Announcing the third class of Flinn-Brown Fellows

Posted on February 24, 2012 by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

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.

Spring 2012 Flinn-Brown Fellows

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

Now accepting applications for Spring 2012 Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy

Posted on September 22, 2011 by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

“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.

View this document on Scribd

Announcing the second class of Flinn-Brown Fellows

Posted on August 4, 2011 by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership is pleased to introduce the 26 Arizonans who have been selected as the second 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 September 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 necessary to become state leaders and resolve state-level challenges. The Academy 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, and 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 mentoring, an individual plan for civic leadership, and an alumni network.

The 26 Flinn-Brown Fellows were selected in a highly competitive process that involved formal nominations, a written application, and an in-person interview. The Leadership Council of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership made the final selection of Fellows.

The Spring 2012 class of the Academy will begin in March. Information about becoming a member of the third Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy will be available on the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership’s website by September 1.

Fall 2011 Flinn-Brown Fellows

Jodi Bain, J.D., Tucson

Attorney, Munger Chadwick PLC

Magdalena (Malena) Barajas, Tucson

Advisor, Pima County Board of Supervisors

Terry Benelli, Mesa

Executive Director, Neighborhood Economic Development Corp.

Stacey Button, Flagstaff

Economic Vitality Director, City of Flagstaff

Molly Edwards, Scottsdale

Marketing Manager, Polsinelli Shughart PC

Tony Gonzales, J.D., Flagstaff

Attorney, private practice

Stephanie Healy, Tucson

President, Hospital Council of Southern Arizona

Daniel Hernandez, Jr., Tucson

Intern, Office of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords

Cassandra (Cassie) Hilpman, Phoenix

Director of Alumni Affairs, Teach For America-Phoenix

Norman Honie, Kykotsmovi

Director, Office of Mining & Mineral Resources, The Hopi Tribe

Brandi Hunt, Scottsdale

President and CEO, Gauge Construction Corp.

Justin Johnson, Phoenix

CEO, Old World Communities LLC

Diane Landis, C.P.A., Litchfield Park

Councilmember, City of Litchfield Park

Stefanie Mach, Tucson

CEO, CM Concordia Consulting LLC

Christopher H. Mathis, J.D., Tucson

Attorney, Law Office of Christopher H. Mathis PLC

Lea Marquez Peterson, Tucson

President and CEO, Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Beatriz Elisabeth Rendón, J.D., Tempe

Associate Vice President for Educational Outreach, Arizona State University

Brett Rustand, Tucson

Vice President, Crest Insurance Group

Jay Schlum, Fountain Hills

Mayor, Town of Fountain Hills; Cloud Communications, Telesphere Networks Ltd.

Suzanne Sisley, M.D., Phoenix

Clinical Faculty, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Arizona Telemedicine Program

Audra Koester Thomas, Fountain Hills

Senior Associate, Partners for Strategic Action Inc.

Douglas Von Gausig, Clarkdale

Mayor, Town of Clarkdale

Brad Vynalek, J.D., Phoenix

Partner, Quarles & Brady LLP

Tonya Watson, Ph.D., Flagstaff

President and CEO, Senior Services Inc.

Thea Wilshire, Ph.D., Globe

Vice Mayor, City of Globe; Clinical Director, San Carlos Apache Wellness Center

Kimulet (Kim) Winzer, J.D., Phoenix

Director of Compliance – West Region, UnitedHealthcare Arizona Physicians IPA

Four other Arizonans have been tapped for the Spring 2012 Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy. These include:

Carl Zaragoza, Advocacy Director, Stand for Children;
Talonya Adams, Attorney, People Caring for People;
Stacy Reinstein, Senior Projects Manager-Policy, Program and Process Improvement, Division of Children, Youth and Families, Arizona Department of Economic Security;
Deborah Gonzalez, Chief Academic Officer, ASU/University Public Schools.

Five minutes with a Flinn-Brown Fellow: Civic leadership and Arizona’s high-tech industry

Posted on June 20, 2011 by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

Patrick Marcus, a Tucson-based biomedical engineer, artist, and entrepreneur, is on the move: He is phasing out his involvement in two Tucson high-tech companies and launching a third, Marcus Engineering LLC, an engineering and technology business-development firm.

Dr. Marcus is also an emerging civic leader. He recently spoke to the Civic Leadership Conversation about his experience in the inaugural class of the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy.

Flinn-Brown Fellow Patrick Marcus

Q. In what ways do you see others’ practice of civic leadership affecting you as the owner of a small business? Has your perception of such impact changed or become more nuanced over the course of your participation in the Academy?

A. The practices of civic policymakers have tremendous impact on my business. Obviously, my business’s success is impacted by the direction of the Arizona Corporation Commission and the Arizona Commerce Authority with regard to targeted technology areas, attraction of complementary companies, and grant money.

Many companies wouldn’t get started without good policy driving grant opportunities, developing incubators, and providing other small business support. That’s really just the tip of the iceberg, though: The indirect impact of education policy covering the P-20 levels, transportation issues, immigration, and health care all affect my ability to draw employees, form partnerships, attract investment capital and generate locale-based credibility.

Arizona must be viewed as a forward-looking, tech-oriented state with an eye to the future in order to draw long-term high-tech growth. It’s much easier to draw that hot-shot chief technology officer from Silicon Valley and encourage our PhD graduates to stay in Arizona if you can tell them that their kids will have a top notch education, that their mean commute time to the office is short, that venture capitalists love Arizona’s high-tech company density, and that opportunities for partnerships with local universities are the best around.

Although small technology businesses often keep their head in the sand and work in isolation, the community around us has an impact on our ability to grow, can greatly ease the path to success, and in many cases determines whether we even get a company started in the first place. All state policies, when properly focused, can drive the kind of healthy high-tech growth environment from which a business like mine will directly benefit.

My participation in the Academy has increased my awareness of the critical role that strong policy plays in the growth of my business. I think it is imperative that business owners have a role in steering Arizona public policy.

Q. What part of the Academy’s program of study have you found most helpful in the development of your leadership repertoire?

A. The core benefit of the Academy for me was not education in any particular area of public policy, but rather the broader understanding I gained about how complex the system of policy creation is and about who the major players are. It was fascinating to me, how much of public policy is driven by those behind the scenes and outside of elected offices.

Forming a network of trusted peers among the other Fellows, as well as having a means of linking into current leadership circles was the other major addition to my repertoire. Often, just knowing where to go and who to talk to are major hurdles to having an impact.

Q. How has participating in the Academy shaped your thoughts about—and plans for—how you will engage in civic leadership in the future?

A. My plans have not changed, but my confidence that I will be an effective leader has grown considerably. I realize now that many of the people involved in public policy are passionate and thoughtful, just like me.

The challenge for a policy maker is the same as for that of a voter: Gather good information and develop trusted resources for obtaining that information. With accurate and reliable information and resources, decisions become much more straightforward. I still plan to participate in the areas in which I am personally invested and passionate about: higher education and support of a high-tech workforce for Arizona’s economic health.

Inaugural Class of Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy Completes Study, Charts Course for Arizona Leadership

Posted on May 24, 2011 by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

PHOENIX—An ambitious new initiative to expand Arizona’s cadre of future state-level civic leaders reached an important milestone on May 20 with a celebration of the inaugural class of the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy. The first 25 Flinn-Brown Fellows were recognized as they concluded an intensive 10-week seminar to enhance their civic-leadership capacity and knowledge of key public-policy issues that impact Arizona.

Now the Flinn-Brown Fellows will begin developing individual civic-leadership plans, drawing on their previous experience and newly refined skills. Some may wish to pursue a new role in the future as a policy advisor, state agency official, or member of a state commission. Other Fellows may choose to run for elective office.

“Participating in the Academy reinforced the accountability and responsibility we all have to help shape the future of our state,” said Fernando Shipley, a Flinn-Brown Fellow who currently serves as mayor of the City of Globe. “Looking toward the future, I am committed to working towards common ground.”

The Fellows will receive support from the Academy well beyond the seminar’s conclusion. Particularly strong guidance will come from the Fellows’ mentors—established civic leaders who have committed to aiding the Fellows as they further develop and implement their individual civic-leadership plans. Continue reading →

Deadline nears for Academy applications

Posted on April 21, 2011 by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

The Center would like to thank all who nominated future state-level civic leaders for the Fall 2011 session of the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy.

As a reminder, nominees for the Academy who hope to become Flinn-Brown Fellows must complete an application before midnight on Tuesday, April 26.

The Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy convenes new classes twice each year, in the spring and fall. Nominations for the spring 2012 session will be solicited in October 2011.

Now accepting nominations for Fall 2011 Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy

Posted on March 1, 2011 by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership is now accepting nominations for the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy’s Fall 2011 session. The session will run from Sept. 9 – Nov. 18, 2011.

The Academy’s second class of state-level future leaders will participate in 12 day-long seminars that will discuss the key issues Arizona faces, such as budget deficits, health care, and immigration. The non-partisan Academy provides Flinn-Brown Fellows with the facts and figures required to analyze statewide policy issues, as well as an understanding of different perspectives and essential decision-making and leadership skills to achieve goals for the common good.

Ideal candidates will have a strong interest in 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.

In addition to learning about key issues and leadership approaches, Fellows will create a plan for their future civic action and will be paired with a private- or public-sector mentor to help develop and reach their goals for civic leadership.

If you are interested in nominating a future statewide civic leader, please complete a nomination form. A nominator should be sufficiently familiar with the nominee’s background and abilities and is asked to discuss this opportunity with the potential nominee to determine the nominee’s level of interest and availability to attend all of the sessions.

The deadline for nominations for Fall 2011 is April 4, 2011.

A brochure with more information about the Fall 2011 Academy is embedded below, or available for download.

View this document on Scribd

Meet the first class of the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy

Posted on February 25, 2011 by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

Twenty-five future Arizona leaders, drawn from across the state and numerous professions, have been selected to participate in this spring’s inaugural class of the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy. The Academy is one of three core components of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership.

The 12-session seminar series, which emphasizes the skills and information needed to accomplish state-level goals, will begin Friday, March 11, continuing through May 20.

The nonpartisan Academy’s content is based on the issues facing Arizona’s leaders today and in the near term. Past and present practitioners, scholars, leaders, and experts—from the public and private sectors—will provide facts and figures as well as a wide variety of perspectives and leadership skills. The seminars are just one part of the academy, which also includes mentoring, an individual plan for civic leadership, and an alumni network.

The 25 Flinn-Brown Fellows were selected in a competitive process that involved formal nominations, a written application, and an in-person interview. The Leadership Council of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership made the final selection of Fellows.

The Academy is presented twice each year–the Fall class will begin in September. Information about becoming a member of the second Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy will be available on the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership’s website no later than March 1.