artis stevens
CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
THE SUSTAINER AWARD
Operationalizing progress by creating sustainable, efficient and effective teams and processes
Areas of focus: Youth supportAbout
Big Brothers
Big Sisters of America
Founded in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) is the largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization in the U.S., serving more than 5,000 communities across all 50 states. Their mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ evidence-based approach is designed to create positive youth outcomes, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and improved relationships.
Learn moreGet to know artis
What inspired you to do this work? Was there a particular moment or person or incident that sparked a new level of commitment?
I believe this work is my ministry. From a young age my dad, who was a minister, told me “everyone has their ministry in this world, you have to find yours.” For 30 years across my career I have been following that advice and fulfilling my ministry to empower young people to change the world.
When I was young, I assumed my ministry would be in the pulpit, following in my dad’s footsteps. That one conversation sparked something within me that made me realize I could order my own steps and today empowering young people to change the world has been my life’s work.
What drives you to keep questioning the status quo and building new ways to overcome tough challenges?
What drives me is the desire to ensure every kid has access to opportunity. Our mission’s aim is to meet them where they are instead of expecting them to meet us. This ignites creativity, innovation and solutions that are not developed or delivered in isolation; rather, that aligns people and partners who share common values, passion and goals.
What solutions are you working on that make you excited and hopeful for the future?
What excites me is how we're turning mentorship into real workforce infrastructure. Through new and evolving partnerships with companies like Macy's, the NFL, UPS, and Google, we're building more direct pathways that develop young people for the jobs companies need filled, while giving corporate America a talent pipeline they might otherwise miss. When mentorship becomes the solid infrastructure between potential and opportunity, everybody wins with solutions that make a scalable difference: companies gain a stronger workforce, young people build skills they need and communities thrive.
What are the "unlocks" — approaches, practices, or principles — that have helped you be effective in building this innovative approach to place-based opportunity development?
First, a growth mindset focused on people and culture that builds an environment where everyone has a role and feels like they belong. Secondly, treating every partnership as a source of mutual value, not simply asking for support. And thirdly, creating access for more kids through innovative solutions in programs, operations, technology, brand building and resource generation.
Expert advisor
Alice Lin Fabiano
President, Johnson & Johnson Foundation
I first met Artis when he became CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America during the pandemic. Facing declining participation, he and local chapters set out to modernize the century-old organization while preserving its unwavering commitment to mentorship. As a former BBBS mentor, I experienced firsthand how transformative these relationships can be. BBBSA’s transformation offers lessons in bold leadership, values-driven partnerships, and the power of storytelling – especially through sports. Artis’s leadership offers a powerful example of what it means to be a true sustainer: honoring a mission's core purpose while ensuring it can grow, evolve, and thrive for future generations.
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