Civic Leadership
Strengthening civic leadership statewide through the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership.
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, leadership, and engagement programs. The Arizona Civic Exchange—CivEx—creates opportunities for the public to become better informed and educated on political and policy topics impacting their communities. The prestigious Flinn-Brown Fellowship fosters civic leaders in Arizona by building knowledge, skills, and a robust network to find solutions for Arizona’s long-term issues. The Center promotes civic engagement through the Civic Leadership Collaborative by convening Arizona’s leadership-development organizations to advance the goal of building strong leaders in every community in the state.
Fellows to lead Dec. 2 CivEx discussion of state government’s ongoing response to COVID-19
A CivEx discussion featuring a panel of Flinn-Brown Fellows on the front lines of state government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 2 (rescheduled from November 18). Learn about the Fellows’ involvement in responding to the pandemic—their challenges, experiences, and outlook for future response and recovery plans.
2015 Flinn-Brown Fellow Daniel Ruiz, Chief Operating Officer for the state of Arizona, will moderate the panel of experts involved in key decision-making roles through the pandemic. [Register]
Flinn-Brown Fellow Kate Morley promotes public transportation across northern Arizona
Flinn-Brown Fellow Kate Morley enjoys promoting public transportation across northern Arizona, which she says enables her to play a role in a wide range of issues facing the state and actively engage on them.
Morley (2018) is the deputy general manager of Mountain Line, which provides transit service in the Flagstaff area. In her career as a planner and transportation executive, Morley has been motivated by getting people physically active and improving health. [Read More]
Flinn-Brown Fellow David Martinez III: Working to build the capacity of nonprofits to engage in advocacy, policy
Flinn-Brown Fellow David Martinez III serves as director of capacity building and community engagement at Vitalyst Health Foundation, working with community-based leaders, organizations, and coalitions to increase capacity and civic participation and improve the health of Arizonans.
Martinez (2011), a University of Arizona graduate, previously worked for the Center for the Future of Arizona and St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and is involved with the Arizona Community Foundation’s Center for LGBTQ Philanthropy and the Desert Botanical Garden. [Read More]
Flinn-Brown Fellow Lisa Urias leads communications agency reaching diverse markets
Lisa Urias launched Urias Communications in 2006 to provide strategic advertising, public-relations, and creative services to various Fortune 1000 clients, large nonprofit organizations, and government agencies throughout the U.S. and in Mexico.
A member of the first Flinn-Brown cohort, Urias (2011) also serves as a board member of Greater Phoenix Leadership, Arizona Community Foundation, and the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. [Read More]
Flinn-Brown Fellow Kevin Bonine: The intersection of environmental stewardship and science education
Flinn-Brown Fellow Kevin Bonine (2014) is director of education at Biosphere 2 and a science-faculty member in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona.
Bonine writes about how he serves southern Arizona nonprofits, the K-12 education system, and UArizona, the impact of COVID-19 on Biosphere 2 and Tucson, the value of the Flinn-Brown Network, and how his work advances the biosciences, research, and a culture of innovation and creative excellence. [Read More]
Arizona Center for Civic Leadership names 31 Flinn-Brown Fellows for 2020
The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation has selected 31 civic leaders for its Flinn-Brown Fellowship seminar series that will focus on public policy development to address Arizona’s pressing socio-economic issues.
Four counties from across Arizona will be represented in the new cohort, with about a third of the Flinn-Brown Fellows from outside the Phoenix metro area, including Flagstaff, Kingman, Tucson, and for the first time, Vail. The 2020 Flinn-Brown Fellows hold a diversity of perspectives, experience, and policy interest and represent the private and public sectors in business and industry, government, nonprofits, arts, and education. [Read more]
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News and Updates
Civic Leadership
Flinn-Brown Fellow Ben Henderson leading operations for neighboring state governor
Ben HendersonDirector of Operations Office of the Governor, ColoradoLinkedInTwitter Ben Henderson currently serves as the director of operations and cabinet affairs for Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado. He has spent the last decade working in city and state government focusing on budgeting, economic development, and public administration. Ben lives in Denver with his fiancée […]
Civic Leadership
November 2020 Network News
Thoughts from Dawn Wallace There is nothing more lovely than November in Arizona. For locals, it is a long-awaited respite from the scorching heat of never-ending Arizona summer days. For our friends who escape here from the frigid winters of the Midwest, Arizona is the closest to paradise you can get to in a car. […]
Civic Leadership
Flinn-Brown Fellow Kate Morley promotes public transportation across northern Arizona
Kate MorleyDeputy General ManagerMountain LineEmail 1. Can you please describe your work and how public policy impacts how you manage your organization? I really enjoy working at the intersection of tough challenges facing our communities. Public transportation provides me that opportunity, as it plays a role in a wide range of issues facing our state […]
Civic Leadership
October 2020 Network News
Thoughts from Dawn Wallace Last month, our country mourned the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was known to many as an impassioned advocate of women’s rights. However, not as widely known, was her legacy to broader gender equality. Many of her early cases as a litigator addressed discriminatory practices against men, […]
For information about Civic Leadership, please contact:
civicleadership@flinn.org or (602) 744-6832
Dawn Wallace
Vice President, Civic Leadership
Sara Larsen
Program Manager, Arizona Center for Civic Leadership
Linda Kissel
Executive Assistant & Civic Leadership Program Coordinator