Our Team
Training tomorrow’s leaders for over 40 years.
Ellen Peterson
CEO, Young Leaders Council
Ellen brings more than two decades of leadership experience spanning nonprofit management, fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational growth. Most recently, she served as Director of Advancement at Preston Taylor Ministries, where she led fundraising and community engagement efforts, expanded donor relationships, strengthened organizational partnerships, and helped increase philanthropic support for the organization’s mission. Prior to that, she served as Executive Director of Justice Industries, leading significant growth in both earned revenue and charitable giving while advancing workforce development and social enterprise initiatives.
Ellen is passionate about building meaningful relationships and creating sustainable growth strategies that strengthen nonprofit organizations. Throughout her career, she has worked alongside donors, volunteers, corporate partners, foundations, and community leaders to create lasting impact.
As CEO of Young Leaders Council, Ellen will focus on expanding YLC’s influence, deepening community partnerships, and equipping diverse leaders to serve effectively on nonprofit boards, ensuring Nashville’s nonprofit organizations have the leadership needed to thrive for generations to come.
Rachel Reyes
Program Manager
rachel@youngleaderscouncil.org
Rachel Reyes is a native to the Nashville area and is grateful to serve at Program Manager for YLC, managing admissions, internship placement and communications with nonprofit friends and program participants. She graduated from Lipscomb University with a degree in Strategic Communication/PR, and has served in the nonprofit program management and event planning space for over 4 years now. She is a graduate of YLC’s Spring 2022 Nashville Class. Rachel lives in the Nashville area with her husband and enjoys cooking, walking, hosting friends and exploring new restaurants!
