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Annual Conference

YANA has been producing its major conference and fundraising event since 2016.

🗓️ Mark your calendars for October 24, 2025! Join us at the Yale Club of New York City for YANA’s Social Impact Conference and Generation to Generation Awards Luncheon. Get ready to connect, learn, and celebrate changemakers across generations.

Join us for a content-rich day of learning, inspiration, and connection. Discover key strategies for navigating change, strengthening financial sustainability, engaging volunteers, and driving impact through nonprofit and private partnerships.

Gain insights from dynamic leaders, engage in thought-provoking panel discussions, and expand your network with Yale alumni and nonprofit professionals dedicated to mission-driven work — and leave empowered with fresh strategies to enhance your organization’s resilience and effectiveness.

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Conference Keynote
Dr. Elizabeth Alexander ’84

Dr. Elizabeth Alexander '84

President of The Mellon Foundation photo by Sharif Hamza

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Elizabeth Alexander ’84, President of the Mellon Foundation, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s YANA Social Impact Conference.

A Voice for Our Time

Dr. Alexander is a nationally recognized thought leader on race, justice, and American society whose work spans poetry, memoir, and cultural criticism. Her powerful voice has shaped national conversations on some of our most pressing social issues.

As the author or co-author of fifteen books, Dr. Alexander has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize—for poetry with American Sublime and for biography with her 2015 New York Times bestselling memoir The Light of the World. Many will remember her stirring composition and delivery of “Praise Song for the Day” at President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, a moment that captured the hope and complexity of American identity.

Her latest work, The Trayvon Generation (2022), examines how racial violence and the ongoing struggle for justice have shaped a generation of young people—themes that resonate deeply with YANA’s mission of creating meaningful social impact.

Yale Roots, Global Impact

Dr. Alexander holds a BA from Yale University, along with an MA from Boston University and a PhD in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently serves on the boards of Lincoln Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and the Pulitzer Prize, and has been recognized as one of Time‘s 100 Most Influential People.

Her keynote promises to challenge and inspire as we explore how mission-driven leaders can create lasting change in today’s world.

Generation to Generation Honorees

2025 Honorees

Khalid Cannon '17

President, Put Me In!

Khalid Cannon is the President and Chief Program Officer of Put Me In!, a national nonprofit expanding access to youth sports for children of incarcerated parents. A Gadsden, Alabama native, Khalid graduated from Yale with degrees in chemistry and geology, where he was a three-year football starter. After working as a strategy consultant, he co-founded Put Me In! in 2020. His commitment to building a more equitable future for justice-impacted youth is deeply informed by his own experience as the child of an incarcerated parent. Under his leadership, Put Me In! has scaled from a regional pilot to a national program providing long-term support to nearly 200 children nationwide. Khalid has become a recognized voice in youth development and sports equity, appearing on national platforms to elevate the stories of children affected by incarceration. His journey to nonprofit leadership demonstrates how community support and lived experience foster resilience, embodying our belief that we are truly stronger together.

Jonathan Fanton '65, M.Phil. '77, Ph.D. '78

Former President, MacArthur Foundation

A distinguished American historian and leader, Dr. Jonathan Fanton has dedicated his career to advancing knowledge, supporting vulnerable communities, and promoting institutional excellence. The YANA Generation-to-Generation Award recognizes his extraordinary commitment to education, human rights, and social impact.

As President Emeritus of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and former President of the MacArthur Foundation and The New School for Social Research, Jonathan Fanton has consistently championed transformative initiatives. His leadership extends beyond institutional roles, with significant board service for critical organizations including Human Rights Watch and Scholars At Risk. Dr. Fanton’s academic credentials, including a B.A. and Ph.D. in American History from Yale University, complement his profound commitment to social justice.

Currently serving on multiple boards focused on refugee support, international education, and global exchange, he continues to drive meaningful change across diverse sectors. His remarkable journey reflects a lifelong dedication to bridging academic insight with practical solutions, making him an exemplary embodiment of the Generation-to-Generation Award’s vision of thoughtful, impactful leadership.

Mariko Silver '99

President & CEO, Lincoln Center for Performing Arts

Dr. Mariko Silver brings exceptional vision through her transformative nonprofit leadership spanning arts, education, and philanthropy. As Lincoln Center’s twelfth president, she champions the arts as a unifying force and strives to make world-class artistic programming accessible to all.

Her distinguished career showcases mission-driven leadership as President and CEO of the Henry Luce Foundation, where she established initiatives supporting Democracy, Ethics, and Public Trust while doubling funding commitments to Indigenous communities. As President of Bennington College, she secured the institution’s largest endowment gift and developed partnerships with premier arts institutions worldwide.

Mariko’s expertise bridges cultural advancement, educational innovation, and philanthropic impact. She currently serves on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations, MASS MoCA and the Migration Policy Institute. A Yale alumna with advanced degrees from the University of Sussex and UCLA, Dr. Silver exemplifies visionary nonprofit leadership that cultivates creativity and fosters community engagement across diverse mission areas.