Ohio Update

A message from Ohio State Director, Gavin Leonard

06.11.08

Job Announcements
We are hiring a full-time Outreach Manager who will lead our relationship building across the state, as well as a Faculty Member/Consultant who will work as a leadership coach and workshop trainer for CPL Ohio.

As CPL Ohio continues its growth, the next big step is hiring for 2 positions – Outreach Manager and Faculty member/consultant.  Both positions have due dates of July 3rd, and both will be key additions to our team in the state. 

These positions will both extend far beyond the election, and anyone who is interested in long term movement building for progressive social justice work in the state should take a look.  These are exciting times!

New Leaders Fellows
After over 50 applications, a select group of 8 New Leaders Fellows were chosen from across the state.  After the initial week long training in DC this past week, the Fellows are settling in at their positions this week, and we are excited to be working with them through November!

We have 8 amazing Fellows from across the state – 3 in NE Ohio (Lorain, Warren, and East Cleveland), 2 in Columbus, and 3 in Cincinnati.  Big thanks to go our partner organizations who the Fellows will be working from at least June through November – SEIU Local 3, Ohio Youth Voices, Working America, East Side Organizing Project, Mahoning Valley Organizing Committee, Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, and America Votes. 

With 7 people of color, 4 women, and ages 21-28 from a variety of backgrounds represented, this is an exciting time for CPL Ohio.  In the next update I’ll really gush about them, and we’ll have their profiles up online for you all to see.  Getting a diverse group of up and coming leaders together is exactly the way we will begin to see the leadership pipelines within progressive organizations become more representative of our communities. Then, ensuring that these folks are trained, supported, and networked to succeed over the long term will be vital to a sustainable social justice movement in Ohio. Shout outs to all the friends and supporters across the state who helped get the word out about the program, and to those of you who have or soon will agree to be a mentor for one of these amazing young people!

If you or someone you know would make a good mentor for New Leaders Fellow, please contact me ASAP at gleonard@progressiveleaders.org. This group is especially interested in long time social justice advocates, community organizers, and current or former elected officials who can share their wisdom and experience.  This is a small volunteer commitment that can go a long, long way.

General Update

3 months in, I’ve got my feet under me – finally!  As I’m sure you can all relate to, it always takes a little time when you start at a new organization to get your bearings and find your voice in that new place.  I’m on my stride now, and am looking forward to big things with this organization.  As you may remember from my last email, I am absolutely confident that CPL can fill an important and relevant role in Ohio – specifically by helping to fill the pipelines of leadership within the progressive movement with more people of color and folks from other underrepresented communities.  There is a lot of work to be done, and while it is sometimes difficult to be working on what can feel like a big, long term task, it feels great to be able focus all my energy on what becomes an afterthought or an “I wish I could spend more time on…” for most people.

In the coming months, especially after we hire staff and increase our capacity, we will be ramping up significantly on outreach and relationship building.  New Leaders Fellows recruitment has taken the better part of the past month and a half, and now it is time to follow up on some of the initial contacts that I made.  In the past 3 months I visited Colorado, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Michigan to see our 9 month State Political Leaders Fellowship in action.  It was invigorating to see the 30-50 people in each state who are all dedicated to changing the landscape of the progressive movement in their states, and collectively, in the country!

June through November will be a busy, busy time for many of you.  As organizations and campaigns ramp up and think about how to mobilize their constituencies in this Presidential election year, I will be asking them to think about how they can act so as to sustain the energy, excitement, and engagement beyond November.  Our 9 month State Political Leaders Fellowship will begin in March 2009, and we have the amazing opportunity at CPL in Ohio to spend the majority of our time between now and then finding a group that is representative of the kind of movement we all want to see thrive in the state. 

So, if you’d like to sit down when we’re in your town, maybe host a meet and greet or mixer, or simply share how you think CPL can be effective and relevant in the state, please get in touch.  We’ll be looking for organizations that could benefit from our Partnership Trainings – like the one we did with America Votes in Columbus on May 20th on management and training – where we tailor capacity and skill building or professional development opportunities for you and yours.  These trainings can both give you free support in the short term, and turn your staff, volunteers, and supporters on to our style of training and long term programs that may be beneficial to them.

In closing, I’d just like to say thank you to all of you for your support and kind words.  Getting feedback from these updates, check ins at meetings locally and statewide, and your calls and emails sharing support all mean a lot to me as I continue to build this organization.

Lastly, if you were forwarded this email, and would like to join our list for future updates – please click here and fill in the form on the right. 

In Solidarity,

Gavin Leonard, Ohio State Director

Center for Progressive Leadership

gleonard@progressiveleaders.org

Read previous updates: 04/23/08