Shared Effort The quarterly newsletter of Princeton AlumniCorps | Spring 2019 | alumnicorps.org/blog
The Inaugural Project 55 Fellowship Retreat!
Leadership Circle Breakfast features Elaine Pagels
Professor Elaine Pagels (right) answers questions from the audience after a conversation with Professor Stan Katz (left)
From April 5 to April 7, 2019, AlumniCorps hosted its firstever PP55 Fellowship Retreat. Fifty Fellows from around the country, as far away as Chicago and San Francisco, traveled back to Princeton, NJ to participate in small group workshops, discussions, individual discovery, professional development, and relationship building. Conceived as a part of AlumniCorps' recent strategic planning process, the Retreat offered a curriculum built on proven concepts derived from our Emerging Leaders program, and informed and honed by input from Fellows. Participants developed workplace skills while strengthening their connections with each other. Continued on page 5
On February 24, 2019, AlumniCorps hosted its annual Leadership Circle Breakfast which featured a conversation between Elaine Pagels and Stan Katz about Pagels' latest book, Why Religion?. Professor Elaine Pagels is Princeton University’s Harrington Spear Paine Foundation Professor of Religion and a MacArthur “genius." She is well known for her 1980 book, The Gnostic Gospels. Prof. Pagels was joined in conversation by former Princeton Professor Stanley Katz h'21, h'80, h'83. A long-time friend and supporter of AlumniCorps, Prof. Katz served two terms on the Board of Directors from 2008 to 2014.
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Join AlumniCorps at Princeton University Reunions 2019! Friday, May 31, 2019 | 10:30 am* - 12:00 pm
Friday, May 31, 2019 | 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Civically-Minded Tigers Lunch Computer Science Building, Gallery area Continue the conversation over lunch with like-minded Princetonians. This luncheon is free of charge, but a headcount is needed for planning purposes. RSVP is requested by 5/24/19 using this form: tinyurl.com/AlumniCorpsLunch19.
A Panel Discussion Computer Science Building, Room 104
Sunday, June 2, 2019 | 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Civically-Minded Tigers, come and hear the civic engagement stories of alumni who are creating social change in a variety of fields and sectors. Our moderator, first amendment law professor Peggy Russell '79, will guide the discussion with panelists who include Katrina Browne '89, Richard Feiner '84, and Aria Miles '14.
AlumniCorps’ HQ, 12 Stockton Street, Princeton NJ AlumniCorps board meetings are open to the public. Please RSVP to Kimme Carlos at kcarlos@alumnicorps.org or (609) 921-8808 ext. 1 by Friday, 5/17/19.
Board of Directors Meeting
*Note new time & see alumnicorps.org/blog for event details. Princeton AlumniCorps |12 Stockton Street | Princeton, NJ 08540 | 609.921.8808 | info@alumnicorps.org
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Ben Levenson '13 Managing Director of Justice is Global & Project 55 Fellowship Alum Two years after graduating from Princeton and working in the nonprofit sector, Ben Levenson '13 applied for a PP55 Fellowship and was placed at North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN) in Chicago. The experience confirmed his desire to work towards criminal justice reform. After his Fellowship, he joined an ultimately successful political campaign that exposed him to community organizing and fundraising. The immersion in grassroots movement building at NLEN, coupled with his experience on the political campaign gave Ben what he calls the 'organizing bug' and propelled him into a career as a community organizer. He is now the Managing Director of Justice Is Global, an organization that seeks to tackle some of the greatest threats of our generation—inequality, farright nationalism, and climate change—by building an international coalition to create a more equitable global society. Justice Is Global started as a local project in Chicago, but in 2019 it expanded nationally by becoming a project of People’s Action Institute, a national network in 26 states with over 1 million members. With fiscal sponsorship and a new national platform, Justice Is Global hopes to expand its current success in Illinois across the country and dramatically increase its reach internationally as well. Ben has already started leveraging the AlumniCorps network by talking to former PP55 Fellow and current New York Area Committee co-chair Andrew Goldstein '06. While Andrew works as a physician in New York City, he is also a community organizer who spearheaded On Call for Democracy, a grassroots, informal group of progressive health professionals that mobilized voters to vote for pro-health candidates in the 2018 midterm elections. Ben shared, "There is a lot of power in the Princeton community, but it was often alienating because I didn't see many people with the same interest in the public sector. It has been great to connect with AlumniCorps as a way of tapping into the Princeton network for social change." Andrew agreed, "Ben's work is exactly what I want to support and propel forward. I am truly thankful that Kef Kasdin and AlumniCorps connected me with Ben and enabled me to learn about Justice is Global." Ultimately, Justice is Global is planning to build an international coalition to impact international policy within the next five years. Check out justiceisglobal.org, or reach out to Ben at blevenson@justiceisglobal.org.
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Leadership Breakfast, continued He currently volunteers with AlumniCorps in various capacities, including interviewing Project 55 Fellowship candidates each January. Over breakfast, audience members heard Pagels' thoughts on the role that religion has played in her life after personal tragedy and the way that religion shapes culture in everyday life. For the past several years, AlumniCorps has hosted a breakfast for those who have demonstrated their commitment by giving significant time, talent, and treasure to the organization. In addition to thanking our major donors and volunteers, the breakfast honors those people who have pledged to assure the long-term health and sustainability of AlumniCorps by choosing to include the organization in their estate planning and thereby joining the AlumniCorps Keystone Society. Past Leadership Breakfast guest speakers have included Nobel Prize-winner, Professor Angus Deaton; noted firstamendment authority, Professor Margaret ‘Peggy’ Russell '79; well-known author, documentarian, and media theorist Douglas Rushkoff '83; and most recently Professor Danel Padilla Peralta '06, Assistant Professor of Classics at Princeton University and current member of AlumniCorps’ Board of Directors. Learn more about ensuring a legacy and pledging your support in perpetuity by visiting tinyurl.com/KeystoneSociety or calling 609-921-8808 x7.
In Memoriam Emile Karafiol '55 January 16, 2019
Carol Amick s'55 January 17, 2019
Harrison Steans '57 February 26, 2019
Read our tributes to Emile, Carol, and Harrison at alumnicorps.org/blog, keyword search: 'In Memoriam'
Emerging Leaders Program Update
Congratulations to another cohort of Emerging Leaders alumni! Closing Celebrations were held in New York City on Tuesday, February 19, and in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, February 21, 2019. Emerging Leaders (ELs) were joined by supportive friends, family members, work supervisors, AlumniCorps board members, EL volunteers, and EL alumni. Read what our ELs had to say as they reflected on the eight-session program: “Through an impeccably structured, thoughtful, and thorough program design, the Emerging Leaders program has vastly strengthened my skills as an organizational leader. We began by better understanding our own strengths, practiced how to use those strengths with others, and learned invaluable communication and strategic planning skills. This training program was an extraordinary investment, for me and my organization, and is a really unique opportunity for any non-profit professional that's eager to grow.” ~Betsy Cohen, Deputy Director, Youth Communication, NYC “The EL program has been the guiding friend alongside me during my recent leadership journey. It served as a safe space to reflect on my experiences, process new learnings, and work through my roadblocks. I am so grateful to have come across this program and for all of the amazing new friends and thought-partners I met along the way.” ~ Akilah King, Executive Director, Room to Grow, NYC "The Emerging Leaders program has increased my awareness of all the different elements that go into effective nonprofit leadership and also provided the tools and the support system to improve my own style of leadership. Above all, the program has given me the hope and inspiration to continuously work on my leadership skills- with an understanding of how far I've come in the past 8 months and how far I have to go." ~Michael Lachance, Senior Program Coordinator, PYXERA Global, Washington, D.C. These recent EL graduates are now part of our 234-strong group of EL alumni. AlumniCorps continues to enhance opportunities for EL alumni engagement by encouraging them to: 1. Join our program facilitators for EL alumni lunches. AlumniCorps periodically sponsors professional development lunches for small groups of EL alumni. Since 2017 our facilitators have hosted six EL alumni lunches— Hilary Joel has hosted two in D.C. and Yael Sivi has hosted four in NYC. The most recent lunch took place in New York on November 15, 2018. Eight EL alums from several different EL cohorts met in the DonorsChoose.org office. Yael led a mini professional development session on the topics of adult development theory and leadership. 2. Attend a one-day professional development Booster Shot. Our Emerging Leaders alumni have expressed a desire for ongoing professional development and the wish to deepen their engagement with other program alumni. In May 2019 EL alumni in NYC and D.C. will attend our first ever Booster Shot workshops. Booster Shots are one-day professional development workshops (9 am – 4:30 pm) facilitated by Hilary Joel in D.C. and Yael Sivi in NYC. Alumni from all Emerging Leaders cohorts are invited to attend.
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Regional Updates
Boston
Chicago The Chicago Area Committee hosted their annual joint "Life after PIP/P55 Seminar" with UChicago and Northwestern on March 13, 2019. PP55 alum Marlyse Viera '17 offered them space at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services for the event. Sixteen Fellows from all three Fellowship programs learned from 6 alumni panelists and 3 administrators. PP55 Fellowship alumni among the panelists were Andrew Hahm '17 (who also serves on the Chicago Area Committee) and Briana Payton '17. The panelists offered insightful advice about everything from negotiating salary at a new job to avoiding burnout from work stress.
Left to right: Monica Seng '17, Jonathan Yu '18 (current Fellow), Maranatha Teferi '16 (current Fellow), Alice Tao '17, Kelly Hatfield '17, Minjia Tang '18 (current Fellow)
On April 21, 2019 the Boston Area Committee coordinated an outing to Taza Chocolate Factory in Somerville, MA. Fellows and volunteers learned about the tradition and production process of stone ground chocolate. The Area Committee also organized a seminar on March 11 that focused on the healthcare sector's integration with technology, business, and operations management. Participants learned from two experienced practitioners who have been committed to the healthcare industry since graduation from Princeton in 2007: Catherine Cushenberry, Director, Customer Strategy and Value for PatientsLikeMe and Catherine Jonash, Director of Regional Ambulatory Operations for Mass. Eye and Ear.
Clockwise: Catherine Cushenberry '07, Catherine Jonash '07, Maranatha Teferi '16 (current Fellow), Jonathan Yu '18 (current Fellow)
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On March 6, PP55 alum Ben Levenson '13 (who is profiled on page 2) hosted the Area Committee at the People's Lobby for a seminar on grassroots fundraising. They heard from the People's Lobby founder Will Tanzman about the perils of the "nonprofit-industrial complex" and how they are navigated by the People's Lobby. About 17 Fellows from PP55, UChicago, and Northwestern attended.
New Jersey
Front row: Jean Trujillo *95 (Area Committee Seminar/ Communications Coordinator), Azza Cohen '16, Kayla Moffett '18 (Fellow), Sahand Keshavarz Rahbar ’17 (Fellow), Kef Kasdin ’85 (President & Executive Director), Marsha Rosenthal ’76 (Area Committee Co-Chair), Christine Chang '04, holding her son, Harrison Gupta. Back row: Rick Ober '65, Kevin Reich '00 (Mentor Coordinator), William Atkinson '18, Aaron Buchman '08, Rosed Serrano '18 (Fellow), Isabella de la Houssaye '86, Anna Kapolka '18 (Fellow), Audrey Henry '76 (mentor)
On March 23, 2019 the New Jersey Area Committee held a panel discussion and keynote on Career Building and PostFellowship Plans for NJ Fellows and other civically-minded Tigers in the area. The morning featured a keynote titled 'We Should All Be Storytellers' by Azza Cohen '16, Princeton University Young Trustee and filmmaker. Azza also sat on a panel that included former PP55 Fellow Christine Chang '04 and Isabella de la Houssaye '86. Former Fellow Aaron Buchman '08 moderated the panel discussion. The Area Committee's Seminar/ Communications Coordinator, Jean Trujillo *95, shared that the seminar was "a huge success!"
New York
On March 27, 2019 the New York Area Committee hosted an exciting panel on the Press and Politics. Attendees engaged with three expert speakers: Bill Plante, former Senior White House correspondent from CBS News; Jack Holmes, Associate Political Editor, Esquire; and Patricia Shevlin, former executive producer of CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes. The panel was moderated by NY Area Committee member and AlumniCorps board member Judy Hole Suratt s'55. Judy began working at CBS in 1962 and spent her last 16 years as a producer for CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood. Area Committee Co-Chair Karenna Martin commented, "It was a great event—we opened up invitations to the broader Princeton alumni community in NYC and so we had more folks than usual!" Read more regional news, including stories from the Bay Area and Washington, D.C. on the Shared Effort blog, alumnicorps.org/blog See more photos from past regional events at Facebook.com/AlumniCorps
Fellowship Retreat, continued Enjoy a few photos from the PP55 Fellowship Retreat, below!
Quick Links to AlumniCorps websites Shared Effort blog: alumnicorps.org/blog Leading Edge blog: alumnicorps.org/leadingedge Keystone Society: tinyurl.com/KeystoneSociety Donate: alumnicorps.org/donate 5
What Your Support Means to Princeton AlumniCorps With its expansive community built over nearly 30 years, Princeton AlumniCorps fosters those serving the public interest and promotes life-long civic engagement, all while expanding what it means to be a Princeton alum working “in the nation’s service and in the service of humanity.” Since AlumniCorps is completely independent from the University, we do not receive any financial support from it. Instead, nearly 65% of operating expenses comes from individual donors like you. We operate with an annual budget under $1M— money that is leveraged by (1) requiring that the nonprofit organizations that hire Fellows pay them as regular employees, and (2) using experienced Princetonians and other volunteers to deliver programs, provide mentorship, and offer support as alumni transition from college to the 'real world.' That means that every dollar you contribute goes a long way toward supporting our mission to mobilize people, organizations, and networks for the public good. Have you heard? You can now join our Sustainers Circle by making a recurring gift! Join now and you can ensure that your gift will continue to support our Project 55 Fellowship and/or Emerging Leaders program throughout the year. Our goal is to increase our Sustainers Circle membership by another 20 AlumniCorps program alumni by June 30, 2019. Read on to learn why Mark Goldstein '18, a Fellow at Philanthropy University, thinks you should join.
In an environment that increasingly diverts civic-minded students to aggressive on-campus recruitment by investment banks, consulting firms, and corporate giants, the Project 55 Fellowship (PP55) is the only program of its kind at the university. The program encourages students like me to pursue careers for the public good immediately after graduation and it supports us for an entire year thereafter. Recently, I felt the benefits of my PP55 experience in three meaningful ways:
Mark & his coworkers at Philanthropy University in Oakland, CA
Mark and his supervisor Kamilla Sakkijha
Fellows in the Bay Area, November 2018, after visiting the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
First: I met with my supervisor (pictured above) to discuss my career development at Philanthropy University, a free online learning platform that uses technology to train, connect and fund leaders of local social impact organizations in under-resourced communities. I'm a Community Associate supporting and managing online communities at scale, rapidly developing and testing new programs to facilitate online peer-to-peer learning. My supervisor respects PP55's emphasis on personal and professional growth, so she has taken my development seriously since my first day. Second: I met with my assigned mentor, a Princeton alum enrolled in UC Berkeley’s Public Policy and Law degree program. He gave me timely insights into the world of graduate school and post-college life; perspectives I wouldn't have had access to if not for PP55. Finally: just a few hours before writing this note, three Fellows and I joined two members of AlumniCorps' local steering committee (themselves Project 55 alumnae) at a local food shelter to participate in a service opportunity. Afterward, we discussed some of the systemic problems facing the Bay Area. PP55 has provided me with a welcoming community of people who want to translate their passion for systemic change into action. I know of no other program that so carefully and thoughtfully matches college seniors with meaningful jobs pursuing social impact, much less one that provides its Fellows with resources that create a meaningful first year after graduation inside and outside of the workplace. I feel grateful for my PP55 experience.
Visit www.alumnicorps.org/donate to make your gift today! 6
2019- 20 Princeton Project 55 Fellows We are in the final stages of our Project 55 placement process, with 49 Fellows currently accepted and a few more decisions outstanding! See below for our current roster of 2019-20 Project 55 Fellows. This list includes 8 of our 2018-19 Fellows who will continue working at their partner organization for another year (names in orange).
Bay Area Ruby Guo UCSF Natalie Larkin Mathematica Ally Markovich Lighthouse Community Charter School Charlotte Reynders ALT School Saumya Umashankar UCSF Tianyi Wang UCSF Boston Carson Clay Emergency Medical Network (EMNet) Marina Latif EMNet Julia Perlmutter Community Group Ashley Stone EMNet Lena Volpe EMNet Chicago Jasmeene Burton Illinois State Board of Education Katherine Fleming Chicago Volunteer Outreach Services Jess Goehring Great Lakes Academy Rachel Gonzales Carole Robertson Center for Learning Alice Maiden New Markets
Alice Mar-Abe North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN)
Mimi Orro Association to Benefit Children
Maddie Offstein Sinai Institute
Gabriella Pereira Feron Fairfield County Community Foundation
Miranda Rae Perez NLEN
Ben Perelmuter Center for Appelate Litigation
Tea Wimer Free Spirit Media
Theo Tamayo Success Academies
New Jersey
Rachel Todd Coalition for Hispanic Family Services
Nadeem Demian D and R Greenway Jacqueline Dragon Thomas Jefferson Health (Philadelphia)
Andra Turner FiCycle Shani Williams Quartet Health
Renee Louis Princeton University Department Of Sociology
Evelyn Wu Reach Out and Read
New York
Drew Brazer Blue Star Families
Rohana Chase Coalition for Hispanic Services Shea Copeland Read Alliance Rochelle Forni New York Center for Child Development
Washington, DC
Connor Bridges Peer Forward MacLean Collins Capital Partners for Education Kenya Holland Partners for the Common Good
Edric Huang Emma's Torch
Sydney Jordan Partners for the Common Good
Kasia Kalinowska Bronx RHIO
Anna Leader Capital Partners for Education (& Teacher Prep at Princeton University, NJ)
Aly Kersley Emma's Torch Sally Lee New Alternatives for Children Isabella Mangan Assocation to Benefit Children Tasnuva Orchi Rockefeller Foundation
Kieran Murphy Partners for the Common Good Victoria Navarro Peer Forward Sarah Pacilio Appleseed 7
Princeton AlumniCorps Board of Directors
Princeton AlumniCorps Staff Kef Kasdin ’85, President & Executive Director Brielle Blackshear, Project Assistant Kimme Carlos, Operations Manager Soraia Francisco, Program Associate Lorraine Goodman ’83, Development Officer Sahand Keshavarz Rahbar ’17, Bold Idea Fellow Mikaela Levons ’04, Development & Communications Associate Caryn Tomljanovich, Director of Programs & Strategy
If you would prefer to receive Shared Effort only electronically, please email us at info@alumnicorps.org
PRINCETON ALUMNICORPS 12 Stockton Street Princeton, NJ 08540-6813
Directors Karen Ali ’78 Dale Caldwell ’82 Harold Colton-Max ’91 D. Kirk Davidson ’55 Rebecca Deaton ’91 Claire Fowler Lisa Swedenborg Getson ’93
Timothy ‘Tim’ Harr ’72 Judith ‘Judy’ Hole Suratt s’55 Amb.(r.) David Huebner ’82 Rishi Jaitly ’04 Brian Leung ’12 Tom Magnus ’77 Kathryn ‘Kathy’ Miller ’77 Dan-el Padilla Peralta ’06 Amy Olivero ’13 Kathy Qu ’13 Margaret ‘Peggy’ Russell ’79 Kristen N. Smith ’03 Marcos Vigil ’97 Richard O. Walker ’73 R. Kenly Webster ’55 J. Rogers Woolston ’55
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Officers Elizabeth A. Duffy ’88, Chair Kef Kasdin ’85, President & Executive Director Debra Kushma ’80, Vice President Charles F. Mapes, Jr. ’55, Co-Treasurer Scott Taylor '75, Co-Treasurer Andrew Protain ’08, Secretary
