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Arizona Center for Civic Leadership
Enhancing civic life in Arizona through education, engagement, and leadership programs.
The application opens Feb. 1 for Arizona's premier fellowship program of learning and support for state-level public service.
Meet the more than 435 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.
A statewide resource for organizations interested and involved in strengthening civic leadership.
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.
CFA, Flinn Foundation release new Arizona civic health data
The Center for the Future of Arizona and the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at Flinn Foundation have released new data that measures the civic health of Arizona as part of their Arizona Civic Health Partnership, which was created by the organizations in 2021 to strengthen engagement throughout the state.
The recently updated Arizona Civic Health Progress Meter reveals a decline in community connectedness and volunteerism and a low ranking for Arizonans spending time with neighbors discussing community issues. The partnership plans to generate dialogue, expand statewide partners, and use data to improve civic engagement over the next year. [Read more]
Center launches Leadership Forward for a Better Arizona podcast
The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership has launched a new podcast, Leadership Forward for a Better Arizona. The first two episodes are now available, with the next monthly episode scheduled for release in December.
Dawn Wallace, Vice President, Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation, is the host. In the first episode, her guests are former Republican and Democratic legislators Stan Barnes and Chad Campbell, who teamed up for several years as political facilitators for the Flinn-Brown Academy. In the second episode, Flinn-Brown Fellow Teniqua Broughton, executive director of The State of Black Arizona, speaks about Black maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates in Arizona. The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. [Listen]
Clare Aslan leads a large research group focused on sustainability science at Northern Arizona University and offers training to the next generation of sustainability professionals, environmental scientists, hydrologists, and geologists. Aslan, a 2017 Flinn-Brown Fellow and Flinn Scholar alum, is the director of the School of Earth and Sustainability at NAU and co-director of the NAU Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes.
Aslan connects with underserved communities by engaging students in transformative and experiential education, opening new growth opportunities for them, and linking them with the ecosystems of northern Arizona. Her research links to Arizona’s public policy by emphasizing resource management, sustainable agriculture, and fire preparedness and mitigation. [Read more]
Five Fellows honored with 2023 Flinn-Brown Awards
The 2023 Flinn-Brown Award recipients were recognized during the annual Flinn-Brown Convention Nov. 3 at the Helios Education Campus in Phoenix. The winners were Paul Brierley of Yuma (Jack Jewett Award), Julie Katsel of Tucson (Network Builder Award), Tim Elinkski of Cottonwood (Northern Arizona Champion), Elvy Barton of Chandler (Central Arizona Champion), and Brendan Lyons of Tucson (Southern Arizona Champion).
The awards honor high-impact leaders in Arizona for their service to the state, their region, and the Flinn-Brown Network. The Convention was an all-day event focused on the value of public service, its challenges, and how the Flinn-Brown Network can encourage Fellows in all levels of public service. [Learn more]
Fellow Fernando Shipley: a Gila County public servant
Fernando Shipley is dedicated to a number of public service roles in Gila County: Globe City Council for 15 years including four years as mayor plus the governing boards of Gila Community College and Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center. He is also a member of the First Things First Gila Regional Partnership Council and the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority’s Federal Programs Committee. He is also a State Farm agent in Globe.
The 2011 Flinn-Brown Fellow says if we truly want to make progress, we need to sit down and talk to each other, not make policy in a silo and then expect everyone to accept it blindly. [Read more]
News and Updates
Civic Leadership
Center for the Future of Arizona and Flinn Foundation release new civic health data
PHOENIX—Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to bringing Arizonans together to create a stronger and brighter future for the state, releases new data highlighting Arizona’s need for improved civic engagement in partnership with the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation. As it stands, Arizona ranks as […]
Civic Leadership
October 2023 Network News
While I find my bliss in the autumn months, September evokes bittersweet emotions within me. Even though the heat is stifling, summer still represents a temporary escape from the routines and responsibilities of everyday life. The freedom of summer lies not just in the physical sense—road trips, summer camp, and fireworks on the 4th of July—but also in an emotional sense, where worries momentarily fade, and the spirit feels unburdened.
Civic Leadership
Flinn-Brown Fellow Clare Aslan a leader in sustainability research at NAU
This past May, I celebrated 35 years with State Farm, of which the last 24 years have been as a State Farm agent in Globe, Arizona. My leadership journey has been an interesting and rewarding adventure. I have served on the Globe City Council for 15 years and four of those years as mayor. I also serve on the governing boards of Gila Community College, Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center, First Things First Gila Regional Partnership Council, and on the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority’s Federal Programs Committee.
Civic Leadership
Fellow Fernando Shipley: a Gila County public servant
This past May, I celebrated 35 years with State Farm, of which the last 24 years have been as a State Farm agent in Globe, Arizona. My leadership journey has been an interesting and rewarding adventure. I have served on the Globe City Council for 15 years and four of those years as mayor. I also serve on the governing boards of Gila Community College, Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center, First Things First Gila Regional Partnership Council, and on the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority’s Federal Programs Committee.
For information about Civic Leadership, please contact:
civicleadership@flinn.org or (602) 744-6832
Dawn Wallace
Vice President, Civic Leadership
Jennifer Papworth
Program Manager, Arizona Center for Civic Leadership
Danielle Underwood
Program Coordinator, Arizona Center for Civic Leadership