Honors an individual with less than five years in executive leadership who is an emerging luminary in the field.

2026 Award Winner

Khadijah Bland

The Kansas City Defender

Khadijah Bland fundamentally transformed The Kansas City Defender, Founder and Executive Editor Ryan Sorrell said in a nomination letter. 

Bland is the Defender’s director of development and revenue. She was also Sorrell’s first full-time hire.

“She replaced ad hoc fundraising with structured systems, sustainable forecasting, and long-term revenue planning. She built our first donor and major gift stewardship plan from scratch. She ran our first wealth screenings,” Sorrell said of Bland. “She led the implementation of an AI-backed impact tracking system that allows us to communicate measurable community impact with greater clarity and frequency, strengthening funder confidence and improving donor retention. 

“Our active subscription base has grown by more than 40%. She opened new revenue streams through events and expanded earned revenue through Black business partnerships. Now she is spearheading our first capital campaign.” 

Bland’s impact goes beyond numbers, Sorrell said.

She is also a warm leader who is also steady in moments of crisis, Sorrell said. She’s genuinely curious about learning the nuances of the Defender’s work. She also has a disarming sense of humor.

“Bland is an emerging leader in the truest sense. Not because she seeks recognition, but because she builds systems that make Black liberation sustainable,” Sorrell said. “She is the reason the Defender can dream bigger, plan longer, and fight harder. I am proud to call her my colleague, my executive partner, and my friend.”

Bland “sounds extraordinary,” a judge wrote. Sorrell’s nomination conveyed “not only her accomplishments but also Khadijah as a person — the warmth, humor and generosity she brings to the organization. What stands out is that Khadijah is allowing the Kansas City Defender to become a sustainable organization that can outlive her and the founder’s leadership.”

Finalists

• Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, The Maine Monitor
• Betsy Ladyzhets, The Sick Times
• Tonya Hart, Cardinal News