Stephen Powell is the chief program officer of the National CARES Mentoring Movement, founded by Essence Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Susan L. Taylor; he leads and oversees the organization’s program expansion, partnership development, training and technical assistance efforts. Prior to joining the National CARES Mentoring Movement, Stephen served as the executive director of Mentoring USA for ten years and worked in program development and management for local, national and international organizations.

Stephen has provided keynote presentations and mentoring technical assistance to school districts, corporations and youth-serving agencies across the globe. Touring the U.S., Africa, Europe, and South America, Stephen spent ten years as a founding, teaching artist with STEP AFRIKA!, a percussive-based dance company conceived through his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha – Beta Chapter, while an undergraduate student. From this experience, Stephen cultivated a passion for cultivating and influencing celebrities and athletes to support charitable initiatives for children. Inevitably this led him to launch PQ Concepts LLC, a consulting business.

Powell’s past commentaries on leadership, organizational strategy and mentoring can be found in the New York Times, Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, the Costco Connection and other leading national publications. He has been honored by numerous organizations, including GQ Magazine’s Movado Leader Award; Black Enterprise Magazine’s 100 Modern Men of Distinction for 2016; the NY Chapter of the National Black MBA Association’s Community Service of the Year award; and the Obama administration as a White House “Champion of Change Following in the Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Nth Dimensions, Inc., and is an alumnus of the Institute for Not-for-Profit Management program at Columbia University's Graduate Business School and Howard University. 

Stephen resides in Montclair, NJ with his wife, Marlaina, and two daughters Sinclair Adina (11) and Simone Alexandra (7).