Floyd, Donald T., Jr.

Donald T. Floyd Jr. has been associated with innovative leadership of youth-serving nonprofits for more than 30 years. In his current leadership role as president and CEO of National 4-H Council, Floyd provides facilitative stewardship of the organization. National 4-H Council is the private sector, nonprofit partner of America's largest and most diverse youth organization, 4-H, serving more than 7 million young people. The mission of National 4-H Council is “to advance the 4-H youth development movement building a world in which youth and adults learn, grow and work together as catalysts for positive change.” Floyd works diligently to ensure that the council's mission honors shared leadership and supports the National 4-H Strategic Plan.

Under Floyd's leadership, National 4-H Council led 4-H in the “National Conversation on Youth Development in the 21st Century” and created the nation's first national action agenda for youth policy. The Conversations engaged 50,000 young adults of various ages and backgrounds from all 50 states and Puerto Rico and resulted in the most comprehensive [Page 474]and inclusive national youth agenda ever produced. In addition to his significant role in the success of the National Conversation, Floyd effectively positioned 4-H in the national spotlight throughout the centennial year by garnering media attention across the country in prime markets, such as 4-H's appearance on the CBS Saturday Early Show.

4-H is a pioneer in the after-school arena. More than 4.2 million youth participate in 4-H after-school programs. Floyd serves on the National 4-H Afterschool Leadership Team, focusing on building an infrastructure for after-school programming in every county in the nation and having the necessary tools in place to make 4-H Afterschool a premier program. With the introduction of “4-H Afterschool in a Box,” which was unveiled at the National 4-H Afterschool Roll-Out Conference in April 2003, Floyd said, “The 4-H movement takes a major stride toward ensuring greater access, equity, and opportunity for all youth.” The 4-H Afterschool initiative is just one example of today's 4-H movement, for which Floyd actively seeks partners to engage in and support after-school programming.

Prior to joining National 4-H Council in 1991, Floyd spent 2 years as a full-time dad caring for his two young children following the death of their mother. For 17 years, he held local and national-level jobs with Junior Achievement (an international nonprofit teaching economics and business to youth). His career started as an executive director in Reading, Pennsylvania. In 1976, he moved to the National Junior Achievement office to lead Junior Achievement's first venture into classroom-based programming. That middle school program is today Junior Achievement's largest program. Floyd also led the resurgence of Junior Achievement in New York City, and as national executive vice president, he led major areas of expansion, including their international program.

In addition to Floyd's innovative leadership, he volunteers his time to work with emerging youth movements in order to share learning about innovative organizational designs and to encourage collaboration, clarity of purpose, and significant learning and impact. He is on the board of directors of the National Center for Small Communities and is a trustee at Albright College. He serves on the International Leaders Committee for the Applied Developmental Sciences Institute, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, Tufts University, and in April 2001, Floyd was one of six inaugural recipients of the International Fellows in Applied Developmental Science Award.

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