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Arizona Center for Civic Leadership
Enhancing civic life in Arizona through education, engagement, and leadership programs.
The Center’s cornerstone initiative which includes participation in the Flinn-Brown Academy and Flinn-Brown Network. Apply starting Feb. 1.
Meet the 465 Fellows who make up the Flinn-Brown Network through this searchable directory.
Join us for monthly virtual public policy seminars emphasizing learning and discussion.
A partnership to measure Arizona's progress on civic participation and connected communities—and act.
Meet the 2024 Flinn-Brown Fellows, learn about their careers and public service, and the communities they serve.
An annual gathering of Flinn-Brown Fellows to make connections while learning about public service from policy experts and Fellows.
Connect with Arizona Center for Civic Leadership: Stay up to date. Join our email list.
The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership
The nonpartisan Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation enhances civic life in Arizona through civic education, engagement, and leadership-development programs. Flinn Young Leaders emphasizes civic learning and skill-building and helps teens imagine paths to making a difference. CivEx delivers educational programming for the public to become better-informed on Arizona policy and political topics. The Civic Leadership Collaborative and the Arizona Civic Life Partnership convene organizations that strengthen civic participation and connected communities. The Center’s cornerstone, the prestigious Flinn-Brown Fellowship, is an immersive experience for community leaders from diverse backgrounds. Fellows engage in rich discussions with policymakers and political experts; join a robust professional network; and gain understanding of how to address Arizona’s most pressing issues through public service.
2025 Flinn-Brown Fellowship application opens Feb. 1
The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation’s Flinn-Brown Fellowship is the premier statewide civic leadership program for experienced Arizona leaders to expand their knowledge, put their connections to use, and make a difference in their communities.
The 2025 application will go live on Feb. 1 and the deadline to apply is Feb. 28. A number of in-person and virtual information sessions have been scheduled for January and February. About 25 Arizonans from all walks of life and perspectives will be selected in the spring for Flinn-Brown, which begins in August. [Learn more]
Alfred Urbina’s lifetime of service, from paperboy to tribal leader
Alfred Urbina describes himself as a husband, father, and grandfather from South Tucson. He’s also a 2013 Flinn-Brown Fellow who started as a paperboy and busboy and went on to serve in the military, as a police officer, and later a prosecutor, Attorney General, and judge for Arizona tribal communities.
In this 14th episode of the Leadership Forward for a Better Arizona podcast, hosted by Dawn Wallace with the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation, Urbina talks about his Flinn-Brown experience, tribal government, his optimism for greater inclusion of tribal leaders, and his hope for integrating Native American history into Arizona history and requiring it be taught in schools. [Listen]
A journalist for Arizona: Flinn-Brown Fellow Lisa Schnebly Heidinger shares her stories
Flinn-Brown Fellow Lisa Schnebly Heidinger, a renowned author, journalist, and historian, shares her stories of Arizona and future plan to promote teachers with Leadership Forward for a Better Arizona host Dawn Wallace of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation.
Schnebly Heidinger, a 2012 Flinn-Brown Fellow and third generation Arizonan, has worked in print, radio and television journalism and written books, including “Sedona Schnebly” about her great-grandmother and namesake of Sedona. In this 13th episode of the podcast, learn about her interviews with Arizona icons Barry Goldwater and Sandra Day O’Connor and the real story of the miner on the Arizona State Seal. [Listen]
Fellow Elizabeth Alvarado-Thorson serves the greater good of Arizona
When Elizabeth Alvarado-Thorson was a child, she and her five siblings watched as two men in suits left their family home. Shortly after, their parents sat them down, and their father explained that the men had presented them with an opportunity to give back to the state of Arizona. It was the late 1970s, a time of rapid growth in Phoenix, and their opportunity came in the form of giving up their home to allow for the expansion of I-10.
For Alvarado-Thorson, a 2017-Flinn-Brown Fellow, her father’s legacy of service and gratitude continues to guide her work and inspire her every day. Her current title? Director of the Arizona Department of Administration, a role that speaks volumes about her exceptional leadership skills and dedication to public service. [Read more]
New Arizona Civic Life Partnership report studies reactions to key civic terms
A new study finds that Arizonans react strongly to different civic language terms—more so than the rest of the country—and that the perceptions can enhance or hinder collaborative community conversations.
The Arizona Civic Life Partnership report, released by Center for the Future of Arizona, the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation, and Vitalyst Health Foundation, reveals that Arizonans have a stronger connection to civic language than their peers across the country.
Civic Language Perceptions Project: An Arizona Snapshot explores how Arizonans understand and react to key civic terms and offers insights for organizations working to improve civic engagement across the state. [Read more]
Flinn-Brown Fellow Nate Rhoton leads nonprofit one•n•ten
Nate Rhoton, a member of the 2015 Flinn-Brown cohort, initially applied with the goal of running for public office. However, through the course of the Fellowship, he came to realize that making a difference doesn’t solely depend on holding political office—there are many ways to influence and shape Arizona’s progress outside of electoral politics.
In January 2018, Rhoton became the CEO at one•n•ten, a nonprofit founded to provide LGBTQ+ individuals in Arizona a supportive place to find resources, build friendships, and find empowerment. Although he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running for office, he is confident that his current position allows him to deliver the support and drive the change he has always aspired to make. [Read more]
News and Updates
Civic Leadership
Flinn-Brown Fellow Elizabeth Alvarado-Thorson
Nate Rhoton, a member of the 2015 Flinn-Brown cohort, initially applied with the goal of running for public office. Driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact on Arizona’s future and contribute to the state’s growth, he saw elected office as a natural path
Civic Leadership
November/December 2024 Network News
The Fellows Council plays a vital role in strengthening and enhancing the Flinn-Brown experience. Comprised of Fellows from across the state, they serve as ambassadors for the program in their region, lead the planning of the annual Flinn-Brown Convention, promote the Flinn-Brown Network, and advise on the continual programmatic improvements of the Flinn-Brown Fellowship.
Civic Leadership
Flinn-Brown Fellow Nate Rhoton
Nate Rhoton, a member of the 2015 Flinn-Brown cohort, initially applied with the goal of running for public office. Driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact on Arizona’s future and contribute to the state’s growth, he saw elected office as a natural path
Civic Leadership
October 2024 Network News
We launched our Arizona Civic Language Perceptions Project in partnership with the Center for the Future of Arizona last week. Our goal was to explore how Arizonans from different communities respond to terms frequently used in civic conversations, such as democracy, liberty, justice, pluralism, and privilege.
For information about Civic Leadership, please contact:
civicleadership@flinn.org or (602) 744-6832
