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Greg Landsman, Former Director of the Ohio Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Improving Ohio Communities through Public-Private Partnerships Ohio In May of 2008, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland signed an executive order creating the Ohio Anti-Poverty Task Force (OAPTF). Chaired by Greg Landsman and made up of 30 members from various sectors and regions, the OAPTF was asked to develop short-term and long-term recommendations that would further the Governor’s efforts to reduce poverty in Ohio. The task force also enlisted the participation of over 2,000 Ohioans, including low-income individuals, in work groups and regional conversations to ensure that the OAPTF’s recommendations properly addressed the needs of its target populations. Several of the OAPTF recommendations focused on helping specific populations of Ohioans, such as disabled or formerly incarcerated individuals, who face multiple barriers to employment. Among the proposed strategies was the expansion of social entrepreneurship as a way to employ and train people within this demographic, providing them with living wages and a road to sustainable financial security. Shortly after the OAPTF recommendations were delivered to Governor Strickland, the Ohio Social Entrepreneurship Initiative (SEI) was launched. Under the direction of the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (GOFBCI), in partnership with the Ohio Department of Development’s Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division, the SEI provides access to financing and funding information, training resources, and several current examples for organizations working to establish social enterprises. |
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Mary Ellen Caron, Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services Improving Academic Achievement and Social Development through City-Wide Out-of-School-Time Programs Chicago, IL In 2003, the City of Chicago established a Department of Children and Youth Services – now the Department of Family and Support Services – charged with managing a growing range of support and advocacy services for Chicago’s children and youth. The department’s new commissioner, Mary Ellen Caron, focused on developing strategies that would help ensure the welfare of all Chicago children and teens for many years ahead. Recognizing the positive impact that out-of-school-time (OST) programs have on the academic achievement and social development, Caron made finding a way to better coordinate and expand the city’s many OST programs a key priority. |
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Mike Roque, Director of the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships Improving the City of Denver by Encouraging Nonprofit Collaboratives Denver, CO Shortly after taking office in 2003, Mayor John Hickenlooper founded the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships (DOSP), utilizing his nonprofit background to bring much-needed changes to the City. With a $70 million budget deficit, the city government knew it would have to enlist the help of its nonprofit sector, which ranks tenth in per capita size out of the nation’s 50 largest cities. There are about 12,000 nonprofit organizations in the Denver Metro area. The DOSP forges public-private partnerships, connecting nonprofit and city agencies to reach more people and make the city more competitive in accessing federal funds. Since the office’s inception, DOSP director Mike Roque has overseen these initiatives, constantly adapting and improving them based on new ideas and best practices from similar offices throughout the country. |
