News | Devon Akmon

Los Angeles Marathon

March 20, 2018 Adventure

On Sunday, March 18, I successfully completed the 2018 Los Angeles Marathon. From “Stadium to Sea,” this was a really well organized event along a very scenic route; from Dodgers Stadium to Santa Monica Pier! What a great way to see LA: car free! This marathon served as training for the upcoming Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder on May 12 in Michigan (210 miles across the state from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan). My marathon goal was simple: just finishRead More

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

January 27, 2018 Adventure

Photographs captured on January 26, 2018 along the seven-mile Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Featured on LeaderStories

January 26, 2018 News

Proud to see my journey and work profiled by American Express Leadership Academy in the new LeaderStories video. This video was created as part of my NGen Fellowship with Independent Sector.

Pictures from a Quick Trip to Northern Michigan

January 21, 2018 Adventure

Here are a few photographs from our quick trip to northern Michigan this weekend.

The 2018 Bigfoot Snowshoe Race

January 20, 2018 Adventure

Despite the unseasonably warm weather, we were fortunate enough to have enough quality snow on the trails in Traverse City for the annual Bigfoot Snowshoe Race presented by Running Fit. This race is among the biggest snowshoe races in the nation and it serves as a qualifier for the U.S. Snowshoe Association’s championship race. I ran the race once before in 2007. That was my first time on snowshoes. I ended up winning my age group, but I didn’t realizeRead More

Exploring the Ring Road in Iceland

January 18, 2018 Adventure

I’ve been remiss in sharing an update on our exploration of Iceland’s Ring Road. In fact, it’s been over seven months since our trip to the island of fire and ice. Looking back, this ranks among my favorite trips abroad. There is so much to see and experience in this small, remote nation. For one, there is an abundance of wildlife! The joke is that there are twice as many sheep in Iceland as people (total human population is underRead More

Reflections on Leadership

December 18, 2017 News

As part of our capstone for the 2016-17 American Express NGen Fellows program with Independent Sector, our crew created a series of podcasts and blogs on emerging issues in the nonprofit sector. The first blog post, which I had the privilege to write, and the corresponding podcast by three of my talented colleagues, are now live. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of American Express or Independent Sector. As I reflect on the insightful commentary expressed in myRead More

TAKREEM Award for Cultural Excellence

November 27, 2017 News

On Saturday, November 25, 2017, the Arab American National Museum was honored with a TAKREEM award for Cultural Excellence in Amman, Jordan. TAKREEM, founded in 2009, aims to “honor Arab’s accomplishments and bring Arab achievers to the forefront of the globe stage, defying the negative perceptions that have plagued the region and becoming a source of inspiration to the Arab youth in their search for role models.” We are honored and humbled to be a TAKREEM 2017 laureate. This prestigiousRead More

Amman, Jordan

November 27, 2017 Adventure

Images from a visit to Amman, Jordan.

Busy Week of Conference Presentations & Events

November 1, 2017 News

An incredibly busy week has come to an end. To kick things off, Independent Sector hosted its 2017 conference, Our Common Future, in Detroit. In addition to completing my American Express NGen Fellowship, I had the pleasure of hosting a the Detroit Inside And Out: Refugees And Immigration Tour at the Arab American National Museum as part of the conference program. Much gratitude to the forty people who choose to spend their morning learning about the museum and the localRead More