Brad Weekes was 25 years old and working as a senior associate at public affairs firm Kivvit when Crain’s named him to the 2020 class of 20 In Their Twenties. The East New York native’s goal at the time: Pressure lawmakers to make positive changes.
In many ways, Weekes was already doing just that. At Kivvit, the Brown University alumnus was providing strategic communications in sectors from health care to labor unions to nonprofits. His broad focus was on criminal justice, and by the time Weekes was honored by Crain’s, he was lobbying to change cash-bail practices from New York to Mississippi.
The influence of Weekes’ work has only become more pronounced in the years since. He now serves in Mayor Eric Adam’s office as the deputy communications director.
“Here at City Hall, I do it all with an even bigger megaphone,” Weekes said, reflecting on his career progression over the last four years.
Being recognized as a promising young leader by Crain’s was a stepping stone for Weekes, not an end point. “What [20 In Their Twenties] does is it showcases the next generation of changemakers, folks who want to make a difference,” he said.
Weekes is just one of the scores of former 20 In Their Twenties honorees who have proved their promise in the years since being named to the award.
Know someone who should be recognized? Start your nomination here.
Many past honorees were recognized for starting their own business ventures at a young age. Take Anam Lakhani and Eve Halimi, who joined the ranks of the 2022 class for founding Gen Z-targeted investing platform Alinea. Or take Jessica Rabe, who was honored in 2020 for co-founding DataTrek Research. Those pursuits remain fruitful, with Alinea continuing to see big dollar fundraising and DataTrek being a highly cited source for daily market research.
Other honorees are young professionals who have risen the ranks of their respective fields. Elizabeth Angeles, for example, served as senior director of advocacy at United Way of New York City when Crain’s named her to the 2020 class at age 29. In the four years since, Angeles has been promoted twice, most recently serving as the nonprofit’s vice president of advocacy. She’s also taken on a new role as an adjunct professor at NYU’s Graduate School of Public Service and continues to serve on her local community board in the Bronx.
Looking at these young leaders making waves in New York right now also shows that there is merit in making career changes. Cecillia Xie was an associate at law firm Morrison & Foerster in Midtown when Crain’s named her to the 2020 class of Twenties at age 29. Not long after that, Xie grew a following on social media and became something of a “Big Law” influencer. She’d go on to leave her job, ink a book deal and start her own arts and entertainment law firm.
Then there are some honorees who have exceeded the expectations even of those who predicted their early promise. That’s the case for Tyler Adams, who had just graduated high school when he was named to Crain’s 20 Under Twenty in 2017 (the awards program transitioned to honoring individuals in their twenties in 2020).
Adams had landed on the New York Red Bulls’ radar at age 10 and worked his way up through the franchise’s development program. After turning pro at 16, he scored his first career goal in a friendly exhibition against English Premier League powerhouse Chelsea. “I don’t like to pat myself on the back,” he told Crain’s at the time. “There’s so much more to accomplish.”
More to accomplish there was: Adams has since earned a captain role for the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team and now plays in the Premier League himself as a defensive midfielder for club Bournemouth (though he has been off the field for nearly a year now after suffering a hamstring injury last March).
Whether it’s Adams excelling in international soccer, Xie publishing her first book, Angeles ascending the ranks of advocacy or Weekes pushing for political change, each of these young New Yorkers embodies what it means to be a Crain’s 20 In Their Twenty. They showed promise at a young age, and now they are living up to the hype.
If you do, consider this advice from Weekes: “Use this award as the jet-engine fuel. You can only do more, you can only go higher from here. Use this award and recognition to do even more change and to dig deeper into the work you care about. That’s what I did, and that’s why I’m at the place I’m at right now.”
Know someone who should be recognized? Start your nomination here.
Jack Grieve , 2024-03-06 20:37:04
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