Spring 2010
*The 20th Anniversary Issue*
Volume 14, Number 1
Keynote Speaker for Gala to be Mayor Cory Booker of Newark The Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, will be the keynote speaker for Princeton Project 55’s 20th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, March 27th, 2010! and families all commend him as an exceptional leader and fitting speaker for the celebration of Project 55’s past 20 years. "We are very pleased that the Honorable Cory Booker will be our keynote speaker for the Gala. Inside this issue: The systemic changes Celebrating the Past... he is implementing as the Mayor of Newark 2 The Tuberculosis Initiative: A clearly resonate with the Catalytic Role for Project 55 mission of our organiza3 Civic Values Initiative: Intertion," commented 20th view with Lindsay Wall ’02 Anniversary Committee 4 Chair TAN Update: The Yale ’57 Anne-Marie Music Endowment Program Maman. The Stanford UniverPP55 Celebrates 20 years in the 5 sity alum and Oxford Big Apple and the Windy City Rhode’s scholar earned his law degree from Poised for the Future... Yale before serving as Meet Princeton AlumniCorps! 6-7 Staff Attorney for the New Name, Broader Reach, Urban Justice Center in Enhanced Mission Newark. Mayor Booker 8 then rose to prominence PP55 Regional Updates as Newark’s Central 8 PP55 Fellowships: Ward Councilman in A Strong Applicant Pool 1998. As Councilman, 9 he earned a reputation The Turn Toward the Nonfor innovative and bold profit Sector: An Interview leadership; he introwith Bill Richardson ’73 duced dozens of legislaVisit Share Effort Online tion and resolutions imto see more: blog.project55.org pacting housing, youth, safety, and jobs to create Introducing Alumni Notes! a better government. Mayor Booker’s outstanding leadership of Newark, his passion for justice and political change, strong commitment to education, and dedication to nurturing and empowering individuals
Following his electoral sweep in 2006, Mayor Booker has made notable strides in achieving the Newark city mission to set a national standard for urban transformation. Since his election, the City has seen a 40% reduction in crime, and affordable housing production has doubled. Mayor Booker has also committed to a $40 million transformation of the City’s parks and playgrounds through public and private partnerships. Mayor Booker’s achievements have merited him recognition in numerous publications, including Time, New Jersey Monthly, and The New York Times Magazine. His membership on numerous boards and advisory committees – including Democrats for Education Reform, Columbia University Teachers College Board of Trustees and the Black Alliance for Educational Options – reflect Mayor Booker’s strong commitment to education. In October 2009, Mayor Booker was asked to deliver the Toni Morrison Lectures, at Princeton University. His imaginative leadership and
The Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey
dedication to changing lives through civil leadership highly qualified him to give the lectures, which spotlight the new and exciting work of scholars and writers who demonstrate the expansive literary imagination, intellectual adventurousness and political insightfulness that characterize the writing of Toni Morrison. Project 55’s mission to inspire, enable, and promote the creation of public interest initiatives is one truly reflected in Mayor Booker’s civic leadership. It is certainly an honor to have Mayor Cory Booker join Princeton Project 55 as we celebrate the milestones that mark our 20 years of success.
Letter from Bill Leahy … Dear Friends of Princeton Project 55, We look forward to the culmination of the 20th Anniversary year at our upcoming 20th Anniversary Gala on May 27, 2010 at the Princeton Westin. The Gala will be an opportunity to celebrate and remember the many people and programs that have made us the successful organization we are today. It will also be an opportunity to share with you our plans for the future, some of which are detailed in this special 20th Anniversary edition of Shared Effort, as members of the founding Class of ’55 work in partnership with alumni of all ages to continue to achieve our mission. Please take some time to read about what our Board, alumni volunteers, fellows, partner organizations, and staff have been up to. This year, Princeton Project 55 faced the most difficult economic climate in our history. With your continued annual support, combined with proceeds from our 20th Anniversary Gala, we hope to increase participation and ensure our sustainability for the future. To our current donors, we extend our sincerest thanks—we could not continue this flourishing project without you! Our fellowship placement process is almost complete and as of today, we already have 43 fellows for 2010-11. Some new organizations we will be working with for the first time this year are Advance Illinois, the Center on Halsted in Chicago, DC Prep in Washington and Map Real Estate in Chicago. We are also still hoping to work with the Michael J Fox Foundation, the Center for Financial Services Innovation in Chicago, iMentor, and the Civic Consulting Alliance this year. Each year, a new class of PP55 fellows learns about critical social issues, and themselves, while making a difference. Fellows provide valuable support to public interest partner organizations like Education Through Music (ETM) in New York City, where two former PP55 fellows are still on staff more than ten years after their fellowships. Katherine Damkohler, Executive Director of ETM, recently wrote PP55 a letter of congratulations, saying “I have been thrilled to partner with Princeton Project 55 over the past 13 years. By placing 9 fellows who have combined to provide over 30 years of service to our organization, the Public Interest Program has been a critical factor in Education Through Music’s growth from a local to a national organization. Tens of thousands of at-risk children received educational opportunities they would not otherwise have had thanks to the work of the fellows, and also thanks to the passion and leadership of Project 55’s board and staff. Congratulations to Princeton Project 55 on its 20th Anniversary!” ETM is just one of more than 500 organizations that have benefited from PP55—made possible by your support. As we continue to grow and strengthen our fellowship program, while introducing new programming for alumni of all ages, we thank you for your enthusiasm, time, initiative, and support. Sincerely,
William R. Leahy, MD ‘66 President of Princeton Project 55
The Tuberculosis Initiative: A Catalytic Role for Project 55 By Jim Lynn ’55 Most people think of Princeton Project 55 as a matchmaker, not an incubator. After all, it’s spent 20 years pairing up hundreds of idealistic young Princeton alumni with nonprofit agencies that need smart people to fill challenging jobs at low pay for a year or two. But in those 20 years PP55 has also hatched and sent into the world half a dozen programs that other organizations have picked up and run with. And perhaps the most surprising success among them – at least to Gordon Douglas, Jr. ’55 – was the Tuberculosis Initiative, which emerged abruptly in 1997. Dr. Douglas was president of the vaccine division at Merck & Co. for most of the 1990s. His wife, Ann, was a PP55 board member for six years, and in 1996 she was enthusiastic about Ralph Nader ’55’s proposal to involve Project 55 in a campaign against tuberculosis. “She came home and told me about it,” Douglas told an interviewer years later, “and I said, ‘He’s nuts! This is a crazy idea – there’s no way! This is an enormous world health problem. We don’t have the capability of going out and handing out pills or giving vaccines to millions of people. It’s not what we can do.” Nevertheless, PP55 hosted a conference on “Tuberculosis: A Global Emergency” at the Woodrow Wilson School on a cold, rainy Sunday in FebruVolume 14, Number 1
ary 1997. “We wanted to vet this idea with some experts,” Douglas said. Two dozen TB control organizations sent representatives. An audience of 150 or so showed up too. “And,” Douglas recalled, “the meeting demonstrated, as Ralph had thought, that advocacy for tuberculosis was an important issue and by itself would accomplish a lot.” Before long the Tuberculosis Initiative – soon abbreviated to “TBI” – was officially in business, and Gordon Douglas became its program leader. Later that year, PP55 was a convener, at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, of a symposium of world-class experts with an even more ambitious title: “The Global Tuberculosis Pandemic: A Strategy for Unified Global Control and Ultimate Elimination.” And PP55 went on to become a founding member of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development. “When we started,” Douglas said long afterward, “there was really nothing being done on tuberculosis. If you asked a private citizen they’d say, ‘Well, we thought tuberculosis was
cured years ago.’ But the true issue is that worldwide it’s as big a killer as AIDS. It’s an enormous problem, and the things that have helped solve it here are not working in the developing world.” “The biggest thing was acting as a catalyst to bring people together,” Douglas continued. We wrote a lot of op-ed pieces in newspapers. We talked about TB whenever we could. We brought the issue before key congressional people, executive branch, White House staff, Health and Human Services. And every time they mentioned AIDS – which has an enormous advocacy group – we would just piggyback on it, and say, ‘Well, you can’t deal with the AIDS problem if you don’t deal with the TB problem. Most of the patients in Africa who die from HIV infection actually die of TB.’” Funding from the government and the Gates Foundation improved dramatically after 1997. Well-funded lobbying organizations like the American Lung Association took up the cause with renewed vigor. There were fewer opportunities for TBI to “do something
The Tuberculosis Initiative (1997-2003) TBI focused on the worldwide eradication of tuberculosis at a moment when multi-drug resistant TB was threatening to explode. PP55 initially served at the convener for organizations like the World Health Organization, the US Constitutional Defense Council, USAID, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the American Lung Association. Princeton Project 55 was a founding member of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.
Gordon Douglas, Jr. ’55 TBI Program Leader
unique, like we did in the beginning,” Douglas said. But one unique PP55 resource was its fellows and interns, and he argued for pointing them toward organizations doing work on tuberculosis – an idea that later bore fruit in the Public Health Fellowship program. TBI itself – made expendable by its own success – was officially shut down in 2003. It had played a key role in escalating the campaign against TB, and other, much larger organizations were better fitted to take it to the next level. As Douglas put it, “Either we were very lucky and got in there at a time when change was happening regardless of what we did, or – as we think – we actually had something to do with effecting that change.” James Lynn ’55 spent his working life as a reporter, writer, and editor in and around New York City. He has been secretary of the Class of 1955 and an Alumni Schools Committee interviewer, and is currently a board member and secretary of PP55.
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Civic Values Initiative: An Interview with Lindsay Wall ’02 Lindsay (Michelotti) Wall '02 is a Vice President in the Public Finance department of BMO Capital Markets, the investment banking branch of the Bank of Montreal. From 2002 to 2004 Lindsay served as the Program Manager of the Civic Values Initiative at PP55 during which time she convened and advised the Student Task Force on Civic Values. She is currently very active on the PIP Chicago area committee. Lindsay graduated with an A.B. in Religion and holds an M.P.P in Public Finance from the Irving B. Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.
still on campus. It was Charlie Bray '55 who first took this to heart and became a champion for the cause on the PP55 Board. His love for the University and his never-ending desire to make it an even better place was especially inspiring and energizing for me and others involved in the cause. CIV thus began working with members of the University community to explore how and where the University emphasized civic skills and community participation. CIV's driving force was for the University to be consistent with its motto and assist its students, alumni, faculty and staff to develop their civic values and skills and to use those toward the public good throughout their lives, regardless of their career path.
Above: Charlie Bray ’55, CIV's proposer, principal promoter, and Program Leader. He used to say "We would know we had succeeded when it is taken for granted that to be a Princetonian is to be an active and effective citizen and community participant."
credit to PP55. We wanted any initiatives to be inspired by someone on campus – that way the founders could be the torchbearers and have ownership over their own projects. The early months of CIV consisted of meetings with faculty, administrators and student groups to gauge the overall climate. We hosted a few panels and speakers, notably during the Civic Engagement Week in February 2003 (though it was hobbled by a 3-day snow storm that week!). The real momentum came with the
forming of the Student Task Force on Civic Values, which was brought together in the spring of 2003. We accepted applications for the task force and selected seven students who would serve as ambassadors and travel to other universities (Harvard, Duke, University of Maryland, Tufts, Dartmouth and Penn) doing innovative things and then report back to the Princeton administration with recommendations about what Princeton could be doing in this rapidly growing arena.
and on-campus groups including the 2003 Civic Engagement Week and the Civil Society and Community Building Online Course. Another success of CIV was the formation of the Civic Values Task Force (CVTF), a group of Princeton undergraduates who studied the civic engagement opportunities at peer institutions and published a report on their findings including recommendations for initiatives at Princeton University in November 2004.
In my capacity as program manager for Project 55's Civic Values Initiative, I knew I could make an Continued on next page...
Can you describe the climate in which the Civic Values Initiative (CIV) was first brought about? How did it start, and what were its initial aims? The Civic Values Initiative was launched at a time when Project 55 felt it had impacted the lives of Princeton alumni in a meaningful way but was hearing more and more from current and former fellows that they could have benefitted from having more civic engagement opportunities while on
How did the various initiatives bring civic engagement to the forefront among students, alumni, faculty, and on-campus groups? This is a pretty difficult question because the whole idea behind CIV was that we wanted civic ideas to percolate on campus but not necessarily come with any
What has your experience with CIV been like for Civic Values Initiative you? How has this experi(2002-2006) CIV was adopted as a Princeton Project 55 program in 2002 ence influenced the way as an effort to encourage Princeton University to live its motto: "Princeton in the Nation's you think about and proService and the Service of all Nations." CIV staff developed, coordinated, and supported key mote civic engagement? initiatives that brought civic engagement to the forefront among students, alumni, faculty,
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...Continued from page 3 important contribution to my alma mater. Although it would have been wonderful to address social issues elsewhere, I knew that by working on University issues, I would be addressing topics I really care about and with which I feel a personal connection. Since working with CIV, and by nature of being on the PP55 Board and involved in the Chicago committee, I am now constantly thinking about promoting civic engagement. Also as chair of the program committee I benefit from having been involved in CIV be-
cause I know a program outside of the PIP and fellowship programs well. I know that CIV did have an impact on Princeton - and was successful! What would you say to current Princetonians about civic leadership today? I think that current Princetonians are incredibly lucky to have all of the resources that are available to them in the realm of civic values, leadership and engagement on campus today. I believe that the University and alumni supporters have made great strides to support opportunities to en-
hance the incomparable Princeton academic experience with impactful ethical, political and civic opportunities inside and outside the classroom. In almost every edition of the PAW recently there is a feature story or editorial or note from the administration about great work that a student group or academic seminar or faculty member is doing in the local community, in conjunction with a government agency or in the international domain. This kind of explicit endorsement of the value of such activities along with the significant financial support that the University and alumni have now put behind
such efforts should not be taken for granted. Only eight years ago, only a minority of the stakeholders was convinced of the value added to a Princeton education from engaging in the civic sphere. Now that civic values and community based learning are on the top of the president and the administration's priority list, it puts the pressure back onto the Princeton students and alumni to take advantage of all of the resources and opportunities that are at our fingertips in order to ensure that “to be a Princetonian is to be an active and effective citizen and community participant."
The Alumni Network: The Yale ’57 Music Endowment Program By Genevieve Reilly The Yale Class of 1957 Music Endowment Program is a member of Princeton Project 55's [The] Alumni Network. This past year, the Yale Class of 1957 has established a vital and impressive music program that will inspire music education all around the nation. The program has three facets: (I) A biannual symposium for talented public school music educators (II) A professorship devoted to music education in the public schools (III) Development of model programs in the New Haven public schools. The 2009 "Symposium on Music in Schools" took place this past June at the Yale School of Music. There were 448 nominations, including 50 teachers from 37 different states, including Alaska, who came Page 4
to accept the "Yale Distinguished Music Educator" award. Program managers have also developed a number of different ways that music could be connected to other parts of the curriculum, such as English, Art, and Science. Many of the teachers expressed their gratitude to the Yale '57 classmates for recognition in an under-appreciated field and for what one teacher described as a “gracious and impressive” ceremony. The plan for the 20092010 academic year also involves a "Visiting Professor Program". This includes inviting six leaders in the field of community arts education to spend a week at the Yale School of Music working with YSM students. The common theme will be “community engagement in the life of the professional musician”. Each
visiting educator will begin with a 90 minute seminar. Students who attend at least two of these seminars will be eligible for $500$1000 grants to create their own innovative public school music programs. The invitees include Robert Capanna, Alan Fletcher, Mitchell Korn, Tina Lee Hadari, Greg Sandow, and Daniel Windham. The core model program remains in 3 schools, Lincoln Bassett, John C. Daniels and Mauro Sheridan School, with outreach to 36 schools in all, primarily in New Haven but with some in other areas of Connecticut. A sampling of programs includes a band program where parents and teachers can play along with their students; book writing programs that achieve linkage by increasing writing skills and allowing students to
write stories and have a composer put them to music and vice versa; collaboration with the Yale Center for British Art features a comprehensive music and literacy program for middle school students; a book writing/ movie making program that is in progress with Co-op High School in Bridgeport. The Class of '57 Music program is spreading fast! There are now contracts with schools outside of New Haven, and the 2009 Symposium assures some national attention. The enthusiasm and creativity of Deans Blocker, Yaffe, and our program managers John Miller and Olivia Malin is truly infectious and augurs well for the future. The Class of ’57 can truly take pride in the work of their 50th reunion gift.
Shared Effort
Meet Princeton AlumniCorps! New Name, Broader Reach, Enhanced Mission At its meeting in February, the Board of Directors of Princeton Project 55 approved a new name for our organization: We are now Princeton AlumniCorps! The change in our name culminates a two-year process growing out of our strategic plan. “Our name of Princeton Project 55 served us well for 20 years,” said Board Chair Kenly Webster ’55. “It honors the legacy of our founders, as indeed it should. Now, looking forward to our next 20 years, we will be able to grow and broaden our impact with a name that both reaches out to Princetonians of all ages and compellingly characterizes what we do.” The Board has discussed a possible name change many times over the past two decades, but the issue become more urgent when members recognized that Project 55 needed to reach out more vigorously to attract Princetonians of all ages and to communicate its actual mission more effectively to everyone. In June 2008 the Board asked its Communications Committee to research a potential naming strategy. Committee members conducted research on several fronts: •
How we communicate now and what our name should say about us
•
The story of PP55, its founding and evolution
•
The current mission and strategic priorities
•
Board feedback and discussion at its quarterly meetings
Criteria and Guiding Principles we used to assess current and/or future name: Criteria: •
Does it reflect our overarching mission of inspiring and building civic leadership among alumni across generations by engaging them in significant activities that influence and improve our society?
•
Is it distinctive and legally available?
•
Is it short (ideally 5 syllables or less)?
•
Is it inclusive and expansive?
Guiding Principles: •
In order to preserve brand recognition and honor the history and heritage of our organization, the original name of Princeton Project 55, or the“55” numerals, need to be included somewhere in the naming platform – either in the unchanged overall name, the subtitle/ tagline, or names of key programs
•
Possible new names were tested for reactions from our key constituencies: the full Board, key founders and funders from the Class of ’55, alumni from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, PIP alumni, sponsoring organizations, the Alumni Council, and other campus groups
•
Surveys and interviews with key constituents and peers, and eventually…
•
A proposal for a new umbrella name
Between December 2008 and February 2010, Communications Chair Lanny Jones ’66 and his Committee held in-person or teleconference meetings about once a month. Board Chair Kenly Webster ’55, President Bill Leahy ’66, and Executive Director Kathleen Reilly were also involved throughout the research process, as was trademark attorney Dick Woodbridge ’65, who donated his services pro bono. During the Committee's deliberations more than 300 possible new names were proposed and considered.
Communications Committee Members Lanny Jones '66, Chair Illa Brown '76 Jim Lynn '55 Anne-Marie Maman '84 Kathleen McCleery '75 Pete Milano '55 Kathy Miller ’77 Natasha Robinson '04 Chet Safian '55 Tony Spaeth '55
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From the outset, the Committee concluded that, while the “55” numerals in the present name were an obstacle to recruiting Princeton alumni from other classes, it was also important that the brand-recognition built up under the original name be preserved. The result was the recommendation, approved by the board in February, that our flagship Public Interest Program now be known as the Princeton Project 55 Fellowships Program. As one Board member, Arthur McKee ’90, put it: “One of the reasons why I drive up to Princeton from Washington four times a year is because I have been able to get to know members of the Class of ’55, which otherwise I would never have done. And not only was I inspired, but I am currently and will be in the future inspired by what the Class of ’55 has done and what it still will do. We can and we will honor not just the legacy but the action During the Committee's deliberations more than 300 possible new names were proposed and considered. and the lives of the members of the Class of ’55.” “The Committee and others kept coming back to the concept of a ‘corps,’” Jones said. “With the existence of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Service Corps, and City Corps, the term has evolved to connote innovative service. ‘Corps’ also of course conjures the image of a volunteer or unified team. Hence Princeton AlumniCorps: a cadre of alumni, shoulder to shoulder, working together for systemic social change.” The new name is just one piece of a larger strategic effort to engage, mobilize, and inspire alumni to be active citizens. Over the course of the next year we expect to announce new programs that will help us carry out our mission.
Our new name, which will be introduced over the summer, will encompass all of our ongoing enterprises, including our 20-year-old flagship program, which will now be known as the Princeton Project 55 Fellowship Program. Over the course of the next year we expect to announce new programs that will help us carry out our mission. Volume 14, Number 1
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PP55 Celebrates 20 Years in the Big Apple and the Windy City
New York By Arti Sheth ‘08 PP55 Board member On March 3, 2010, guests gathered for a reception in New York City, one of many events taking place across the nation this year in celebration of Princeton Project 55's 20th anniversary. The event, graciously hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation, was a tribute to all of the agencies – numbering more than 75 in total – that have partnered with Project 55 over two decades of its presence in New York. A stunning 22 agencies were represented at the event, and all were honored with a Certificate of Appreciation recognizing their partnership. Five agencies in particular were highlighted during the evening's program: Education Through Music, Heads Up! Pediatric Literacy Program at Weill
Cornell Medical Center, New Alternatives for Children, The Office of the District Attorney of New York, and St. Mark's the Evangelist School. Representatives from each of these agencies spoke passionately about the impact Project 55 fellows have had on their organizations. Speaking of two former fellows and longtime employees of Education Through Music, Rainah Berlowitz and Katherine Canning, Executive Director Kathy Damkholer said: "I have the unique distinction of having two wonderful fellows who have made ETM their life work. You have been so wonderful, and we are who we are because of you." Adam Kaufmann said of fellows at the Office of the District Attorney of New York: "Project 55 fellows take on incredibly difficult,
Clockwise beginning from top left: Sam and Judith Hole Suratt ‘55; the presentation begins at the Rockefeller Foundation; Dominic Michel ‘80 and Kathy Miller ‘77; Arti Sheth ‘08, Julie Rubinger ‘09, and Sarah Uehara ’09
complex cases. We know that we can rely on the quality of the work that these astounding young people bring to the table." These sentiments were echoed by all of the agencies who spoke at the event, a testament to the value of PP55's work engaging alumni in varied
public service fellowships that are often the starting point for lifelong careers in the public interest. The evening was much enjoyed by all, and Project 55 community members in New York look forward to an equally stellar 20th anniversary bash in Princeton this May!
Chicago By Kirsten O. Hull ’99 PP55 Chicago Volunteer On March 18, 200 people gathered downtown to c e l e b r a t e the 20th Anniversary of Princeton Project 55
in Chicago. Present were current and former fellows and mentors, Chicago nonprofit leaders, and the program’s many volunteers and friends. Since 1989, PP55 has placed 388 fellows and interns with 113 local
agencies, and it has inspired the launch of similar programs at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.
’66, Director, Asset Based Community Development Institute; Bill Leahy, Jr., M.D. ’66, President, Princeton Project 55;
The evening’s speakers Continued on next page... included Jody Kretzmann
Check out more pictures or videos of these events online on Facebook and Youtube! Page 5
Shared Effort
...Continued from page 7 Michelle Saddler ’82, Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services; and John Horan, President, North Lawndale College Prep High Schools. A book of special memories from past fellows was presented to John Fish ’55. Lead sponsors of the event were: Ariel I n v e s t m e n t s , the Princeton Club of Chicago, Harrison Steans ’57, and Robin Steans and Leonard Gail. Thank you to all who participated in this celebration. Clockwise starting from top left: Chicago fellows and volunteers pose with John Fish ‘55 and Vince Anderson ‘65; John Rogers ‘80, Chairman and CEO of Arial Investments; John Fish ‘55; Michelle Saddler ’82, Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services; John Horan, President, North Lawndale College Prep
Project 55 Fellowships: A Strong Applicant Pool By Stephanie Mirkin PP55 Program Manager PP55's fellowship program has received 146 applications from graduating seniors (84% of applicants) and recent graduates (16% of applicants) interested in spending a year working in the public interest. As the variety of partner organizations interested in benefitting from a PP55 fellow has expanded, we have seen the diversity and variety broaden within the applicant pool as well. Applicants represent 28 different majors, with the greatest representation from the Politics Department, Anthropology Department, Page 8
and the Woodrow Wilson School. Hard science majors and engineers make up 23% of applicants. Women comprise the majority of the applicant pool at 75%. Applicants not only display their exceptional qualifications through their academic records, but also in their extracurricular activities and internships. Applicants range from captains of varsity athletic teams to editors of the Daily Princetonian to founders of organizations both on and off campus. Some have spent summers advocating for disempowered populations and researching infectious diseases abroad, while others have taught ESL to immigrant children or in-
terned for a state senator. This year’s applicants have proved to be leaders ready and eager to work towards positive systemic change through PP55’s Fellowship Program. With ap-
plicants currently interviewing with prospective partner organizations, PP55 will begin to learn who will be a part of the 2010-11 fellowship class in mid-March.
Thank you to all of our fellowship applicant interviewers for your time and commitment to the mission and vision of Project 55! • • • • • • • • • •
Clara Botstein '07 Aaron Buchman '08 Danielle Carlson '07 Tracy Dobie '07 Jessica Johnson '98 Professor Stanley Katz Maureen Kimball S72, P07 Olympia Moy '05 Henry Perretta '76 Joe Robinson '04
• • • • • • • • • •
Robert Ruben '55 Chet Safian '55 Eloise Salmon '07 Antoinette Seaberry '05 Arti Sheth '08 Steve Shueh '97 Jamie Sparano '08 Scott Taylor '75 Nelly Ward '04 Marcia Willsie S86, P07
Shared Effort
Project 55 Regional Updates Boston Our March seminar will take place at Root Cause, in Cambridge, on March 24, 910:30am. Root Cause is a nonprofit research and consulting firm that specializes in social impact and innovation. Root Cause works across the public, private and nonprofit sectors on social issues ranging from economic development and the environment to health and education. Through advisory services, knowledge sharing and community based learning, Root Cause seeks to mobilize crosssector collaboration on social issues. Our 2009 seminar with Root Cause was engaging and inspirational, and we are looking forward to learning more this year! Chicago
Join PP55 in Chicago for their 20th Anniversary celebration Thursday, March 18. Honorary Co-Chairs include Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn, John Rodgers '80 of Ariel Investments, Mary Nelson of Bethel New Life, and Quentin Young MD of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group. To learn more please contact Natasha Robinson at nrobinson@project55.org. Connecticut We are looking forward to two seminars to be held this spring; the first will highlight the opening of Norwalk Community Health Center’s new building, which will greatly expand their capacity to reach underserved people in the greater Norwalk commu-
nity. The second will focus on affordable housing, especially on the innovative work of Joan Carty at the Housing Development Fund, one of our partner organizations. New York The New York area committee is planning a local celebration of PP55's work in the city March 3 at the Rockefeller Foundation. Former fellows, partner organizations and alumni from across the generations will be on hand to remember what has been done and look forward to the next 20 years! To learn more please contact Natasha Robinson at nrobinson@project55.org.
Join PP55 on Tuesday, March 9th from 6 to 8pm at the Watergate for a special career and networking event, "Building a Career in Public Service". A panel of Princeton alumni who have made their mark in a variety of areas across the nonprofit and public sectors will speak to fellows and alumni about the graduate school experiences and career path choices that helped them get there.
Washington, DC
If you are interested in mentoring a fellow, hosting a social gathering or sponsoring a professional development opportunity for fellows in your region, please email pip@project55.org and we will connect you with the volunteers in your area.
The Turn Toward the Nonprofit Sector: An Interview with Bill Richardson ’73 How did you get involved with Princeton Project 55? Did it surprise you to learn that PP55 is a multigenerational organization?
Bill Richardson graduated from Princeton in 1973 with a politics degree. He also holds a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. After 30 years as an associate and then partner at the law firm of Wilmer Cutler & Pickering and its successor Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, LLP, he retired at the end of 2007. He is currently doing pro bono legal work as a volunteer for Virginia C.U.R.E., the Legal Aid Justice Center, and other organizations interested in prison reform in Virginia, and serves on the board of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust. He is a past Chairman of the Alumni Schools Committee for Northern Virginia, currently serves as Secretary of the Princeton Club of Washington, and is a member of Project 55's Midcareer Planning Committee. Bill and his wife Kathy, Northwestern '73, live in Arlington, Virginia. They have two sons. Jack, age 30, runs a tree care company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. James, age 26, plays lead guitar for the rock band MGMT.
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I had had the great opportunity of working closely with Bill Leahy ’66 on schools committee work for a number of years, and talked with him about getting involved in Project 55 around the time of my retirement. At the same time, one of my classmates in the area, Dick Walker ’73, was getting more actively involved. I had been inspired by what I had read about the origin of Project 55 as a contribution to public service after a career in the private sector. I was unaware of the extensive participation in Project 55 by those other than the founding generation, and also of the popularity of its programs among recent Princeton graduates.
does for the Princeton community and communities across the country. Project 55 provides to alumni of all generations an opportunity to use their experience to make a difference in important areas where nonprofit organizations have become critical, particularly with diminishing government resources. This is a wonderful way to make connections with fellow alumni, but also a particular opportunity for those of us who have spent most of our lives in the private sector to play a bigger role in addressing these needs.
volve government service or work in the nonprofit sector. What advice would you give to Alumni that are either transitioning or are considering changing careers? I think the most important thing is to keep an open mind and reach out to others to find out what's available. There are lots of opportunities out there, and for most of us the difficulty is in learning about them. Getting more involved in pro bono work, bar associations or analogous professional associations, and civic activities in your community are helpful ways of finding out about some of these options, but I'm most excited about how Project 55 might be of service to older alumni in helping them in this way.
PP55 is excited to be working with you and other alumni on a new initiative for alumni changing careers. Since you have made this change, could you discuss your transition from the private sector to the nonprofit secAs we celebrate our 20th What’s the most impor- tor? Anniversary, what is your tant thing you look for when supporting an or- My transition has been hope for the next 20 years ganization or serving on a somewhat haphazard. What at PP55? I'm doing now is partly an nonprofit board? outgrowth of contacts that I I hope that we will be able To me, the key is whether made while engaged in a to inspire succeeding genthe mission of the organiza- pro bono project at my law erations to make the kinds tion is to provide a ser- firm, when I met others in of commitments to public vice to the community in need of similar legal advice, service that the class of ways that are not filled by and partly the result of hav- 1955 started with, and also others, and whether that par- ing had the opportunity to expand our focus beyond ticular mission is one in since retirement to devote the very successful prowhich I have a personal in- more time to civic activities grams for recent graduates here in Arlington. I'm still b y p r o v i d i n g s i m i terest. exploring what I want out of lar opportunities for older Please discuss the impor- a "second career," includ- alumni as well, both fulltance of what Project 55 ing whether it should in- time and part-time. Page 9
PP55 Board of Directors R. Kenly Webster ’55, Chairman William R. Leahy, Jr., M.D. ’66, President James D. Lynn ’55, Secretary Charles F. Mapes, Jr. ’55, Treasurer Illa Brown ’76 Margaret Crotty ’94 R. Gordon Douglas, M.D. ’55, Ex Officio Andrew Goldstein ’06 James A. Gregoire ’69, Ex Officio John D. Hamilton, Jr. ’55, Ex Officio Stephen D. Houck ’69 Jessica Johnson ’98 Landon Y. Jones, Jr. ’66 Stanley Katz h’21 Elliot D. Lee ’74, Ex Officio Kathleen McCleery ’75 Arthur McKee ’90 Dominic Michel ’70 Kathryn Miller ’77 Ralph Nader ’55 Anthony Quainton ’55
Michael D. Robbins ’55 Marsha Rosenthal ’76, Ex Officio Arti Sheth ’08, Ex Officio Warner Slack ’55 Samuel T. Suratt ’55 Scott Taylor ’75 Richard O. Walker ’73 Lindsay Wall ’02
PP55 Staff Kathleen E. Reilly, Executive Director Marjorie K. Berger, Administrative Officer Stephanie L. Mirkin, Fellowship Program Manager Natasha M. Robinson ’04, Development Officer John Shriver, Fellowship Program Manager
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