Independent Sector has announced that it will honor Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, with the 2011 American Express NGen Leadership Award.

The award recognizes a nonprofit leader age 40 or under who has already demonstrated significant impact in addressing a critical social issue. Ai-jen will receive the award at the John W. Gardner Leadership Dinner during the organization's annual conference in Chicago this fall, where she also will deliver a keynote address.

Over the past decade, the New York City-based advocate has helped start Domestic Workers United, a group of nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers in New York that led the effort to pass the first statewide Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in 2010; and the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a coalition of domestic workers around the country that advocates for recognition and labor standards. Under her leadership, NDWA has grown from a coalition of thirteen organizations to more than thirty in seventeen cities across the country. NDWA also has worked with the International Labour Organization, the U.S. government, and the AFL-CIO to implement the first international labor standards for domestic workers.

"Ai-jen's achievement is remarkable," said Independent Sector president and CEO Diana Aviv. "She has united workers, employers, and advocates to transform the lives of one of our nation's most vulnerable groups, domestic workers. As her movement empowers others to open doors for groundbreaking legislation and powerful new alliances, Ai-jen aligns the needs of her partners to create positive change."