Revson Fellowship Welcomes City Leaders
NEW YORK, NY-Ten of New York City's pioneering civic leaders will take a year-long break starting this summer to participate in a Columbia University fellowship that aims to enhance their understanding of the challenges facing the city and their ability to address them. Reflecting the diversity and dynamism of the city, recipients of the Charles H. Revson Fellowship are drawn from a range of sectors-from non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, community-based organizations, firehouses, courthouses, museums, newsrooms, classrooms, cathedrals, and mosques. The 2007-2008 fellows include:
- Anthony Advincula, Editorial and Communications Coordinator, Independent Press Association-New York (IPA)
- Annecy Baez, Director, Counseling Center, Lehman College, City University of New York
- Sandra Goodridge, Consultant, Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies, and former Founding Director, Division of Health and Quality of Life, National Urban League
- Betty Holcomb, Policy Director, Child Care, Inc. (CCI)
- Bridget Hughes, Director of Youth Services, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
- Kenneth Lo, Director, Cross-Cultural Communications, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Maura Lout, Director of Operations, New Yorkers for Parks
- Bruce Morrow, Associate Director, Teachers & Writers Collaborative
- Lawrence Tompkins, Lieutenant, New York City Fire Department (FDNY)
- Daniel Voloch, Director, College Now, Hostos Community College
Led by Director Sudhir Venkatesh, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Urban Research and Policy (CURP) at Columbia University, the program is part of the university's Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP) and sponsored by the Charles H. Revson Foundation and the Open Society Institute (OSI). With their support, these fellows will engage in an intensive nine-month course of independent study, research, and reflection as part of their mid-career transition. In addition, they will attend weekly dinner seminars to present their work and exchange ideas with local and national leaders in public, corporate, nonprofit, and civic life.
According to current Fellow Lynn Lewis, the Director and Civil Rights Organizer of Picture the Homeless, an organization founded and led by homeless New Yorkers, "My fellowship year provided me with the opportunity to test myself in new ways by engaging in academic studies and thinking more deeply about the issues with which we struggle on a daily basis. Taking the time to stretch myself intellectually has been incredibly rewarding."
The program has been a critical bridge between Columbia University and the city for 28 years, connecting over 280 fellows and alumni from all corners of the city with each other and with the university. Together, they form a vital network of civic leaders with wide-ranging influence and capacity and a shared commitment to improving the city.
"The program helped not only by enhancing my skills as an advocate, but also by plugging me into a dynamic community for social change," reflects former fellow Gene Russianoff, currently the staff attorney and chief spokesman for the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign, a NYC-based public transport advocacy group. "A generation of activists has been refreshed and energized and sharpened by the Program."
