A program designed to identify and recruit next gen leaders to the economic justice movement. The paid apprentices work for 3-12 months with unions and worker organizations across the nation.

The Emerging Leaders Cohort is designed for leaders in the early stages of their work.

The Executive Leadership Cohort is designed for more experienced senior leadership in unions and other worker justice organizations. 


Our Mission

WILL Empower (WE) is a bold and ambitious initiative to identify, nurture, train, educate, and convene a new generation of labor leaders. WE are committed to gender and racial justice solidarity. WE take a broad, multi-pronged approach to engage new and non-traditional worker justice leaders at multiple stages through interwoven programming, research, and education

WILL Empower is a national program jointly housed at Georgetown University’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor in Washington, DC and Rutgers University’s Center for Innovation in Worker Organization in the School of Management and Labor Relations in New Jersey.


2025 CIWO Celebration & WILL Empower Awards Ceremony

Celebration Highlights

Nannie Helen Burroughs Award


Edna Berger Young Courageous Leader Award


Keynote Speaker: Vanessa Priya Daniel – Part I

Keynote Speaker: Vanessa Priya Daniel – Part II

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