Civic leaders look to many sources for solutions to the problems of the day. In the posts below, public and private organizations present new options; program evaluations show what works; and collaborations demonstrate how change can happen.
Dustin Cox (right) talks with Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy classmate Fernando Shipley.
Dustin Cox, president of CM Concordia Consulting, is a 2004 Flinn Scholar and former executive director of Anytown America and Anytown Arizona, nonprofits offering nationwide leadership development programs. A year ago, Cox was completing the inaugural Flinn-Brown Academy seminar series. Today, he’s running for Arizona state representative in Legislative District 9 (Tucson). We pulled him off the campaign trail for a few minutes to reflect on his experience with the Flinn-Brown Academy and its impact on his current Arizona leadership endeavors.
What can happen when 25 engaged, committed Arizonans from different perspectives and walks of life come together to talk about Arizona’s future? According to Dustin Cox, the answer is effective problem solving. The Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy brought together “roughly 25 individuals who sat in a room and essentially came up with middle-ground policy stances that would help push our state forward if we could implement them.”
In fact, Cox said, he didn’t know where his colleagues stood politically until pretty late in the seminar series. “I think that created a space where we could work together without feeling threatened.”
He credits the Academy’s ability to get participants to “leave party affiliations at the door” for the fellowship’s in-depth discussion of broad issues, such as water policy, state budget, immigration, and healthcare, among others. Each of the Academy’s 12 seminars, according to Cox, included such experts as agency heads, researchers, legal and policy experts, current and former policymakers, and “those working on the frontlines.”
“A diversity of perspectives was put forward in an educational manner where rhetoric was not injected into the equation. It wasn’t sound bites,” explained Cox. “When you have the time and space to talk about these issues in the nuanced and complicated format that they really exist, it gives people the ability to authentically consider all of the options and to realize that Arizona’s problems are not insurmountable.”
This level of exposure, Cox believes, has made him a much more informed candidate in his current run for office. “I can speak with so much more authority and confidence on water policy, for example,” he said. The water seminar covered legal history, the future challenges Arizona faces as a desert state, and the collaboration required among municipalities, tribes, states, and federal organizations. “I do not know of any other state program that provides such depth and breadth of information to potential state-level civic leaders,” he said.
He hopes that in the future all Arizona leaders “have the opportunity to get this kind of hands-on experience and perspective.”
Interested in applying for the next Academy? Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2012 Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy and are due by May 18, 2012. More information is available at: http://azcivicleadership.org/2012/04/02/now-accepting-applications-for-fall-2012-flinn-brown-civic-leadership-academy/
Applications are now open for the Fall 2012 session of the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy. Application portfolios are due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 18, 2012 (Please note this new extended deadline).
A brochure with detailed information about the Fall 2012 Academy, which will run from early September to mid-November 2012, is available for download.
After reading the brochure, you may begin building your application portfolio here.
A sample application is available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/92013883/Sample-Academy-Application-Fall-2012.
From full-time professional to part-time volunteer, there is a place for all Arizonans in civic life and civic leadership. The Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy helps to expand the cadre of future state-level civic leaders with the knowledge, skills, and commitment to address Arizona’s long-term issues.
The Flinn-Brown Academy is designed for Arizonans from the private- and public-sectors with a strong interest in engaging at the state-level as a member of a state board, commission, or advisory council, an elected official, a state agency, or a policy advisor.
The non-partisan Academy supplies Flinn-Brown Fellows with the facts and figures required to better understand statewide policy issues and different perspectives, and strengthens leadership skills to achieve goals for the common good.
The Academy includes 12 day-long sessions in which Flinn-Brown Fellows learn from presentations by dozens of influential issue experts and current and former leaders, explore case studies, and engage in practical skills development.
The Academy also features invaluable opportunities to network with other emerging and established leaders. As part of the Academy, Fellows are matched with advisors whose civic leadership experience can help the Fellow further develop their capacity for state-level civic leadership. With their advisors’ support, Fellows develop personalized individual civic-leadership plans.
The strongest applicant for the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy….
The program is not intended for those who are already state-level elected officials or paid staff members of a political party.
To begin the application process for the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy, a candidate compiles an application portfolio, which is submitted online. All applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee. The committee will identify a group of candidates to be invited to the Flinn Foundation for a personal interview.
Components of the application portfolio include:
Click here to begin the application.
A sample application is available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/92013883/Sample-Academy-Application-Fall-2012.
Upon submission of your application portfolio, you should receive, within 24 hours (during the business week), an email message confirming its receipt. Confirmations will not be sent over the weekend.
If you need more information, have any questions, or do not receive an email confirmation after submitting an application, please contact AzCCL program manager Emily Rajakovich at erajakovich@flinn.org or 602-744-6828.
The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership is pleased to introduce the 25 Arizonans who have been selected as the third class of Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Fellows. Coming from many cities and towns, a broad spectrum of professions, and many walks of life, the group will begin the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy on March 9.
The Flinn-Brown Academy, one of three core components of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership, is anchored by a 12-session seminar series that emphasizes the skills and knowledge that help leaders resolve state-level challenges. The Academy seminar series is presented in the fall and spring each year.
The nonpartisan Academy’s content is based on the critical issues facing Arizona today and in the coming years. Current and former public-policy experts, scholars, agency heads, elected officials, and other leaders—drawn from the public and private sectors—share with Fellows not only facts and figures, but also a wide variety of perspectives and leadership skills.
Beyond the seminars, the Academy includes advising from a private- or public-sector leader, an individual plan for civic leadership, and an alumni network.
The 25 Flinn-Brown Fellows were selected in a highly competitive process that involved formal applications and endorsements, along with an in-person interview. The Leadership Council of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership made the final selection of Fellows.
Interested in participating in the Academy? The Fall 2012 class of the Academy will begin in September. Information about becoming a member of the fourth Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy will be available on the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership’s website in mid-March.
 Talonya Adams, J.D., Gilbert
Of Counsel, Arizona Care Group LLC |
 Paul Allvin, Phoenix
Vice President of Brand Advancement, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America |
 Elaine M. Armfield, Tempe
Development Officer, W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU |
 Gwen Calhoun, Sierra Vista
Councilmember, City of Sierra Vista |
 Patrick Camuñez, J.D., Queen Creek
Attorney-Advisor, Arizona National Guard |
 Chip Davis, Prescott
Supervisor, Yavapai County Government |
 Joe Fu, Mesa
Strategic Information Officer, U.S. Department of State |
 John Garcia, Phoenix
Director, Arizona College Access Network |
 Chris Gibbs, Safford
Mayor, City of Safford |
 Deborah Gonzalez, Ed.D., Phoenix
Chief Academic Officer, ASU Preparatory Academy |
 Pete Griffin, Phoenix
President and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona |
 David Longoria, Tucson
Executive Assistant to the County Administrator, Pima County |
 Sylvia Mejia, Scottsdale
Program Administrator, Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona |
 John W. Molina, M.D., J.D., Guadalupe
CEO, Phoenix Indian Medical Center |
 Christopher M. Nagata, Tucson
Graduate Student, Zuckerman College of Public Health, Eller College of Management |
 Britann O’Brien, Vail
Director, Governor’s Southern Arizona Office, State of Arizona |
 Joanne Osborne, Goodyear
Vice Mayor, City of Goodyear; Owner, Osborne Jewelers |
 Stephen Pawlowski, Phoenix
Senior Consultant, Burns & Associates, Inc. |
 Stacy Reinstein, Phoenix
Senior Policy Manager, Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Children, Youth and Families |
 Gabrielle (Gaby) Silva, Tempe
Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives, Arizona-Mexico Commission, Office of the Governor |
 Frances Sjoberg, J.D., Phoenix
Law Clerk to Justice John Pelander, Arizona Supreme Court |
 Bonnie Sneed, Scottsdale
Governing Board President, Scottsdale Unified School District |
 John Sundt, J.D., Tucson
Partner, Rusing, Lopez, Lizardi PLLC |
 Russ Yelton, Flagstaff
President and CEO, Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology |
 Carl Zaragoza, Phoenix
Director of Field Engagement, Leadership for Educational Equity |
Zócalo Public Square, a one-of-a-kind initiative to better understand citizenship and community, is posing a an intriguing question:
In a state where the majority of residents are migrants from elsewhere, how much does Arizona’s history matter?
On February 7, a week before the centennial of Arizona’s statehood, Zócalo will host a public event in Tucson to delve into the question. Jack B. Jewett, president and CEO of the Flinn Foundation, will serve as moderator for the free event, which will be held at the Hotel Congress at 6:30 p.m.
Among the related questions that Zócalo will invite the panelists to consider:
How are these people who pulled up stakes and changed the course of their personal histories to become Arizonans influenced—if at all—by the events that preceded their arrival? One hundred years ago, Arizona emerged as a state after a two-decade-long struggle to convince Congress that its citizens were “American” enough. Did the way it joined the union shape its present-day culture?
Reservations for the event, and more information about it, are available on the Zócalo website.
A new year brings new resolutions. At the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership, we hope 2012 includes renewed engagement with and commitment to Arizona and local communities.
To that end, we have updated the Arizona Civic Leadership Directory with even more local and regional programs around Arizona that help build civic leadership skills and knowledge about public-policy issues. In addition to the Directory’s easy-to-browse map format, the AzCCL website includes a hyperlinked list of the organizations included in the directory.
The Arizona Civic Leadership Community Calendar is another terrific way to find out about many of the state’s upcoming leadership-training programs, conferences and workshops. The most immediate upcoming events are also posted on the AzCCL homepage. If you would like to request inclusion of a leadership event on the calendar, please email AzCCL program manager, Emily Rajakovich.
Black Board of Directors Project
The Black Board of Directors Project (BBODP) is currently accepting referrals for its 28th class. The BBODP was founded in Phoenix in 1984 as an advanced leadership program to fill the void of blacks and others on corporate, charitable, and public-policy-making boards and commissions at the local, state, and national levels and in other leadership positions.
Annually, the Project recruits a select number of highly talented and motivated individuals who have usually reached middle to senior levels of their careers. A few high-potential individuals in the formative years of their careers are selected.
Those selected are vigorously promoted by a variety of direct and indirect methods. Members profiles along with their pictures are published in a directory which is widely circulated to diverse publics, including corporate chief executive officers, high level government officials, the local and national press and charitable organizations.
Nonprofit Management Institute
The Nonprofit Management Institute was founded in 1993 out of the ASU College of Extended Education in partnership with Valley of the Sun United Way.
The Nonprofit Management Institute at Arizona State University’s Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation is currently enrolling for its High Impact Leadership course on January 27-28. This intensive leadership course will:
PHOENIX–Following completion of an intensive, 10-week seminar to build their civic-leadership capacity, members of the Fall class of the nonpartisan Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy are now planning their next steps toward public service in Arizona at the state level. In time, expectations include some running for public office, while others will choose to pursue roles as policy advisors, state-agency officials, or members of critical state boards and commissions.
The Flinn-Brown Fellows, who devoted 12 daylong sessions to enhancing their civic-leadership capacity and studying key public-policy issues that affect Arizona, are now being matched with advisers who are themselves seasoned leaders. The Fellows will consult with these advisers as they begin to apply the knowledge they gained and consider their next moves as civic leaders.
Tony Gonzales, a Flagstaff attorney, said that participating in the Academy has reinvigorated the desire he had as a young college graduate to pursue direct involvement in civic leadership.
“Ten years later, I was still helping candidates run for office, but I had lost some of my passion,” Gonzales said. “The Academy made me realize that people like me, with children, careers, and other obligations, can become politically active in their communities and across the state. I realized that I am part of a generation that needs to be active in the civic-leadership arena.”
The 26 Flinn-Brown Fellows in the Academy’s Fall class represent many Arizona regions, professional backgrounds, and perspectives. Among them are small-business owners, nonprofit executives, local elected officials, and numerous experts on particular public-policy issues, including economic development, K-12 education, and natural-resources development.
“The Academy convinced me that it is urgent to gather people together to address Arizona’s future,” said Doug Von Gausig, mayor of Clarkdale. “It was clear during our classes that the Fellows of this Academy are exactly the sort who are interested in solving our challenges. Only when more likeminded people begin to serve will we be capable not only of solving our current problems, but advancing with prosperity and dignity into the coming years.”
Each session of the Academy seminar focused on a specific topic, such as the state budget, higher education, human services, and immigration. Dozens of veteran lawmakers, business and nonprofit leaders, state agency heads, and policy experts provided facts, figures, and perspectives on the issues and shared some of the lessons they had learned working at the state level.
“Leaders inspire others to take action and go in a direction they might not otherwise have gone alone,” said Beatriz Rendón, Arizona State University associate vice president and CEO of ASU Preparatory Academy. “Insurmountable challenges seem achievable when you are working alongside others that share your passion and are committed to making a difference.”
Nancy Welch, director of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership, which administers the Flinn-Brown Academy, cited the potential for the Flinn-Brown Fellows to become significant contributors to Arizona’s realization of its potential.
“Today we have 51 individuals who have participated in the Academy, learning the essential details of critical issues that confront Arizona, how those issues are intertwined, and what real-world challenges stand in the way of addressing them,” Welch said. “A year from now, we expect to have 100 alumni Fellows who will bring a wide variety of perspectives and experience to state-level public service.”
The Academy is one of three core components of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership, created in 2010 by the Flinn Foundation and the Thomas R. Brown Foundations, respectively based in Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz. Sponsored by both foundations, the Center is operated by the Flinn Foundation under the guidance of the Center’s Leadership Council.
Other components of the Center include the Arizona Civic Leadership Collaborative, established to leverage and expand the efforts of local civic-leadership programs throughout the state, and a Communication and Outreach program designed to inform organizations and individuals about the importance of civic leadership and increase civic engagement among Arizonans.
The Spring 2012 Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy class will be held beginning in March. The selection process, which began with the submission of formal application portfolios, is now underway.
Fall 2011 Flinn Brown Fellows – photos and affiliations
About the Flinn Foundation: The Flinn Foundation is a Phoenix-based, private, nonprofit philanthropic endowment. It was established by Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Flinn in 1965 with the mission of improving the quality of life in Arizona. The nonprofit philanthropy supports the advancement of Arizona’s bioscience sector, the Flinn Scholars Program, the arts, and the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership.
About the Thomas R. Brown Foundations: The Thomas R. Brown Foundations are dedicated to raising the quality of life for present and future generations through expanded understanding and application of economic principles in private and public decision making. The Foundations are also dedicated to advancing solutions to community problems through strategic grants, research, and policy analysis.
Scottsdale Leadership recently announced the recipients of the 2011 Spirit of Community Leadership Awards, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the community and exemplify leadership and community service values.
The award recipients being honored include:
Award recipients will be honored at the Scottsdale Leadership 12th Annual Spirit of Community Leadership Awards Luncheon, sponsored by Scottsdale Insurance, on Friday, December 9, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and will be held at the Doubletree Resort by Hilton.
Additional information on the recipients and purchasing tickets for the event can be found on the Scottsdale Leadership website’s events page.
Congratulations to all of the award recipients!
Would you like to learn more about children’s issues in your community?
Children’s Action Alliance (CAA) is accepting applications for its Spring 2012 Leadership Academy. Founded in 1988, the nonprofit CAA works to improve children’s health, education, and security through information and action.
The Leadership Academy teaches participants the skills to be effective advocates for children and families throughout Arizona. Through the seven-session program, participants will build leadership, advocacy, and communication skills and learn how to bring children and their families to the forefront of policy in order to create change. As part of the Academy, participants will also design an individual community-involvement project.
CAA is accepting applications and nominations until Tuesday, November 29, 2011. For additional information, please visit the CAA events page, where a link to the application is available.
