What's New
Coro National Creates New National Staff Position
On March 24, 2008, Scott Syphax, chair of the Coro National Board of Governors, announced the creation of a new staff position for Coro National, the Managing Director of Training and Related Services. This position will advance Coro National's role of supporting and strengthening Coro training so that Coro can continue to build its results, identity and reputation across the country. The position is designed to work collaboratively throughout the Coro system to enhance communication and skill development for trainers, share cost-effective program models, continue work on the written curriculum and new training materials, and work to describe the outcomes and impact of Coro training. The position will also support Coro National's activities to enhance the Coro "brand," coordinate with alumni initiatives, support recruitment, and pave the way for new sources of fund raising.
The position has been filled by Coro alum Steven Redfield. Steve has played many roles with Coro - program participant (Fellows Program 1981, Southern California), staff member, center board member, volunteer recruiter, field faculty, alumni board member, and volunteer "faculty" for recent train-the-trainer events. He will also be bringing his experience from the last 20 years of running a non-profit organization, STRIVE/Chicago Employment Service and then helping to build the network of STRIVE programs in 15 cities around the U.S., the United Kingdom and Israel.
His work for the STRIVE network included building an on-line information exchange, defining program outcomes and program standards, managing national grants, developing staff training, and designing new programs - experience that should prove enormously valuable in continuing to strengthen the Coro system. He will be visiting all of the centers in the coming months and looks forward to meeting Coro's wide range of supporters. He can be contacted at sredfield@coro.org.
Coro National sees this position as the logical progression from its recent accomplishments. It builds on the legacy of recent Board chairs Vic Fazio and Jill Hultin; the development of written curriculum materials by senior trainers Andrew Haupt, Gerty O'Leary and Andy Thorp; staffing support from Kathryn Edmundson and Peter Chidsey; and coordination with the Coro National Alumni Association for their critical role building the new technology platform, that includes the alumni directory. Anyone interested in getting involved with Coro National's ongoing projects can contact CNAA, Scott Syphax or Steve directly.
Scott Syphax named new Chair of Coro National as Jill Hultin steps down after decade of service.
As Coro National nears the end of its fiscal year, the Coro National Nominating Committee has been involved in nominating officers for the coming year. Jill Hultin, our Chair for the last two years, has indicated her desire to step down after a decade of service on the CNBOG. On June 25, 2007, the Coro National Board’s Executive Committee approved the Nominating Committee’s recommendation that Vice Chair Scott Syphax become Chair of Coro National. Subsequently, the full Board of Governors approved the recommendation. Given the significant amount of work underway under the auspices of Coro National, the effective date for Scott to take the Chair will be September 1, 2007. This timing will permit Coro National to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.
Scott Syphax (FPPA-NC ’92) has served as Vice Chair of Coro National’s Board of Governors on the CN BOG Executive Committee, and in that capacity has chaired two system wide committees -- the Coro Steering Committee, examining the options for system wide capacity building and fundraising, and the National Recruitment and Selection Committee for the Fellows Program in Public Affairs. He is currently CEO of the Nehemiah Corporation, the largest privately-funded, non profit provider of homebuyer downpayment assistance in the country. He previously served as a Manager of Public Affairs for Eli Lilly & Company. He has been appointed twice by President Bush to serve on the San Francisco Federal Home Loan Bank Board. He also has served at former Governor Gray Davis’ request as Chairman of the Financial Solvency Board for the California State Department of Managed Health Care. In the private sector, Scott has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the
As Chair of the CNBOG, Scott will be continuing his long-standing commitment to developing and strengthening
Jill Hultin (FPPA-LA ’66) has been responsible for helping lead a renaissance at Coro National, helping guide a transformational, growth and results-oriented vision of a stronger, larger
The Coro National Board of Governors thanks Jill for her passionate, dedicated and committed leadership to the transformation of
We look forward to Scott’s leadership in taking Coro National and the
Tom McMorrow, Chair,
Jim Gilson and Jim Schoning,
Welcome to a New Coro National Governor, Abe Naparstek!
Abe Naparstek is a Development Director in the Commercial Group of Forest City Enterprises. Forest City Enterprises is a $7.8 billion real estate company principally engaged in the ownership, development, acquisition, and management of commercial and residential real estate throughout the United States. In that capacity he manages potential and ongoing commercial real estate opportunities for the company. He currently is the project manager for a potential $500 million development in the City of Pittsburgh.
Prior to this position, Abe was the Assistant County Manager of Allegheny County. In that capacity, Abe worked on a number of policy initiatives for the County.
Abe, 29, participated in the inaugural year of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership Fellows Program in Public Affairs. In 2000, Abe was a Coro Allegheny County Executive Fellow in Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey's office focusing on legislative policy. In 2001, Abe enrolled in The H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University and finished his master's degree in public policy management in May of 2003.
Abe was a founding board member of the Sprout Fund and the UltraViolet Loop. He currently is a member of the board of directors of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership in Pittsburgh.
Coro National and Coro Leadership Center – St Louis jointly support and host Coro system Train the Trainer systemwide gathering, August 6-8
Despite the storm that severely damaged the St Louis region this summer, and deeply affected the lives of our Coro St Louis colleagues, the 2006 Coro system Train the Trainer Meeting was held in St Louis, supported by Coro National and hosted by Coro Leadership Center – St. Louis, August 6-8.
“This year’s Train the Trainer meeting had three purposes: one, to serve program and professional development needs of trainers and managers across centers in the Fellows Program for Public Affairs and the Community/Regional Programs; two, to deliver a core training of Coro methodology and tools; and three, to build regional trainer and training capacity at one of the Coro Centers—ours,” said Sue Fisher, Executive Director of Coro St Louis. “We enthusiastically hosted this meeting to meet our colleagues from around the country and to share our collective knowledge, experiences and tools. And the dates happened to coincide with the orientation and opening reception for our Women in Leadership Program. This provided an excellent opportunity to connect even more Coro participants, alumni, Board and staff members! The training at TTT this year helps us build the capacity to extend the reach of our Coro programs to the greater metropolitan region.”
The 2 ½ day TTT meeting was oriented to address needs articulated by current training staff, program managers and prospective trainers from all centers. By focusing on shared needs of all Coro trainers, the TTT strengthened the Coro system’s capacity to deliver Coro programs and training, consistently and with high levels of quality, to a diverse range of audiences, in multiple settings, and at the national, regional and community-based levels.
Jill Hultin, Chair of the Coro National Board of Governors: “The Coro National Board wanted TTT this year to generate additional input from Coro training professionals on their priority needs--in the context of Coro National’s work in partnership with colleagues system- and nation-wide to strengthen the systemwide training platform. This TTT shared information and issues and training across national and regional program trainers so that best practices can be leveraged.”
The Coro National Board of Governors approved the Coro Universal Program Guidelines in 2004 to serve as a guide to create a common framework of training and content across Coro program offerings throughout the Coro system. The Guidelines include expectations of outcomes for the various Coro stakeholders—Coro participants, programs and communities. To this end, former Coro St. Louis ED and trainer Andy Thorp and Fellows trainer Gerty O’Leary were asked to create a draft, Essential Premises of Coro Methodology and Principles to be shared with trainers. This content and training would be the first component of building blocks toward a core, commonly shared training. It is anticipated that program trainers would receive core training prior to providing programming in any setting. The final version is envisioned to be part of core training that would be delivered at every Center/or Coro Program site (such as Cleveland) by one or more Master Trainers in a 1.5-2 day event.
Among the sessions in which the group participated:
- Gerty O’Leary, who trains the Fellows in St Louis, provided training related to essential premises of Coro methodology and principles.
- Coro alum and CNAA Board member Steven Redfield graciously contributed several training sessions on Coro’s Philosophical Underpinnings. Since Coro’s methodology and program designs were built using these foundations and continue to evolve from these original influences, he asked:
- What influences contributed to the initial design of Coro programs? How can program participants benefit from having conceptual “models”? In particular, what benefits can result from considering “scientific” methods to the arenas of public affairs?
- John Dewey, “The Public and Its Problems”
- What does Dewey say in “The Public and Its Problems”? How do the messages in that work contribute to Coro’s desired outcomes? How might they shape what you do as a trainer?
- How do you get the content into your programs?
- General Semantics
- What key lessons has Coro taken from General Semantics? How do they relate to improving our process of improving democratic self-governance and developing the skills of emerging leaders? How might they shape what you do as a trainer? How do you get the content into your programs?
- Steve Redfield also joined the TTT group in an all day session based on information collected in advance: Training Using Coro Tools in Short/Regional Programs as well as the Fellows Program--Using the Coro Toolbox Across Coro Programs.
- Another session examined the evolution of approaches to outcomes and impact in Coro programs.
Barbara Abbett, Chair of the Coro St Louis Center: “The TTT group worked really hard, but we wanted them to get out and have fun in St Louis too—see the Arch, walk near the Mississippi, see our neighborhoods…We also met in downtown St Louis with the head of our city’s economic revitalization effort who compared and contrasted strategies for community and regional economic development in major cities where he’d worked.
We thank the Coro St Louis staff for all their hard work; Coro National and its Governors for financial support; the master trainers who contributed their time and talent; and everyone across the Coro system who participated in TTT to develop and strengthen Coro program delivery.”
We celebrate the launch of the new www.Coro.org website!
Coro National celebrates the launch of a new website for the Coro system.
We thank the Coro Technology Committee for the work that created this site, chaired by Anne Reisinger, Coro Southern California and members of the Committee: Marianne Jensen, Coro Center for Civic Leadership – Northern California; Mary Corcoran, Coro Kansas City; Michael Wagner, Coro Center for Civic Leadership – Pittsburgh; Mona Chun and Sheryl Parker, Coro New York Leadership Center; Tom Wallace, Coro Leadership Center – St. Louis; and Kerry Lipsitz, Coro National Alumni Association. We thank the donors who supported this initiative and helped raise funds for it, including Coro National Board members Bryan Bergsteinsson; Vice Chair Don Kornblet; and Robert Hoffman; and CNAA Board member and benefactor Ray Roeder. We also thank virtual staff consultants Peter Chidsey and Kathryn Edmundson. We look forward to seeing the Alumni Directory go up along with other customized database related content in November 2006.
