Connecting Californians for Reform summit offered at the Great Valley Center via Skype

The American Leadership Forum and Reviving California invite you to the 4th Annual Community Summit - Connecting Californians for Reform.  Join regional leaders, community members, students, journalist and elected officials across the state on Friday, October 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in on of seven locations statewide that are hosting the Summit simultaneously via Skype.

In Modesto, participants will gather in the Community Room at the Great Valley Center, 201 Needham Street, to hear topic experts discuss specific ballot measures and how their outcomes will affect democracy in California. Presentations will be followed by interactive small group dialogues with the opportunity to share highlights between venues. Dejeune Shelton, Senior Fellow with the Great Valley Chapter of the American Leadership Forum, will moderate the Modesto session.
“This is the second year we’ve incorporated Skype technology to connect disparate regions around the state,” said Anu Natarajan, Program Director for Reviving California. “Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype in the past year has enabled us to not only harness Skype technology, but also Microsoft’s evolving technology platforms for civic engagement.”

Featured Summit presenters include:

• Betty Yee, Board member, California Board of Equalization
• Joe Mathews, Contributing Writer, LA Times; Editor, Zócalo Public Square; Senior Fellow, New American Foundation; Co-author, California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It
• Yolie Flores, President & CEO, Communities for Teaching Excellence & former board member of the Los Angeles Unified School District
• Mike Genest, Chairman, Capitol Matrix Consulting & former Director,
• California Department of Finance
• Bob Brownstein, Policy Director, Working Partnerships USA & ALF Senior Fellow
• Michele Siqueiros, Executive Director, Campaign for College Opportunity

The Summit is free and open to the public. Although there is no charge, space is limited, so participants must pre-register. To register for the Modesto location, contact Linda Hoile at the Great Valley Center, 209-522-5103 ext. 140 or email linda@greatvalley.org. Check-in is at 8:30 a.m. and the program starts promptly at 9 a.m.

This year’s event features a social media sharing section in which the public is encouraged to use the Twitter hashtag #CALReform to Tweet questions and comments prior to the Summit. Day-of participants will be asked to do the same, in addition to sharing photos and highlights via twitter.com/revivingca and facebook.com/revivingca. For more information go to www.alfsv.org

Reviving California is a project of the Common Good Collaborative, powered by American Leadership Forum – Silicon Valley. Since 2008, Reviving California has played an active role in the state’s fiscal and governance reform efforts by focusing on educating and engaging the diverse population of Silicon Valley. The goal is to replace political rhetoric with authentic conversations, move beyond the blame game, reward integrity in the political process and create the conditions for individuals, networks and communities to engage in democracy. For more information, visit www.alfsv.org/revivingca

Summit Partners include the three American Leadership Forum chapters - Silicon Valley, Mountain Valley (Sacramento region) and Great Valley (Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties); Coro Center for Civic Leadership-San Francisco and University of San Francisco; Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good; Inland Empire Economic Partnership; San Diego Foundation and UC San Diego, and Southern California Leadership Network.

ALF’s “Hillside Garden Party” fundraiser set for October 6

The American Leadership Forum – Great Valley Chapter invites you to the 2012 Hillside Garden Party – an evening of captivating conversation, wonderful wines and brews, and delectable delights by Greens Catering. The fundraiser will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 6, and individual tickets are on sale for $75. It will be held at the same venue as last year’s party, in a beautiful, countryside garden setting in Modesto.

The focus of this year’s event is to raise scholarship funds for leaders of non-profits and smaller organizations who do not have the means to participate in ALF without financial support. Scholarship funds raised last year are currently supporting several participants in the ALF-Great Valley Chapter’s Class III, which began this year-long transformational leadership development program in June.

Multi-level sponsorship opportunities are also available, from $500 for a “Supporting” sponsorship” which includes admission of ten guests, up to a “Uniting” sponsorship for $10,000 that includes admission for 20 guests.

Purchase your tickets or sponsorship today and help us unite and strengthen our valley’s leaders to address our region’s challenges and serve the public good.

Click here to download information on sponsorships and purchasing tickets. For more information contact Kathy Halsey at kathy@greatvalley.org or (209) 522-5103, ext. 109.

Class III begins transformational leadership development journey

The challenges facing the San Joaquin Valley are daunting. We struggle with high rates of unemployment, housing foreclosures, obesity and asthma, as well as low average household income and low educational attainment levels. The rapid population expansion of the last decade has placed increasing pressures on transportation, air quality and water resources. We must address these challenges and many others to effect a positive outcome for our communities.

Solving these complex problems, however, is further complicated by diverse ways of thinking and approaches to dealing with issues. Our culture, how and where we are raised, and our life experiences all effect how we think and solve problems. Unfortunately, these differences many times get in the way of collaborative problem solving. The need for inclusive, effective and cooperative leadership between government, business, education and non-profit community leaders has never been greater.

To address these needs the Great Valley Center joined with community leaders in 2008 to begin the American Leadership Forum (ALF) Great Valley Chapter, understanding that ALF recognizes, respects and embraces these differences and uses them to promote collaborative problem solving within and among communities.

The chapter seeks to build a diverse network of leaders in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties who are equipped and motivated to address our area’s pressing issues.

Over the course of a year, ALF Fellows come together for an intense, national-caliber training on how to solve problems and work together to tackle challenges facing our communities and region. Most participants say it is life-changing and the single best program for developing and refining their leadership skills.

A key factor in class selection is representation from a broad spectrum of organizations, backgrounds and cultures – involving a cross section of leaders who might not ordinarily interact. This builds understanding and valuing of diversity and creates bridges of relationship and trust within the network of leadership.

How does our region benefit?

Led by ALF national facilitators Kevin McCarthy and Kristen Jacobsen, the 22 leaders selected as Fellows for Class III began their year-long, leadership development journey in June. During their training they will establish relationships built on trust and cooperation; be armed with new skills in dialogue, systems thinking and community leadership for taking on complex issues; learn to appreciate diverse views, and identify resources to turn dialogue into action.

The ALF program strives to motivate “servant leaders” to a lifetime of active public engagement and to become catalysts for positive community change. In addition to their leadership positions on the job, the Senior Fellows serve as board members and as volunteers in a variety of community organizations – spreading their new insights and skills out to their communities.


The transformation that Fellows report taking place within them during the program eventually translates in to transformational change for our region.

Great Valley Center Highlights, February 2011

Now in its second decade, the Great Valley Center continues to address the challenges of our special place on this earth. We continue to operate programs that seek out potential leaders and lift them to higher levels. We also work to overcome the digital divide as our Pixley Connect program now expands to two other communities. Sustainability continues to be a key theme as we work to implement energy retrofit strategies. All of this and much more would not be possible without the generous support of our funders, some of whom have been with us for many years. We extend our appreciation to all our donors for their confidence in us and for their support.

A few highlights for the coming year:

• We are excited to announce our involvement with California Connects, a new statewide digital literacy initiative headed by the California Community College Foundation and the California Community College Technology Center.
  
  GVC is leading the Central Valley component of California Connects, and will recruit individuals into libraries and public computing centers in 18 Central Valley counties to provide in-person training on basic digital literacy skills. We will focus on reaching populations for whom computer and internet use is still a challenge yet necessary to enhance their lifelong learning ability, improve their economic status and advance their quality of life.
  
  California Connects is funded by a $10.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration for Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). The three-year program will ultimately provide access to more than 61,000 broadband users in California.
  
  Read the CA Connects Fact Sheet →
  
  
• The Great Valley Center Energy Program has developed Green Communities, a new program that will train local government staff in the Central Valley to plan for climate change over the next three years. The program, funded by PG&E and the California Public Utilities Commission, will help cities and counties develop a detailed list of greenhouse gas emission sources and levels, and identify ways those emissions can be reduced.
  
  Working with Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), paid university interns will provide hands-on assistance to develop the inventory. Green Communities will allow many local governments to at least begin the process of analyzing local emissions data. Eventually, the baseline data will be used to set emissions reduction goals and develop strategies to achieve these goals.
  
  This effort could help cities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as mandated by Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which is set to take effect in 2020. Cities must start this year to show how they will meet reduction measures by the 2020 target.
  
  Visit www.gvc-energy.org/green-communities.html →
  
  
• Class II of the American Leadership Forum Great Valley Chapter is expected to graduate in May 2011 where they will join the Senior Fellows from Class I. Recruitment for Class III is underway.
  
  The American Leadership Forum is dedicated to joining and strengthening established leaders in order to serve the public good. The Great Valley Chapter of the American Leadership Forum serves the 3-county region of the Northern San Joaquin Valley of Central California.
  
  ALF Fellows participate in a yearlong intensive leadership development program, which includes monthly seminars and a five day wilderness experience. Upon graduation, these Senior Fellows join an active network of over 1,000 graduates nationwide, and continue to work together on regional problems.
  
  Visit www.greatvalley.org/alf →

Highlights from Fiscal Year 09-10

• The National Parks Institute: Leading Strategic Change Seminar graduated its inaugural class, which included 15 U.S. National Park Service leaders and 11 international participants.
• We launched Great Valley TV, a new public affairs television series that aired 30 half-hour episodes weekly in Sacramento, Fresno, and Redding.
• 18 leaders graduated from the inaugural class of the American Leadership Forum Great Valley Chapter.
• 20 leaders graduated from the 2010 Class of the Institute for the Development of Emerging Area Leaders (IDEAL).
• 11 leaders graduated from the Great Valley Leadership Institute (GVLI).
  
  Download our Year-at-a-glance timeline of activities (PDF) to see all our accomplishments during Fiscal Year 09-10.
  

While our challenges may be great, we continue to feel that the future of our Valley is alive with possibilities. All of us working together, cultivating leadership and a more collaborative spirit, are needed to transform these possibilities into reality.

Thank you for your continued support and we hope to see you at one of our events in 2011!

Sincerely,

Dejeune M. Shelton, Interim Executive Director
Kathy McKim, Board Chair

Welcome ALF Northern San Joaquin Valley chapter

We are proud to announce that Stanislaus, Merced, and San Joaquin counties are the heart of the newest ALF chapter. The chapter will be the 11th in the nation and the 3rd in California. It is true testament to the success of the organization which has been going strong for 20 years.

Currently, the network of leaders is being formed, and will pay dividends across city and county lines, but also social, economic and political boundaries. Through a year of hard work, facilitated by nationally-known experts, each ALF class member will be better able to address challenges for the region, workplace and personal life. The inaugural class will establish relationships that build trust and cooperation, and will be armed with new skills for taking on difficult issues, appreciating diverse views, and identifying resources to turn dialogue into action.

The inaugural class features 18 outstanding leaders who have committed to strengthening their leadership skills and networks in the region over the course of
the next year. These fellows are:

Steve Arounsack (California State University, Stanislaus), Debra Brady (First United Methodist Church, Modesto), Debra Brown (Kaiser Hospital, Modesto), Wendy Byrd (Modesto/Stanislaus NAACP & Modesto Junior College), Ben Duran (Merced College), Lisa Finer (Wells Fargo), Ron Foster (Foster Farms), John Garamendi, Jr. (University of California, Merced), Kathy Halsey (AT&T), Flip Hassett (United Way, Merced), Dennis Lee (Central Valley Asian American Chamber of Commerce), Linda Lopez (Office of Congressman Cardoza), Noah Lor (City of Merced, City Council), Virginia Madueno (Imagen Public Relations), Marian Martino (Martino Graphic Design), Pat Patrick (Lodi Chamber of Commerce), Robert Santos (Monte Vista Small Animal Hospital), Cynthia Wagner-Weick (University of the Pacific).

→Find out more about ALF here