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Roads to Success CEO Sheila Duke highlights 25 years of youth programs and summer job placements
Summary
Sheila Duke, CEO of Roads to Success, marked the nonprofit's 25th anniversary on a radio interview, noting the group serves about 8,000 youth a year, has reached more than 100,000 young people over its history, and will hold a Success Summit July 15 at City College while running a summer jobs program placing roughly 1,200—1,300 participants citywide.
Sheila Duke, CEO of the nonprofit Roads to Success, said the organization is celebrating its 25th year and continuing programs that move young people from high school through college and into the workforce. "Our mission is to empower and inspire young people to take control of their futures," Duke said during a radio interview.
Duke said Roads to Success serves more than 8,000 young people annually across Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan and has delivered extensive support over the past quarter-century. "We have served over a 100,000 young people in this city and ... over 2,000,000 [direct-service] hours," she said, citing the organization's scale and longevity.
A central focus is workforce readiness. Duke described several pathways led by the program's Discover team, including a "learn and earn" model and summer placements. She said the organization places roughly 1,200—1,300 young people in summer jobs and partners with the City University of New York to provide college credits and career-pipeline experiences.
The nonprofit also runs an annual Success Summit for high-school-age and college-bound students. Duke announced the 2026 Success Summit will be July 15 at City College, and she said the event typically gathers more than 800 young people for panels, workshops and college-fair-style presentations. "You'll hear from lawyers, engineers, folks that started their own businesses," she said, describing how the summit exposes participants to different career paths.
Duke said Roads to Success tracks participants after graduation: the Learn-and-Earn program follows students for up to three years to support college success and early-career transitions, including guidance on financial aid and job placement. She emphasized soft skills training alongside technical and digital-literacy topics, observing that "AI can't talk for you. You still need to know how to speak. You need to know how to communicate."
The organization employs more than 180 staff and draws substantially on its alumni network: "Most of our...staff were younger participants in our program," Duke said, noting alumni frequently return as mentors and staff. She also asked the community and businesses to partner with the nonprofit: "We are always looking for corporate partners," she said, citing opportunities for volunteering, job placements and industry shadowing.
Duke provided practical access details: Roads to Success is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, maintains local sites across Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan, and lists info and signups at roadstosuccess.org. She invited local media and employers to host visits or offer shadowing and said the organization welcomes volunteers and corporate support.
The host thanked Duke and closed the segment with an invitation for the CEO to return with young people from the program. The Success Summit on July 15 and the summer youth employment placements are the next public-facing actions announced during the interview.
