LOS ANGELES (July 30, 2019) – Step Up, a leading mentorship organization for teen girls, has named Delores Morton chief executive officer. Morton will be based in the organization's headquarters in Los Angeles and will begin on August 5.
A nonprofit executive with 20 years of experience designing and leading creative enterprises that make a lasting difference, Morton most recently served as vice president for the West region at City Year.
"Each day, we're reminded in countless ways of the importance of Step Up's work to ensure everyone has a seat at the table," Step Up's National Board Chair Barri Rafferty (CEO and president, Ketchum) said. "Delores shares this vision and is committed to growing Step Up's influence and impact, ensuring even more girls have the opportunity to fulfill their potential."
Before her work at City Year, Morton was the chief program officer for Points of Light, where she designed and delivered programs that mobilized thousands of volunteers to meet education, economic opportunity, emergency response and preparedness needs in communities. She helped Fortune 500 companies drive their philanthropic platforms, including L'Oreal's Women of Worth and Walt Disney Company's Give A Day Get a Disney Day, and was honored by President Barack Obama as a 2012 Champion of Change.
"I'm excited to join Step Up at a time when the work is so critical and relevant," Morton said. "It's important that all girls – including girls from our marginalized communities – have opportunities to develop the social emotional skills necessary for graduating high school confident, college-bound and career-focused."
Step Up provides after-school and weekend mentorship to high school girls in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York. The social emotional skill-building programs connect teens with a vast network of professional women, who share access across communities toward a world where girls are ready to become the next generation of leaders.
