“Our class was made up of registered independents, Republicans, and Democrats. We understood that public service requires leadership to work together for the good of the people–not for our own personal political careers. If we do not work together for the people in this great state, we are wasting precious time when there is so little time to waste.”

–Lisa Urias and Paul Brierley
Inaugural Class, Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy

Applications are now available for the Spring 2012 session of the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy. Application portfolios are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 6, 2011.

A brochure with detailed information about the Spring 2012 Academy, which will run from March 9 – May 18 2012, is embedded below, or available for download.

After reading the brochure, you may begin building your application portfolio.

About the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy

The Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy was established to help expand the cadre of future state-level leaders with the knowledge, skills, and commitment to address Arizona’s long-term issues.

The non-partisan Academy supplies Flinn-Brown Fellows with the facts and figures required to understand statewide policy issues, provides Fellows with an understanding of different perspectives, and equips them with essential decision-making and leadership skills to achieve goals for the common good.

The Academy is intense: 12 day-long sessions in which Flinn-Brown Fellows explore complex case studies, engage in practical skills development, and learn from presentations by dozens of Arizona’s most influential issue experts and current and former leaders. Substantial reading is part of the significant time commitment that Fellows make as Academy participants.

The Academy also features invaluable opportunities to network with other emerging and established leaders. And at the end of the Academy, Fellows are matched with mentors whose civic-leadership experience can help the Fellows further develop their capacity to achieve goals that serve the common good. With their mentors’ advisement, Fellows develop individual civic-leadership plans.

Ideal Candidates for the Flinn-Brown Academy

The ideal candidate for the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy will have a strong interest in improving Arizona by becoming:

• a state elected official,
• a member of a state board, commission or advisory council,
• a leader in a state agency or institution,
• or a policy adviser.

Ideal candidates will also have demonstrated leadership ability, will show keen interest in state-level policy, and will have the capacity to consider different perspectives and make fact-driven decisions for the common good.

The program is not intended for those who are already state-level elected officials.

Academy Application Process

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 panel of individuals primarily external to the Flinn and Brown foundations. The panel will identify a group of candidates to be invited to the Flinn Foundation for a personal interview with the Selection Committee.

Critical components of the application portfolio include:

• Online application;
• Current resume;
• Letters of endorsement from two Arizonans.

If you have already read the Academy brochure, you may now begin building your application portfolio.

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 do not receive an email confirmation within this time frame, please email program manager Emily Rajakovich or call 602-744-6828.