Former AmeriCorps Director Sonali Nijhawan Joins the Volcker Alliance as a Paul A. Volcker Public Service Fellow
Volcker Alliance Supports Nijhawan's Vision to Transform National Service Alumni into Lifelong Civic Leaders
New York, NY – The Volcker Alliance today announced that Sonali Nijhawan, immediate past Director of AmeriCorps, has joined the organization as a Paul A. Volcker Public Service Fellow. The Alliance will support Nijhawan as she activates and mobilizes the AmeriCorps alumni network to help reinvigorate national service in the United States. Nijhawan will serve concurrently as a Paul A. Volcker Public Service Fellow at the Volcker Alliance and Policy Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation.
Since its founding in 1993, AmeriCorps—America's landmark domestic national service program—has engaged over 1.4 million members who have served in communities across the country. Nijhawan will explore how to cohere this robust network, harnessing the collective experience, skills, and leadership of AmeriCorps alumni to strengthen the nation's social fabric. Through her fellowship, she aims to position national service as a catalyst for civic renewal and democratic engagement, mobilizing alumni to help rebuild trust, connection, and a shared sense of purpose across communities.
AmeriCorps members commit to at least 1 year of national service, dedicating themselves to work that strengthens communities and advances the common good. Being embedded in communities, wrestling with the hopes and challenges that exist in every corner of America, creates a lifelong lens through which alumni understand their country and their role in strengthening it.
"AmeriCorps alumni represent the best of us," said Nijhawan, herself the first program alum appointed to lead AmeriCorps. "They know what it means to serve, to listen, and to lead from the ground up. This moment is about unlocking that potential – transforming the lessons of service into a lifelong commitment to strengthening our communities and renewing our shared civic life.”
Nijhawan's career exemplifies the transformative power of national service. Beginning as an AmeriCorps member with City Year Chicago, she later joined the founding team of City Year Sacramento, served as the California Director of Education Pioneers, where she recruited and supported managers in urban school systems and education nonprofits. More recently, she partnered with former Mayor Michael Tubbs to develop and lead Stockton Service Corps, a groundbreaking six-year, $12 million investment that mobilized AmeriCorps members to expand opportunity in the city of Stockton, California. She also held a senior fellowship with the EdRedesign Lab, contributing her expertise in place-based strategies to strengthen pathways to economic and social mobility.
“AmeriCorps alumni have the passion, experience, and public service values our country needs right now,” said Sara Mogulescu, president of the Volcker Alliance. “I'm confident Sonali can mobilize this network in innovative ways that help shape the future of public service.”
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