Pyxera Global is proud to announce Maya Blackston and Hiyanshi Patel as its newest William J. White (WJW) Fellows. The two young leaders will join the Washington, D.C. office this summer, bringing fresh perspectives to our work.
“The William J. White Fellowship honors the legacy of William J. White, my father, a pioneering public health leader whose work contributed to the eradication of smallpox,” shared Deirdre White, CEO of Pyxera Global. “He believed, deeply, in the power of collaboration and mentorship.”
That spirit lives on in a Fellowship designed to open the doors of the social impact sector.
Each year, Pyxera Global awards this paid Fellowship to one or more students from minority-serving institutions. Fellows contribute to active Pyxera Global projects, receive mentorship from organizational leadership and industry experts, and gain hands-on experience.
Maya Blackston | WJW Fellow, Business Development
Maya is a rising junior at Howard University, where she is majoring in Political Science with double minors in Women, Gender, and Sexualities Studies and International Affairs. She was selected for the 2025 Women Empowering Nations Global Cohort and has actively worked to connect students with elected officials on issues impacting their communities.
As a WJW Fellow, Maya will work alongside the Business Development team on prospect research, pipeline development, and early-stage opportunity support across skills-based volunteering and long-term programming. She’ll also help maintain the organization’s Salesforce data, work that directly strengthens Pyxera Global’s ability to grow partnerships and deepen its reach.
Hiyanshi Patel | WJW Fellow, Finance and Programs
Hiyanshi is a rising senior at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, where she’s pursuing a B.S. in Finance through the Smith Banking Fellows program. She interned with Senator Chris Van Hollen’s Office, conducted institutional investment research, and built full financial models. Beyond her technical background, Hiyanshi has spent five years volunteering to coordinate youth programming rooted in community and service.
This summer, Hiyanshi will support both the Finance and Programs teams, playing a key role in the rollout of Pyxera Global’s new financial management system and the broader Common Impact integration. Her work will include building dashboards that make financial data clear and accessible, creating training materials to support adoption across departments, and helping identify gaps in knowledge management.
We look forward to working with Maya and Hiyanshi and can’t wait to see all they accomplish.
