Nory Angel believes in the power of community and in the impact we can have when we activate our collective leadership.

Nory is a nonprofit and community leader currently serving as the president of the American Leadership Forum (ALF), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building stronger communities by joining and strengthening diverse leaders to serve the common good. She is a proud ALF Senior Fellow and a graduate of Class XXX. 

Nory is passionate about empowering people through leadership and driving social change. Her career has been devoted to workforce development, community impact, and supporting the growth and development of vulnerable members of our community.

  
Nory holds a Master of Business Administration from Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. She also has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Texas and an Intensive French Certificate from l’Université de Toulon.

Prior to working with ALF, Nory served as the executive director of TEACH, To Educate All Children (TEACH). The education-based, nonprofit organization, cofounded by Susan Sarofim, provides educators with ongoing coaching and comprehensive professional development in nonverbal classroom management techniques to create positive learning environments for all children, and serves Houston’s public schools. 

Before her affiliation with TEACH, Nory served as the long-term executive director and CEO of SERJobs, an organization that educates and equips people from low-income backgrounds or who have significant barriers to employment. At SERJobs, Nory led the organization to exponential growth, including the successful completion of an $11.5 million capital campaign and the launch of the nation’s first career café concept. 

Nory is an active member of the Houston community. She cofounded the East End collaborative, a coalition of residents, nonprofits, government, and businesses. As well as being a longtime board member of the Greater East End Management District, she served as board chairman for a time. Nory also served as the board secretary of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership.  She currently serves on the board of the Center for Houston’s Future and on the board of the Advocates of a Latino Museum of Cultural and Visual Arts & Archive Complex. As well, Nory is the current board chair of the American Leadership Forum - National. 

In recognition of her abundant service to Houston, Nory has been the recipient of numerous honors. In 2012, she was recognized as one of the 25 Top Women of Houston. In 2014, the Ford Motor Company recognized her as a Mujeres Legendaria for her work in creating green jobs for the Latino community. In 2015, Nory was recognized by ROADWomen for her social justice work, by Texas Executive Women as a Woman on the Move, and named one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women by Houston Woman Magazine. In 2016, she was named the IMPACT Award Winner by the Center for Houston’s Future. In 2019, Nory was named a Comcast Hispanic Hero.  

Nory resides in Houston’s East End with her husband, Oleg Jolic, a national director with the nonprofit, Feeding America, and a refugee from the former Yugoslavia. Her interests include studying leadership and indigenous medicine, traveling, reading, and connecting with people from diverse cultures.

It is for all the reasons mentioned above, and many more, that Nory Angel has been named a Top 20 Inspiring Woman Impact Maker for 2023.