Preparing Individuals to Serve Their Communities
Leadership is a key component of community success. Representatives of low-income communities and communities of color are often absent from many leadership arenas, including decision-making bodies such as planning commissions, parks boards and other appointed governmental bodies. Developing the leadership capacity in the diverse and historically underrepresented communities in the Sacramento are is crucial to regional equity. In a program informed by Urban Habitat’s successful BCLI, the Sacramento BCLI develops leaders who are knowledgeable about land use, transportation and community health issues, and are prepared with technical and political knowledge.
The Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute identifies, trains, places and supports low-income people and people of color for priority boards and commissions seats in the San Francisco Bay Area. Priority seats are those that influence equity in terms of transportation, land use, housing, jobs and the environment. This “seats first” model is the first of its kind in the nation.
This program will train community members from low-income communities and communities of color in fields including land use and the built environment, health, economic development and transportation, as well as in the logistical and procedural methods used by elected and appointed bodies to conduct meetings. Graduates will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to effectively and knowledgeably participate as members of boards and commissions in the Sacramento region. Program graduates will supported in finding a seat on a board or commission.
This program will improve the diversity and accountability of the region’s boards and commissions. To learn more about the program, read: BCLI 2013 Program Overview.
For more information on the BCLI Program, please contact Veronica Beaty at veronica@sachousingalliance.org.
BCLI Is Seeking Nominations for its 2013 Cohort
BCLI 2013 Guidelines for Nomination
BCLI 2013 Nomination Cover Sheet
The Second Cohort Has Graduated
The 2012 Cohort of the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute has graduated, and includes nine leaders from around the region. They completed 80 hours of training between August 2012 and January 2013.
The First Cohort Has Graduated
The First Cohort of the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute has graduated from the five-month, 80-hour leadership development program. The cohort includes 11 leaders from the region who have been trained in the skills and expertise that will enable them to effectively serve on boards and commissions throughout the Sacramento region related to land use, health, housing, transportation and similar issues important to their communities. To date, eight of the eleven graduates have secured seats on local commissions and nonprofit boards.
To learn more about the graduates:
The Boards & Commissions Leadership Institute is made possible through generous support from the California Endowment and Sierra Health Foundation.