Ohio Update
A message from Ohio State Director, Gavin Leonard
08.25.08
New CPL Ohio Staff
We have a new Outreach Manager, Travis Hines, and a new Faculty member, Quanita Munday. Travis will be building relationships and doing recruitment for our programs across the state, and Quanita will be doing individual and group coaching with participants in our programs as well as training during the State Political Leaders Fellowship.
 Travis Hines is the new Outreach Manager, and had his first day on August 18th. He has extensive political experience - working as an aide/political consultant for US Senator Sherrod Brown, Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper, and Ohio State Representative Steve Driehaus. Travis has also worked with community-based organizations such as Housing Opportunities Made Equal and Lighthouse Youth Services.
 Quanita Munday is our first Faculty member on the Ohio team. Her background in coaching and training spans from work for Public Allies and American Red Cross, to Be Vocal Consulting and her own company, Nzuzu LLC. She has a BA in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington College, and is currently completing her Masters in Organizational Management and Development.
Read more about Travis and Quanita on our website
New Leaders Fellows
Our New Leaders Fellowship is in its 3rd month, and I thought I'd share a few of their profiles with you:
 DaMareo Cooper works for Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative as a grassroots organizer in Youngstown. He was connected to MVOC by CPL Ohio, and is excited to have such a great job opportunity so close to home.
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 Sarah Saheb is with SEIU Local 3 - working to organize and represent janitors in Cincinnati. She has been especially happy with the mentorship component of the New Leaders Fellowship.
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 Reggie Harris decided to make a career change, and wanted a foot in the door to doing political work. He is now with Working America, and has begun to make the connections he needs for the long term.
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We're very excited to have all the New Leaders Fellows as part of our network. View more profiles on our website, including Kelan Craig with Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO), Gina Tyus with AFSCME Local 232, Sasha Parker with Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People (ESOP), and Danny Ortiz with Ohio Youth Voices.
General Update
CPL Ohio has now been open for almost 6 full months. There are a lot of exciting developments, including our State Political Leaders Fellowship application going live, another hiring process coming soon, and more.
Those of you who have received updates before will note that we've stepped up our email game, and are now using our online contact management system for blasts. As always, feel free to forward this along or let me know if you'd like to be taken off the list.
I'm very glad to say that I've got some company in the office now, and that we'll be growing again very soon. Next week, you will get an email announcing a search for a new Program Manager, and later this year we'll fill out our Faculty with 3-5 more part-time contractors. The ability to greatly increase our capacity in the state is becoming apparent already, as Travis takes the lead on our Outreach Plan and contributes to the shared vision we are building.
With the New Leaders Fellowship well underway, and Quanita starting to provide 1-on-1 coaching with everyone in the program, our focus on recruitment for the State Political Leaders Fellowship is beginning. The State Political Leaders Fellowship is CPL's flagship program - we will accept 50-60 diverse applicants from across the state for a 9-month training and professional development program that will include 5 intensive weekend workshops, 1-on-1 coaching, mentoring, and strong networking opportunities. We expect the average age of participants to be about 35 years old, and are planning to reach out to all areas of the state so that the class is representative of our geography in Ohio. By creating a space for progressives to communicate, share, and build about where we are and where we are going, I believe CPL Ohio can play a major role in ensuring that progressives take advantage of the opportunities we have. The application is already online, and please shoot us an email or give a call if you'd like more information.
Overall, I feel blessed to be in a position where I am able to spend time talking to others and thinking personally about where the Ohio social justice movement is and where it could be. Through our long-term, comprehensive leadership development programs, CPL Ohio has a unique opportunity to build relationships with a diverse network of individuals and organizations. We will play a key role in thinking about who we'd like the people making decisions about our families and communities to be - whether as politicians or as leaders of community-based and statewide organizations - and who we are hopeful that they will represent. We will shape our programs around a conscious process of getting the right people to the table, and ensuring that those folks are willing to listen and collaborate. One of our main goals will be to connect with a diverse set of leaders from a diverse set of communities that represent as much of Ohio's population as possible.
I am excited to see our organization growing in state, and want to be sure to say thank you to all of you who have shared your vision for Ohio and helped think about where CPL might fit in. In the coming weeks and months, we'll be looking to you for guidance on new staff members, prospects for our programs, and more. Please continue to let us know where you think we can make the most impact.
In Solidarity,
Gavin Leonard, Ohio State Director
Center for Progressive Leadership
gleonard@progressiveleaders.org
Read previous updates:
04/23/08
06/11/08
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