored the Military and Family Employment Act (HB 125) which extends Alaska's employment preference for veterans to military spouses and the dependent children of service members killed in the line of duty. His House Joint Resolution 16, which gives recognition to the Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War, passed unanimously. Nelson graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2018 and joined the Alaska Army National Guard as a Second Lieutenant, and serves as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Officer for the 1-207th Aviation Battalion on JBER.

Anna Siegel, 15, Portland, Maine

Anna Siegel is a climate justice activist and high school student who is a core member of Maine Youth for Climate Justice and Maine Youth Action. Her accomplishments include coordinating the 2019 global climate strikes throughout Maine, serving on the Emergency Management Working Group of the Governor's Maine Climate Council, passing climate emergency declarations in half a dozen municipalities, and partnering with Representative Maggie O'Neil to develop and successfully pass LD 99, An Act to Divest the State From Fossil Fuels.

Lily Joy Winder, 19, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Lily Joy Winder is a Diné and Southern Ute activist attending Stanford University. She currently has a following of 260,000 people on TikTok (@sheshortnbrown) for her Native activism. Recently, Winder has been focusing on her campaign #PeopleNotMascots to get rid of offensive Native mascots in United States public high schools. Winder plans on dedicating the rest of her life to working on shedding light on Native experiences, cultures, and people.