For Immediate Release: July 23, 2024
Contact: media@colorofchange.org
COLOR OF CHANGE ANNOUNCES PORTIA ALLEN-KYLE AS MANAGING DIRECTOR
NATIONAL – Today, Color of Change has named Portia Allen-Kyle as Managing Director, effective immediately.
“This is a moment that I am personally excited about.” says Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson. “For the past year Portia has worked alongside me to advance COC’s mission. Portia took the helm of our external affairs eight months ago after leading the day-to-day operations of my office. The past year has proven our power, importance and resilience as an organization and Portia’s leadership, thought partnership and collaboration has been critical on that journey.”
Prior to joining Color Of Change, Allen-Kyle served in the Biden-Harris Administration where she was appointed to the role of Senior Advisor for equity, policy, and stakeholder engagement in the Office of Civil Rights at U.S. Department of Transportation under Secretary Pete Buttigieg. In that capacity, she served as a thought partner and advisor to the agency’s senior leadership developing and implementing change management strategies to transform policies and practices to embed equity into the safety mission.
Before that, Allen-Kyle spent her career advancing civil rights and civil liberties through a race equity lens by building and supporting coalitions, implementing legislative and stakeholder engagement strategies, and crafting innovative policy reports and solutions at organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Council of State Governments’ Justice Center, and the Voting Rights Lab.
“I’m honored to be given the opportunity to be the inaugural Managing Director of Color Of Change,” says Portia Allen-Kyle. “Under Rashad Robinson’s leadership, Color Of Change has become a premiere leader in the racial justice space. I’m excited to continue to put my skills to work in this new capacity on behalf of Black people and communities to further COC’s mission and impact as an organization, especially during these unprecedented times.”
In 2021, Allen-Kyle was recognized as a Top 40 Attorney by the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division. She is also the author of Advice to Thrive By: How to Use Your Resume and Cover Letter to Build Your Brand and Launch A Dynamic Public Interest Career, published by the American Bar Association and aimed to demystify public interest career trajectories for law students and young attorneys.
In addition to all of her professional achievements, Allen-Kyle earned her J.D. from Rutgers Law School, her M.A. in African American Studies from Columbia University, and her B.A. in Africana Studies and Economics from Wellesley College.
Color Of Change is open to comment on the promotion.
###
ABOUT COLOR OF CHANGE:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over millions members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.