Chimera(They/them)

Chimaera is the Executive Director of Powerful Voices, a nonprofit in Seattle that creates brave, affirming spaces for BIPOC girls and gender-expansive young people. They grew up in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood — a predominantly Black, Indigenous, and low-income community — and a scholarship to a private liberal arts high school in Seattle cracked open a whole new world for them. That experience planted the seed for a career dedicated to giving other young people the same chance to expand their horizons. Chimaera's path to executive director wasn't a straight line — and that's exactly what makes their story so powerful. They started as a paid youth intern doing anti-racism workshops in Seattle schools, moved through roles in youth development at the Tacoma Urban League, the YWCA, and various contract positions, and spent years coaching organizations before landing at Powerful Voices first as program director and then as executive director. Almost 20 years of showing up for community work brought them here. As an executive director, Chimaera manages the finances, oversees hiring and staff support, leads fundraising and grant writing, handles board governance, and keeps the whole organization running day to day. But the part that lights them up? Watching young people own their voices through programs like Black Muslim Collective and PV Radio, a youth-led podcast where students develop, produce, and host every episode themselves. One of Chimaera's most honest pieces of advice is to not skip the steps. Before jumping into leadership, work directly in programs. Understand what the people you'll eventually supervise actually need. They also push back on the idea that you need a four-year degree in nonprofit management — lived experience, especially a deep personal connection to the community you're serving, is its own kind of credential. Continuing education courses, audited classes on financial management or board governance, and hands-on experience can absolutely get you there. Chimaera's story hits different for students of color because they speak directly to the discrimination they've faced — people underestimating them because of their age, their appearance, or their non-traditional resume. Despite that, they've built a career rooted in purpose and community, and they want you to know: this work calls you back because it matters. If you want to go into nonprofits or youth development, go in because you're passionate, stay connected to your community, and treat it like the public service it really is.