When Eunice Lin Nichols received the Irvine Leadership Award in 2019, she was surprised by the honor itself and what it revealed. “It was the first time I had other people reflect something about me not from my own mirror,” she recalls. “Seeing myself through someone else’s leadership lens was very moving — a major gift in itself.”
At the time, Nichols was running the Gen2Gen campaign for Encore.org, with the goal of mobilizing 1 million older adults to help young people thrive. But she realized the focus was a little off. “The work we needed to be doing wasn’t about what older generations can do for young people,” she says, “but what they can do with young people.”
“It was the first time I had other people reflect something about me not from my own mirror,” she recalls. “Seeing myself through someone else’s leadership lens was very moving — a major gift in itself.”
The organization shifted not only the campaign but eventually itself, changing its name to CoGenerate — “a word rooted in mutuality,” Nichols says, focused on helping the vast and growing older population collaborate with younger generations to solve society’s most pressing problems.
Imagining a New Model of Leadership
The shift to CoGenerate reflected more than just a rebrand; it embodied Nichols’ evolving understanding of leadership itself. Years ago, when Marc Freedman, the organization’s founder, first approached her about taking over, it took her two years to respond.
“Most of my career I would have described myself as a #2,” Nichols says. “I didn’t see any models of leadership I wanted to step into. The leaders I saw around me had sacrificed family, community involvement, and mental health.” She didn’t want that for herself.
“So I told Marc I wouldn’t take over, but I’d love to co-lead with him, not as a transitional step to solo leadership, but as an investment in a new model of cogenerational leadership.”
“I told Marc I wouldn’t take over, but I’d love to co-lead with him, not as a transitional step to solo leadership, but as an investment in a new model of cogenerational leadership.”
Today, Nichols co-leads CoGenerate with Freedman, a partnership she describes as both effective and joyful. “We’ve had a lot of fun sharing the reins, leaning into our unique strengths, and fighting to give each other the better opportunity.”
Timing of the Award and the Need for Leadership
The Irvine Award came at a pivotal moment, though Nichols admits it took time to absorb its significance. “It took a year or two after receiving it to really feel, in my body, that this reflected where I was in my leadership. If the Award is for catapulting an emerging leader, then that was true for me in that moment.”
The Award also provided crucial resources and credibility. “The Award money and Irvine name allowed us to host convenings with 50 funders to make the case,” Nichols explains. At the time, “very few foundations were interested in intergenerational funding.”
Since then, Nichols has developed a clear thesis about the future: “The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that the future of leadership is cogenerational. If we don’t learn to lead in partnership with other generations, society is in trouble.”
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that the future of leadership is cogenerational. If we don’t learn to lead in partnership with other generations, society is in trouble.”
She sees the consequences of ignoring this imperative everywhere — in politics, where young people don’t feel they have a voice, and in nonprofits, where there is not often a pathway to passing the baton. “If there are robust opportunities for intergenerational collaboration earlier in life,” says Nichols, “we won’t need a dramatic shift in power. Younger people will be at the
table.”
Beyond the Baton Pass
Nichols is adamant that the old model of leadership succession needs to change. “We’re living in the most age-diverse society in human history,” she observes. “The model of passing the baton to younger people doesn’t work anymore. People are living longer and have so much more to give.”
She shares a metaphor from Raymond Jetson, who is co-chairing CoGenerate’s board with someone 30 years younger. “If you run a relay race, the first time you hand off the baton is not in the race. You practice the give-and-take again and again.” That practice, Nichols argues, needs to start early — in schools and other settings where generations naturally intersect.
For Nichols, the stakes are personal as well as societal. “I can’t tell you how many people I know in leadership positions who have struggled with childcare, elder care, and their own health,” she says. “Co-leading is not a sign of weakness; it’s the opposite. It’s an investment in what we all need more of — interdependence.”
“I can’t tell you how many people I know in leadership positions who have struggled with childcare, elder care, and their own health,” she says. “Co-leading is not a sign of weakness; it’s the opposite. It’s an investment in what we all need more of — interdependence.”
A Call to Philanthropy
Nichols believes philanthropy has a crucial role to play. “Collaborative leadership is the wave of the future. It is the more resilient model.” But widespread adoption will require philanthropy’s partnership. Nichols hopes funders will play around with this model themselves, embracing cogeneration in their own work.
Looking Ahead
Today, CoGenerate is building new, cogenerational infrastructure across multiple sectors – “where we live, learn, work for change, and gather,” Nichols explains. The organization is focusing on youth and civic organizations, higher education, faith communities, and workplaces — everywhere generations want to work together for the greater good but can’t find opportunities or don’t know how to get started.
The Irvine Award had a catalytic effect, Nichols says. “The Award gave me the confidence to bring everything I have to the table.”
And her ultimate vision? “Once you experience the power and joy of cogeneration, you wonder why we don’t do it everywhere!”
“The Award gave me the confidence to bring everything I have to the table.”