At a moment of inequality and division, who is advancing the vanguard of economic and social progress to bolster under-served communities? Whose work is fostering the inclusive growth that ensures every individual thrives? Who will set the ambitious standards that mobilize whole industries, challenging their peers to reach new altitudes of social impact?
In 2025, Impact Next — an editorial flagship series from NationSwell — will spotlight the standard-bearing corporate social responsibility and impact leaders, entrepreneurs, experts, and philanthropists whose catalytic work has the potential to shape the landscape of progress amid urgent need for social and economic action.
For this installment, NationSwell interviewed Jennifer Blatz, president and CEO of StriveTogether.
NationSwell: What brought you into this field of work? Was there a moment, a relationship, or an experience that galvanized your commitment to driving bold action?
Jennifer Blatz, president and CEO of StriveTogether: For me, this work is deeply personal — it truly feels like my life’s work. I’m the first in my family to go to college, and education was my ticket to economic mobility. Like many first-generation students, I felt a responsibility to do something important, so initially planned to go to law school. But along the way, I discovered a passion for supporting other first-gen students at the University of Kentucky, a large land-grant institution with many students like me. An advisor encouraged me to consider a career in higher education and student affairs, which opened the door to pursuing this work as a practitioner.
That path eventually led me to StriveTogether’s predecessor organization, where I focused on college access and attainment. Through that work, I came to understand how systems are structured to produce the outcomes they deliver — and how often those outcomes are deeply inequitable. Recognizing this is what ultimately drew me to broader systems-change work, and to ensuring that all young people have a real path to economic mobility.
NationSwell: Looking back at the scope of your career, how have your thinking, strategies, or leadership philosophies evolved over the course of your leadership journey?
Blatz, StriveTogether: One of the biggest evolutions in my thinking has been realizing that good programs alone aren’t enough. Early in my career as a practitioner, I worked on evidence-based initiatives like GEAR UP and TRIO that delivered incredible results for students — but only for a limited number. To truly address the country’s most intractable challenges, we have to pair strong programs with a systems-level strategy. That recognition shifted my focus toward influencing policy and transforming structures so outcomes can improve at scale.
Equally important is understanding the role of community and place. Early work across Ohio showed me how context matters: What students in cities like Cincinnati, Cleveland, or Toledo needed was very different from what was required in Appalachian or rural communities. Strong supports must be responsive to local realities, and systems change has to be rooted in the specific needs of each community. Together, systems and place-based approaches have become central to how I think about driving social and economic mobility at scale.
NationSwell: As someone who sees services being delivered across both rural and urban contexts, what are the similarities and differences in their needs?
Blatz, StriveTogether: At the core, families in both urban and rural communities want the same thing: for their children to thrive and reach their full potential. But rural communities face unique challenges: One recurring concern we hear is the “brain drain” that happens when young people leave for college and don’t return, which makes creating opportunities for education, work, and quality of life in rural areas especially critical. Another key difference is resources: Philanthropy often overlooks rural communities, which means they rely much more heavily on county, state, and federal funding. Cuts to public programs can be especially devastating when there’s no philanthropic safety net to help fill the gap.
That said, partnerships across urban and rural contexts can be powerful: For example, in Kentucky, the Appalachian Cradle to Career Partnership, supported by Partners for Rural Impact, joined forces with the Urban League of Louisville to advocate for state policy. By presenting a united front across rural and urban lines, they successfully passed legislation that benefited students statewide. Collaborations like this show that while the contexts may differ, bridging urban and rural perspectives is essential to advancing equitable policy and ensuring opportunity for all young people.
NationSwell: What’s defining the current social and economic environment that we’re in — what are the trends that you’re currently seeing, and what’s giving you hope?
Blatz, StriveTogether: I’m optimistic because I see incredible work happening in local communities. Time and again, people come together around shared priorities to support young people and families, often bridging divides that dominate national headlines. While polarization and divisiveness get much of the media’s focus, on the ground we consistently witness collaboration to improve outcomes.
What gives me pause are broader trends like the privatization of education, which often leads to greater inequities and lacks accountability when compared to public schools. At the federal level, program rollbacks and a push toward privatization create real risks. Yet at the same time, I see governors, mayors, and state leaders across the political spectrum investing in more equitable, systems-driven solutions. Many are working to expand economic opportunity through job growth, career pathways, and policies that help young people thrive.
So even amid competing forces — federal retrenchment on one side and state and local innovation on the other — I remain hopeful. The real progress is being driven at the community level, where collaboration and shared commitment to young people continue to point the way forward.
NationSwell: Is there a particular program, signature initiative, or some facet of the work that you would like to spotlight for us that is driving outcomes for the work?
Blatz, StriveTogether: One initiative I’m especially excited about is StriveTogether’s new Pathways Impact Fund, supported by the Gates and Walton foundations. It’s more than just a fund — it’s an effort to strengthen regional organizations that connect education and workforce systems. The goal is to scale high-quality career pathways for students in grades 9–13, with experiences like dual enrollment, industry credentials, work-based learning, and sustained advising. By aligning education and corporate partners, we can create smoother, more equitable transitions from school to career.
This work reflects an evolution in my own thinking. I came to the field through college access and long believed that postsecondary attainment, whether a two- or four-year degree, was the primary path to opportunity. But innovative pathways models have shown me that apprenticeships, career-connected learning, and credential programs can be just as powerful in setting young people up for success. These pathways not only support academic achievement but also build social capital and belonging — critical factors for economic mobility that our systems have too often overlooked.
With StriveTogether’s data-driven approach, we see how these models can help reverse generations of stagnant mobility in the U.S. Partnering with Gates and Walton, who have long invested in this space, gives us the chance to learn, innovate, and contribute significantly to the field. I’m optimistic this fund will help more young people thrive while reshaping the systems that support them.
NationSwell: What is the North Star of your leadership?
Blatz, StriveTogether: The north star of my leadership is balancing humility and confidence. Having spent most of my career within StriveTogether and its predecessor, I’ve been part of shaping this work from the ground up. That has required the confidence to try new things — even to fail — and the humility to recognize when we don’t have all the answers. Much of this journey has felt like building the plane while flying it, and that’s demanded both boldness and openness to learning.
Recently, as a leadership team, we named “humble confidence” as one of the qualities that makes StriveTogether unique. It means believing we can put millions more young people on a path to economic mobility, while also acknowledging that we’ll need to experiment, fail forward, and continuously adapt along the way.
For me, the central mindset is to believe deeply in what’s possible, but to approach the work with humility, curiosity, and a commitment to ongoing learning. That balance guides how I lead and how I want our organization to grow.
NationSwell: Of the folks in the social or economic sector doing similar work, who are a few of the leaders who inspire you or whom you hold in high esteem?
Blatz, StriveTogether: Two leaders I deeply admire are Roseanne Haggerty of Community Solutions and Dreama Gentry of Partners for Rural Impact. Roseanne embodies what I’d call “humble confidence.” Her organization has boldly declared that homelessness is solvable, and they’ve put a stake in the ground to reach zero—whether that’s ending veteran homelessness in a community or driving systems change nationwide. I admire her clarity, conviction, and the way she leads with both humility and determination.
Dreama, by contrast, has influenced me through her deep commitment to place. Based in rural Appalachia, she has built Partners for Rural Impact around a clear sense of purpose and rootedness. I often find myself channeling her voice in conversations by asking, “What about rural?” — a reminder of her constant advocacy for communities that are too often overlooked. When we first met in 2017, she was initially skeptical, wary of organizations trying to exploit rural issues in the wake of Trump’s election. But that honesty laid the foundation for a strong partnership built on trust and shared purpose.
Both Roseanne and Dreama model clarity, conviction, and values-driven leadership. Their approaches — one focused on bold systems change, the other grounded in place-based commitment — continue to inspire how I think about my own leadership and the partnerships StriveTogether builds.
NationSwell: Are there any resources — books, reports, podcasts, articles — that have influenced your thinking professionally or personally?
Blatz, StriveTogether: Lately I’ve been immersed in the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) by Gino Wickman. A year ago, I never would have imagined naming an operating model as something shaping my thinking, but implementing EOS has been transformative for StriveTogether. After our executive team read Traction, we began exploring how to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset while scaling — holding onto flexibility and innovation even as the organization grows.
For any organization in a growth phase, adaptive leadership is essential. Context matters, especially in place-based partnerships, and the past several years — from COVID to the racial reckoning to ongoing political shifts — have demanded constant adaptation. EOS has given us a structured system for doing that: clarifying priorities, identifying “rocks,” and making decisions with greater focus and alignment.
It may sound wonky, but it’s changing the way we work. By blending entrepreneurial thinking with disciplined systems, we’re better positioned to meet the moment and continue advancing our mission at scale.