I get so much from all the Fellows' ideas, resources, community and support. I am completely confident that we will have an alliance of executive directors collaborating successfully and creating better services, organizations, and communities for years to come.

J Moses Ceaser, Executive Director

DiversityWorks

Quality, long-term relationships are essential to building community. Based on the safe and trusting space provided during the Fellowship, LeaderSpring Alumni often express the desire to continue their relationships with one another. All LeaderSpring Alumni are invited to participate in the LeaderSpring Alumni Network, so that they can continue collectively reaping the benefits of the two-year program.

Representatives of LeaderSpring classes form the Alumni Committee, which aims to achieve three goals through the Alumni Network:

1. Facilitate networking among Alumni;
   
   
2. Promote professional development and educational opportunities;
   and
   
   
3. Give back to LeaderSpring. 

Every year, the Committee hosts a gathering of Alumni and Fellows, and produces a second event or project.  For example, the Alumni Committee recently organized a highly successful Alumni Forum featuring a panel on a topic of compelling interest to our Alumni: “Life after ‘executive director’-hood.” Participants shared appreciation for the “incredibly deep, candid, and rich conversation.”

In addition, LeaderSpring also hosts individual reunions for each interested class of Alumni, offering them a rare opportunity to connect and engage as a group.
Our long-term aim is to strengthen a vibrant community of nonprofit leaders who are breaking patterns of competition and creating a paradigm of mutual support and camaraderie. In the long term, we hope to pave the way for the development of a unique, sustainable community of leaders who are better positioned to collectively influence public policy and leverage resources to better serve those in need.

The Alumni Committee is composed of the following members:

• Perry Chen, Independent Consultant, The Pear-e Consulting Group  (Class 7)
  
  
• Carrie LaBriola, Community Leader (Class 2)
  
  
• Monica Montenegro, Executive Director, East Bay Consortium of Educational Institutions  (Class 6)
  
  
• Sonia Manjon, Executive Director, Center for Art and Public Life (Class of 2006)
  
  
• Jennie Mollica, Project Manager, Making Connections Oakland, Annie E. Casey Foundation (Class of 2006)
  
  
• Cynthia Taylor, Community Leader (Class of 2007)
  
  
• Ruth Ann Binder, Executive Director, Rebuilding Together San Francisco (Class of 2007)