Overview...

Held on Saturday, October 14, at the Kellogg Conference Center in New City, this one-day conference provided a forum for minority policy professionals and students to explore pressing policy issues and methods for building leadership capacity. Hosted by Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, the conference included interactive discussion sessions, policy workshops, career & skills development workshops, and networking opportunities.

This event was the first phase of the COMPAS Project -- an initiative designed to address the need for multicultural leaders in public policy and international affairs. The COMPAS Project is coordinated by a multi-ethnic volunteer steering committee, many of whom are alumni of the Sloan, Woodrow Wilson, and Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Programs from 1980-1999, and counseled by a special Advisory Board. CoMPP New York, which is comprised of minority policy professionals and public policy fellows, supported the organization of the New York Policy Conference.

Funding for the conference was made possible through assistance from the Academy for Educational Development's Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship Program through a grant from the Ford Foundation.
 
 

Featured Speakers...

Special Guest & Town Hall Moderator:
Mr. Alfred Ramirez
President, National Community for Latino Leadership, Inc (NCLL)
 

Afternoon Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Gail C. Christopher
Executive Director, Innovations in American Government Program,
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
 

Other Guest Speakers & Panelists Included...

Alfonso Wyatt, Fund for the City of New York; David Brown, National Youth Employment Coalition; Sherece West, Community Initiatives - Annie E. Casey Foundation; Fernando Martinez, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development; Dudley Benoit, SEEDCO; Lionel McIntyre, Urban Technical Assistance Program; Luis Miranda, Hispanic Federation, Advisory, Desmond Saunders Newton, U.S. Department of Defense; Lance Freeman, Columbia University, Urban Planning Department; Sandra Timmons, Girls Inc; Marcelo Gaete, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO); Van Ornelas, NALEO; John White, New York City Comptroller's Office; Margaret Lezcano, Goldman Sachs; Amy Laskey, FITCH; Melanie Tung, Dexia Group; John Sabini, New York City Councilmember; and John Lui, New York City Councilman Candidate - 2001.

Conference Schedule & Highlights...

8:00 AM	Registration
9:00 AM	Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:30 AM	Town Hall Forum Moderated by Alfred Ramirez, president of the National Community for Latino  Leadership, panelists were led in a special discussion of potential strategies and obstacles facing policy professionals of color in building leadership capacity in our communities.
11:45 AM	Morning Policy and Career Development Workshops A series of 4-5 concurrent seminars examined the latest public policy and international affairs issues facing minority communities and discussed successful strategies for personal and professionals development.
1:15 PM	Lunch (Provided) & Networking Session Included special lunch tables organized by policy areas
2:30 PM	Afternoon Policy and Career Development Workshops A series of 4-5 concurrent seminars examined the latest public policy and international affairs issues facing minority communities and discussed successful strategies for personal and professionals development.
4:15 PM	Keynote Address & Closing Remarks Featured keynote address by Dr. Gail Christopher, director of the Innovations in Government Program at Harvard University's, Kennedy School of Government.
5:30 PM	Reception Allowed conference participants to network with other policy professionals -- including invited representatives from policy institutions such as think tanks, government agencies, private firms, and non-profit community organizations -- in an informal atmosphere

Policy & Career Development Workshop Topics...

Morning Workshop Sessions

Community & Economic Development: "Building a Foundation for Community and Economic Development: New Trends and Innovations..."

Education: "Pressing Issues in Education"

International Affairs: "The New Economy & Its Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy"

Public Finance: "Public Finance 101: Selling the Brooklyn Bridge and Other Tales..."

Afternoon Workshop Sessions

Career Workshop: "Stateside & Abroad: Managing Your Career"

Running for Public Office: "Campaign Development: Issues and Obstacles that Face Minority Candidates"

Technology: "Technology & the Digital Divide: What does it mean and what are we doing about it?"

Youth Issues: "Serving Our Young People: A Look at Public Policy and Practice"

Credits...

Conference Coordinating Committee

• Dale Robinson Anglin, New Community Corporations 
• Pascala Bernard, New York City District Council 37 
• Kimberly Driggins, Ernst & Young 
• Burton Edwards, United States Institute of Peace 
• Jessica Gonzalez, NYU Law School 
• Kristi Guillory, U.S. Department of Health & Human Service 
• Dominique Jones, Manhattan Borough President's Office 
• Brian Kenner, Ernst & Young 
• Lawrence Latimer, Princeton University 
• Elvis Lewis, Federal Reserve Bank of New York 
• Jean Lu, Hartford Investment Management Company 
• Guillermo Maciel, East Harlem Council for Community Improvement 
• Erik Paulino, New York Hispanic Federation 
• Ginger Romero, American Express 
• Belkis Suazo, Graduate Center, CUNY 
• Kimberly Wright, Corporation for Supportive Housing 

Note - Professional Affiliations are Given for Identification Only
 

Advisory Board

• Lawrence J Chu, President CLEC Consulting Group 
• C. Virginia Fields, Manhattan Borough President 
• Simone Meeks, Co-Chair, 6th Congressional Health Advisory Committee 
• Dr. Walter W. Stafford, Professor of Public Administration & Planning