PRESS RELEASE: International Youth Foundation Welcomes Christina Sass as New President and CEO, Championing Youth Employment and Global Impact
[BALTIMORE] – The International Youth Foundation (IYF) proudly announces the appointment of Christina Sass as its new President and CEO, effective June 1, 2024. Christina will succeed Susan Reichle, who joined IYF in 2017 and leaves behind a remarkable legacy of transformative leadership.
Christina Sass is a lifelong champion of youth and a fierce advocate for women and diverse leaders across the globe. She brings a wealth of experience in global development and youth employment to her new role at IYF. In 2014, Christina co-founded Andela, an on-ramp to the digital economy for thousands of young technologists across the globe. Christina served as Andela’s COO and President, where she played a pivotal role in scaling Andela to six countries in Africa, selecting, training, and placing developers as full-time team members in growing tech companies around the world. Together with her co-founder, she raised over $181M in venture capital, growing from two people to over 2,000 employees and acquiring 200+ clients, achieving a $50M annual revenue run rate in six years. Today, Andela is the world’s largest private marketplace of skilled technical talent, operating in over 150 countries. Christina has demonstrated her commitment to driving positive change and fostering innovation as an active investor in impact-oriented, early-stage Future of Work companies, both as an angel and through Dive In, a fund which invests and offers extensive executive coaching to founding teams.
Prior to Andela, Christina held pivotal positions at renowned organizations dedicated to advancing education and employment opportunities for youth. Notably, she directed the Program department of the Clinton Global Initiative and provided strategic counsel to the President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation, a $30B global foundation committed to enhancing education and financial inclusion for African youth.
"I am deeply honored to join IYF as President and CEO," said Christina Sass. "IYF has a long-standing reputation of unlocking the potential of young people and driving positive change on a global scale. I am excited to build upon this legacy alongside the dedicated team at IYF to meet this moment for global youth, to create new opportunities, and to foster the next generation of leaders,” she added.
Christina's dedication to youth empowerment extends beyond her professional endeavors. She has built education and employment programs in diverse regions, including China, Gaza and the West Bank, Kenya, and Nigeria, reflecting her commitment to expanding opportunities for young people worldwide. Christina serves on the Advisory Council of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and the board of Global Give Back Circle, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering at-risk adolescent girls.
"We are thrilled to welcome Christina Sass as the new President and CEO of IYF," said IYF Board Chair Joseph M. Matalon, Chairman of ICD Group Holdings. "With her extensive experience in global development, youth empowerment, and innovation, IYF will continue to make a meaningful difference and transform the lives of young people globally," he added.
Christina holds a BA in Ancient Philosophy from the University of Georgia and a MA in International Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
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About IYF
The International Youth Foundation® (IYF®) stands by, for, and with young people. Founded in 1990 through a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, IYF is a global nonprofit with programs directly benefiting 8.1 million young people and operations spanning 100 countries so far. Together with local community-based organizations and a network of corporate, foundation, and multilateral partners, we connect young people with opportunities to transform their lives. We believe that educated, employed, engaged young people possess the power to solve the world’s toughest problems, and we focus our youth development efforts on three linked objectives: unlocking agency, driving economic opportunity, and making systems more inclusive. Our vision is to see young people inspired and equipped to realize the future they want. The International Youth Foundation: Transforming Lives, Together. To learn more about the International Youth Foundation, please join us at iyfglobal.org.
