21st Century Leaders Celebrates 35-Year Partnership with Cox Enterprises
(Atlanta, GA) – For 35 years and counting, Cox Enterprises has been supporting and partnering with 21st Century Leaders (21CL) to invest in youth leadership across the state of Georgia. In three and a half decades, this legacy partnership has served over 20,000 of Georgia’s high school students with workforce readiness, career exploration, and leadership development opportunities through employee-led training, workshops, curriculum, and school-based STEM clubs.
In 1989, a cohort of business leaders established 21st Century Leaders (known as the Georgia Business Forum until 1996) in response to an identified need in the workforce: to prepare diverse, young talent to take on leadership roles in the workplace. Over the years, 21st Century Leaders has solidified its reputation as Georgia’s premier youth leadership development organization. Through collaborations with corporate partners like Cox, high school students of all backgrounds and communities have access to high-level leaders, value-driven training, and insight into talent development trends and foreplanning that position them to succeed in their various career pathways.
“21st Century Leaders is celebrating 35 years of inspiring and empowering Georgia’s future STEAM leaders, and Cox is proud to be a part of this milestone. We are thrilled to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving world,” says Maury Wolfe, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Social Impact, Cox Enterprises. “Through 21CL, we are advancing our mission to empower 34 million people by 2034. Together, we are shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for Georgia’s youth.”
In 21CL’s early years, Cox employees helped develop the leadership training curriculum that continues to be relevant today for young leaders preparing to enter the workforce. Today, Cox supports 21CL in a variety of capacities and initiatives while committing to year-round employee engagement. Cox’s 21CL board position is currently held by Michael White, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources Business Partner, who serves as the Board Effectiveness Committee Chair. Now, over 60 Cox employees engage in volunteer opportunities with 21CL each year to invest in youth leadership, STEM education, and talent development.
Cox has been a consistent collaborator at 21CL’s Summer Youth Leadership Institute (SYLI), providing opportunities for students to learn from employees in panels, workshops, and networking groups, and more recently hosting 80 students at Manheim Atlanta (a Cox Automotive business) to learn about careers, leadership, AI and robotics in the automotive industry. Through a resource ecosystem between 21CL, Cox Enterprises, and Science ATL developed in 2021, Cox supports 21CL’s school-based STEM+21CLubs, which give high school students the opportunities to serve their community and provide career exploration and leadership development for their peers, through a STEM-focused lens. Cox will support 10 STEM + 21CLubs, impacting over 200 students directly, in the 2025-2026 school year.
“Cox Enterprises has been a pillar of support and innovation in our mission for over 35 years,” says Kate Hewitt, Executive Director at 21st Century Leaders. “Their long-standing commitment to empower and invest in Georgia’s youth through leadership development, STEM education, and career exploration has helped shape the futures of thousands of students across the state. We’re proud of our partnership that exemplifies what it means to invest in the next generation of leaders.”
Additionally, Cox hosted 21CL’s Youth Ambassadors at their Ponce City Market offices for their meeting in December 2024. While there, students toured the space and learned about Cox’s goal to positively impact 34 million people by 2034. Over 22,000 students and alumni of 21st Century Leaders can be counted in that goal.
As 21st Century Leaders marked their 35th anniversary in 2024, Cox Enterprises continues to support the organization as a legacy partner, intersecting leadership, technology and inclusion through investment in the Summer Youth Leadership Institute (SYLI) and STEM+21CLubs, as an employer of 21Cl alumni, and as a gold sponsor for 21CL’s annual fundraising gala, Be the Inspiration Gala, which took place on March 15, 2025 at Zoo Atlanta.
Written by Nicole Smith, Dir. of Programs & Communications, 21st Century Leaders (21CL Alumna)
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