Power & Influence in Public Policy - Another Look...

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Town Hall Forum

Morning Policy and Career Development Workshops

Lunch (Provided) & Networking Session

Afternoon Policy and Career Development Workshops

Keynote Address & Closing Remarks

Reception

Town Hall Forum

Overview

The objective of the Town Hall was to facilitate an interactive discussion between the conference participants as a whole on what role "we" as current and future policy and international affairs professionals of color can play, both individually and collectively, to help prepare our respective communities for the 21st Century. Using real-life examples conference participants in the Town Hall were lead through a moderated discussion designed to explore challenges, obstacles, and strategies for effective leadership in a multicultural society. 

Moderated by seasoned leadership and coalition building expert, Alfred Ramirez, issues that the Town Hall touched upon included:

• What challenges will changing demographics in America place upon policy professionals and communities of color? 
• Can multiracial or ethnic coalitions really be effective in addressing policy problems? 
• Are there limits to issues that multiracial political coalitions or organizations can effectively address and is that bad? 
• What skills and strategies will policy professionals need to successfully address the challenges of the multicultural America of the 21st Century? 
• How can I balance my personal and professional commitments to my community? 

Town Hall Moderator Alfred Ramirez takes notes while special guest Dale Anglin
responds to an audience question at the COMPAS Policy Conference.

While, there were not any easy solutions which came directly out of the Town Hall, the goal was to create an interactive forum where ideas between conference participants can be exchanged and assumptions about concepts of community and race challenged.

Town Hall Moderator

Alfred Ramirez is president of the National Community for Latino Leadership, Inc (NCLL). NCLL is a coalition of local and national leadership development programs that promotes the social, cultural, and economic advancement of the Latino community through collaboration, research, and dissemination of knowledge. Mr. Ramirez has served in various leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. Prior to his current work with NCLL, Mr. Ramirez was the Executive Director of the Institute for Educational Leadership initiative Hand in Hand, Parents, Schools and Communities United for Kids. Before that, as president of the 2000 Regional Partnership, Mr. Ramirez led the efforts of this non-profit coalition in the areas of public safety, housing, environmental growth and government accountability. Mr. Ramirez was also the managing director for Inroads Los Angeles, where he trained and developed young minority leaders. He has worked as a human resource specialist, a corporate recruiter and a special assistant to former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros. He began his professional life as faculty adviser and 
assistant director of admissions and minority recruitment at Columbia University. 

Mr. Ramirez has held several White House appointments. He was named Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. He later served as Senior Advisor at the Corporation for National Service and Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. 

His commitment to national and community development has been recognized throughout the country. He has received several prestigious awards: the National Council of Educational Opportunity Associations Distinguished Alumnus Award, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's National Leadership Fellowship, National Urban Fellowship, 1989 National Network of Hispanic Women Award, and recognition as one of Hispanic Business Magazine's 100 Influentials. 

Mr. Ramirez has been an adviser and board member for a number of organizations including the Urban Excellence Advisory Group, National Civic League, Alliance for Redesigning Government, the Ethnic Coalition, Rebuild Los Angeles' Racial Harmony and Discourse Committee, and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. His areas of expertise include leadership, multiculturalism, communication, professional development, strategic planning, education and public policy. Mr. Ramirez frequently speaks and conducts workshops at leadership conferences, businesses and universities nationwide. Mentoring plays a large role in all of his activities. 

Mr. Ramirez earned a B.A. in Political Science and Urban Studies from Columbia University in New York and undertook graduate studies in Public Administration at Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York. Mr. Ramirez is originally from East Los Angeles, California and currently resides in Washington, D.C. 
 

 Special Guest 

Dale Robinson Anglin is currently the director of External Affairs for the New Community Corporation in Newark, NJ, the largest community development corporation in the country. Dale received her master degree in public policy from the University of California at Berkeley in 1988, and her undergraduate degree from Smith College. She completed the Sloan summer institute in 1985. Dale has extensive conference planning experience. Prior to New Community, Dale was executive director of APPAM, the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management -- the national association for public policy academics and professionals ó for 4 years. In that capacity Dale administered an annual conference for over 1000 participants. Prior to APPAM, Dale was an analyst at the Congressional Research Service for 7 years conducting research on children and family issues on a non-partisan basis for Congress. Additionally, Dale was a board member of the PPIA Policy Board, president of the Coalition of Minority Policy Professionals in Washington, D. C. and helped administer the first CoMPP conference in 1996. Dale is a founding board member of the Cesar Chavez Public Policy Charter High School in Washington, D.C. 
 
 

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AM - Policy & Career Development Workshops
 

Community Development: "Building a Foundation for Community and Economic Development: New Trends and Innovations..."
Moderator: Lance Freeman, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation - Columbia University

This workshop shop focused on the latest trends in community and economic development including a discussion on  the role of national intermediaries,  new housing initiatives in NYC, and federal programs available for community and economic development.  The workshop will also feature a discussion on how to engage young people and people of color in community and economic development initiatives. 

Panelists included...

• Fernando Martinez, HUD Community Builder, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development 
• Lionel McIntyre, Director, Urban Technical Assistance Program 
• Kim Wright, Corporation for Supportive Housing 

Workshop Organizers: Lance Freeman and Kimberly Driggins

"Education: "Pressing Issues in Education..." 
Moderator: Belkis Suazo, PH.D. Candidate, Sociology, CUNY

Education is at the top of the list of concerns for the American public in this year's presidential race. Although most people, when asked, are satisfied with their own child,s school, when asked about the public school system in general a majority of citizens say children are not being adequately educated by the nation,s elementary and secondary public schools. To address these concerns multiple approaches are being taken"school choice for parents, better testing of teachers and students, implementation of national and state curriculum standards, and addressing school violence concerns, to name a few. Why are American schools not adequate for our students? What are the best ways to boost school outcomes? What do we want from our schools anyway? This panel lead a discussion in some of the latest issues in education including, charter schools, testing, and parent involvement.

Panelists included...

• Desmond Saunders-Newton, former Los Angeles County School District Office of Research 
• Dale Robinson Anglin, New Community Corporation, Director Charter School Education Initiatives, founder, Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy in Washington, D.C. 

Workshop Organizers: Dale Robinson Anglin and Belkis Suazo Garcia

Finance: "Public Finance 101: Selling the Brooklyn Bridge and Other Tales..."
Facilitator: Jean Lu, Hartford Investment Management

Ever wonder how public projects are financed? Want to learn how to use the term "intergenerational equity" intelligently in conversation? Then, this is the workshop for you! Our panel of public finance experts will take you through the mechanics of municipal bond issuance from voter approval to underwriting to rating agency ratings to bond insurance to investors.

Panelists will include...

• Amy Laskey, FITCH 
• Margaret Lezcano, Goldman Sachs 
• Melanie Tung, Dexia Group 
• John White, New York City Comptroller's Office 

Workshop Organizer: Jean Lu

International Affairs: "The New Economy & Its Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy..." 
Moderator: Elvis Lewis, III, Bank Examiner, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Over the last decade, the U.S. economy has witnessed the longest economic expansion in its history. This unprecedented growth has been largely attributed to the "Information Technology Revolution. Arguably, however, the U.S. economy is beginning to show signs of weakness, and both public and private players are increasingly focusing more attention on foreign markets as a means of keeping the economic expansion alive. As key players exert pressure on U.S. foreign policy makers to create legislation that is favorable to global business, what stake do minority communities here in the U.S. have in the policy outcomes? How much say do these communities have in the shaping of U.S. foreign policy? Gordon Bell will begin this workshop by exploring some of the characteristics of the New Economy that are influencing U.S. foreign policy. Through active audience participation, workshop attendants will then proceed to discuss how the aims of current foreign policy might intersect with minority interests in the U.S. vis-à-vis the developing areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Panelists included...

• Gordon P. Bell, Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Salomon Smith Barney Citi Asset Management Group. 

Workshop Organizer: Elvis Lewis, III

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PM - Policy & Career Development Workshops

Career Development: "Stateside & Abroad: Managing Your Career.." 
Moderator: Nina Segal, former Director of Career Services at Columbia's School of International & Public Affairs

As public policy professionals, what are the tools we need to manage our careers effectively? This panel will share their career experiences with the audience and help shape what will definitely be a lively discussion on career issues.

Panelists included...

• Fernando Martinez, HUD Community Builder, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development 
• Lance Freeman, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning, Columbia University, School of Architecture 
• Sandra Timmons, Girls Inc, Chief Operating Officer 
• Alfred Ramirez, National Latino Leadership Council 
• Desmond Saunders-Newton, Pentagon Fellow, Department of Defense 
• Danielle Orr 
• Elvis Lewis, Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

Workshop Organizers: ?????

Running for Public Office: "Campaign Development: Issues and Obstacles that Face Minority Candidates"
Moderator: Jessica Gonzalez, NYU Law School 

What are the issues for minorities interested in pursuing a career in politics? How do you run a successful campaign as a candidate of color? This workshop will provide materials and insights on how to run a successful 
campaign. Specific topics that will be discussed include: how to deal with problems that are common in 
all campaigns and issues that may confront minority candidates.

Panelists will include...

• Marcelo Gaete, Director of Constituency Services - National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) 
• John Lui, Candidate (2001), New York City, New York 
• Van Ornelas, Deputy Director of Constituency Services - NALEO 
• John Sabini, Councilmember - New York City, New York 

Workshop Organizer: Jessica Gonzalez

The term digital divide, is tossed around indiscriminately in the public debate but it often means different things to different people. Moreover, what should be done about it, if anything, is not always clear. While no broad consensus exist, there seems to be agreement that 1) a problem exists in access, training and utilization of information technology, 2) though the gap is decreasing, those without access to technology tend to be disproportionately from minority groups, and 3) that this poses a long-term problem to the U.S. Drawing on the backgrounds and experiences of the participants, during this forum participants examined the scope of the issue, what is being done about it and discussed what should be done. The focus principally was on primary and secondary education.

Panelists included...

• Larry Chu, President, CLEC Consulting Group 
• Elisabeth Stock, Founder and CEO, Computers for Youth 

Workshop Organizers: Lawrence Latimer

Youth Issues: "Serving Our Young People: A Look at Public Policy and Practice" 
Moderator: Hemansu Mangal, Agenda for Children Tomorrow

This workshop will explore the latest policy and practice issues facing professionals serving our young people. 
Panelists will share their expertise in the areas of government, non profits, and foundations.  Specific topics 
that will be discussed include: trends, opportunities and issues in the field; tips & how-to's in advocacy, funding, 
research and model programs; and exercising leadership and career management.

Panelists will include...

• David Brown , Executive Director - National Youth Employment Coalition 
• Sherece West, Program Associate - Community Initiatives - Annie E. Casey Foundation 
• Alfonso Wyatt, Vice President - Fund for the City of New York 

Workshop Organizer: Ginger Romero 
 

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Keynote Address & Closing Remarks

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Gail C. Christopher, D.N. brings more than twenty-five years of experience as clinician, administrator, and social change agent to her role as executive director of the Innovations in Government Program at Harvard University's, Kennedy School of Government. A licensed holistic health practitioner, she is the former co-chair and director for the Alliance for Redesigning Government, a program of the National Academy of Public Administration. She has consulted with senior executives in state and local governments in the areas of program design, organizational development, accountability and performance based governance, equity issues and strategic planning.

Over the last 20 years, Dr. Christopher has created innovative and award winning programs that address such complex issues as: economic self-sufficiency for long term welfare recipients; support and reunification 
for families involved with abuse and neglect; community building and empowerment to reduce youth violence; microenterprise and small business development; and multicultural development for the nation's educators.  Her 
many leadership positions have included: executive director for the Family Resource Coalition, national director of the Americans All National Education  Program, and director of Reverend Jesse Jackson's National Youth 
Violence Prevention Program.  She is an associate for program design and development for the Information and Services Clearinghouse of the Howard University School of Divinity.

Dr. Christopher has provided consulting services to the council for Governor's Policy Advisors to the National Governors' Association, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and to the state agencies in more 
than 15 states.  She is the publisher of a national magazine, The New Public Innovator,  a contributing author of the popular handbook for government innovators, Creating High Performance Government Organizations, and author of a popular trade book for single parent families, Anchors for the Innocent. In 1996, Dr. Christopher was inducted as a fellow of the National Academy for Public Administration.

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