As we reach the final weeks of 2025, I’ve found myself reflecting on what it means to lead, to
serve, and to stay rooted in values during a year that asked all of us to navigate more transition than any of us planned for. Change has been constant. Shifts in policy and political landscapes, funding climates, community needs, and organizational structures have been invitation after invitation to pause, listen, and adapt.
At NEW, we’ve experienced our own version of this. Earlier this year, we celebrated a leadership transition as Yodit concluded her tenure and Will officially stepped into the role of CEO on July 1. Watching this transition unfold has been a great reminder that change, when held with intention and care, can expand a legacy rather than replace it. The programs and partnerships that grew under Yodit’s leadership continue to evolve under Will’s, and seeing the NEW team carry both continuity and innovation at the same time has been a powerful demonstration.
This year reaffirmed something foundational about who we are: it is the way we choose to show up. NEW exists to inspire and equip mission-driven people, organizations, and communities to realize their visions of a just and thriving society. That calling sits at the intersection of possibility and responsibility and in 2025, we lived deeply into that intersection.
I saw our values in motion everywhere: in the humanity-centered ways our team supported
leaders; in the justice-rooted conversations happening in learning communities; in collaborations that stretched across sectors and lived experiences; in relationships that formed out of solidarity; in growth that came from being both courageous and curious; in liberation-minded dreams that refused to shrink even when the world felt heavy.
We saw it in organizations we serve who are strengthening their governance, expanding their
impact, and building cultures that reflect the communities they are accountable to. We saw it in emerging leaders stepping into their power, in longtime partners trying new approaches, in
boards and staff teams asking bigger questions about equity and sustainability. We saw it in the quiet victories and in the bold ones.
If I had to describe 2025 in a word, I might choose becoming. It was a year that stretched us,
invited us to think differently, and reminded us that transformation is rarely linear. It was a year that taught us how to honor what was while making room for what is emerging and how to embrace transitions as crossroads rather than disruptions.
As we look toward 2026, I’m encouraged because we are stronger and more grounded than we
were a year ago. I’m encouraged because NEW is not merely responding to change; we are
helping shape the future with clear values as our guide.
My hope for this community as the year ends is that we carry forward everything we’ve learned: that humanity is a practice, that justice is a direction, that collaboration is essential, that relationships are strategy, that growth comes from curiosity, and that liberation requires
imagination.
Thank you to everyone who walked alongside NEW this year- our staff, partners, donors, funders, advocates, and friends. Your belief in this work, and in us, has been a steady anchor in a shifting world.
Here’s to the transitions that grew us, the lessons that shaped us, and the future we are building, together.
— Ebony L. Robinson
Mission Circle (Board) Chair, NEW
