| Colorado College Public Interest Fellowship Program | |
| 2009-2010 Fellowships | |
Julia Sick ‘11 |
ACLU Foundation of Colorado The mission of the ACLU of Colorado is to protect and extend the constitutionally guaranteed rights of all people in Colorado through education, advocacy and litigation. They accomplish their mission by working with constituents and members, addressing existing, as well as potential, inequities within our system of statutes, regulations, and codes, ensuring for all people in Colorado fair and equal treatment under local, state and federal law. They advocate for changes in existing law and support new legislation to attain our objective of equal justice in Colorado. The summer fellow will be involved in the educational, research, database and events/fundraising work of the ACLU of Colorado. In addition, the summer fellow will work with the Education and Fundraising Committees to help plan, recruit volunteers for, and organize public events such as the People’s Fair, PrideFest, 4 th of July Liberty Run/Walk & Festival of Rights, to ensure sound community programming and adequate volunteer staffing. |
Suchi Mahato '11 |
Bell Policy Center The Bell Policy Center is a public policy organization committed to making Colorado a state of opportunity for all, regardless of race or economic background. The Bell seeks to reinvigorate the debate on issues affecting the well being of families and working adults, and to promote public policies that open gateways to opportunity. The summer fellowship offers a unique opportunity for anyone wishing to gain experience in policy outreach and communications. Depending on the fellow’s interest and skills, as well as the Bell’s specific needs, the summer fellow will work either with our Director of Outreach or our Director of Communications (or both) to implement specific strategies and projects. |
Cortney Green '12 |
Butterfly Hope: A Science and Creative Arts Program Butterfly Hope is committed to the development of children’s lives by offering a program of Natural Science, Gardening and the Creative Arts. This enrichment program encourages children to respectfully explore their natural world and the creativity that grows within each of them. Butterfly Hope’s programming fills crucial out-of-school hours with meaningful enrichment and personal development activities for low-income, predominantly Latino students who attend Cheltenham Elementary School and/or reside in the neighborhood of West Colfax in Denver. The summer fellow will assist with the four week Summer Enrichment Program; write organizational correspondence and communications; represent Butterfly Hope in the community; assist in program assessment and report on successes and needs; assist in preparing for and conducting pre- and post-assessments for formal evaluation; help translate the weekly summer program newsletter and notices of special events into Spanish; work with the Executive Director to identify new funding sources, record volunteer hours and donations, and analyze qualitative assessment data for reports. |
Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado Yearlong Fellow Hometown: Beverly Hills , CA Major/Minor: German Studies |
Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado Care and Share Food Bank is a southern Colorado-based not-for-profit (501(c)3) food bank affiliated with America's Second Harvest national network of food banks. Through a comprehensive food acquisition system, Care and Share acts as southern Colorado's sole food bank for locally and nationally donated and purchased food. The yearlong fellow will be responsible for various tasks and projects that would strategically support and improve business processes and infrastructure for all four departments within Care and Share Food Bank, including Administration, Development, Programs, and Operations. Some travel is involved to benchmark other food banks, non-profits, and community efforts. |
Samuel Wilson '09 |
Catamount Institute The Catamount Institute believes that solutions to the challenges of an overburdened eco-structure are best achieved through the realizations that come from an understanding of the connective interdependency of all life on the planet. To that end, they craft programs rich with opportunities to explore and experience the natural world under the leadership and guidance of dedicated professionals. As a nonprofit science education organization, their mission is to inspire ecological stewardship and they achieve this through leadership, education, example, and well considered partnerships. Catamount Institute believes that hands-on field study encourages students to share their knowledge, research, and concerns with others in the watershed community. The summer fellow at Catamount Insitute plans, coordinates, and teaches environmental summer camps for youth; develops lessons plans for summer programs, and networks and learns from leaders in the fields of environmental education and ecological research. |
Chloe Benson ‘09 |
Colorado Consumer Health Initiative The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI) is a member-based nonprofit nonpartisan organization dedicated to ensuring barrier-free access to quality health care for all Coloradans. The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative provides a unified statewide voice for health care reform, empowering consumers to know more about the health care system and to break down the barriers that deny Coloradoans access to health care. The yearlong PIFP fellow will work with staff and advocates around the state to make CCHI a strong statewide organization by building grassroots support among businesses, faith community, health care advocacy organizations, CCHI members/partners, and health care consumers. Responsibilities include: expanding CCHI membership and partners; putting a face on the healthcare issue; member communications; and legislative organizing. |
Mark Neuman-Lee ‘09 |
Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute (COFPI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan project of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, promotes justice and economic security for all Coloradans. As both a resource and catalyst, the Institute works for changes in public policy through timely, credible and accessible fiscal policy analysis, education, advocacy and coalition building. COFPI employs a unique combination of strategies and skills to accomplish its mission - policy and legal research, education, coalition-building, lobbying, government watchdog, and advocacy. COFPI will ask the PIFP yearlong fellow to provide assistance and leadership on two substantive projects, including the State Revenue Project and the State of Working Colorado. In addition to the two substantive projects outlined above, the Fellow will also assist COFPI in the development of a legislative agenda for the state General Assembly. The Fellow will assist staff in tracking legislative activity related to the agenda. |
Tasia Sinn ‘09 |
Colorado Health Institute Established in 2002, CHI provides comprehensive, impartial health data resources and policy analysis to policymakers, health planners, the business and nonprofit communities, advocacy and consumer groups, health care providers, foundations, and the media. The yearlong fellow will work as a member of CHI’s staff and work collaboratively as appropriate, based on particular project assignments, with the CHI Policy and Research, Communications, Health Information and Community Initiatives teams. Staff will work to design a specific project rewarding to the fellow and complementing the work of CHI. |
Caroline Hodge‘09 |
Colorado Legal Services: The Migrant Farm Worker Division of Colorado Legal Services is located in CLS’ Denver Office. The Farm Worker Division provides free civil legal assistance to migrant farm workers and their families throughout Colorado. The goal of the Division is to achieve justice and empowerment for migrant farm workers through education, advocacy and legal representation. Within Colorado, the Division is the only nongovernmental organization that addresses the legal rights of migrant farm workers. The yearlong fellow will focus on creating and coordinating a new system of community education and outreach. Responsibilities will include: planning, directing and conducting outreach to migrant workers at the various labor camps during the summer and fall months and to livestock workers during the winter months; designing a database system to track information collected while conducting outreach; investigating other creative ways in which the program can reach more farm workers, given limited resources; creating a program to recruit and train volunteers in the rural areas to assist the Division’s outreach efforts; and participating in broader policy advocacy work that affects farm workers. |
Simone Phillips ‘11 |
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the Pikes Peak Region Since 1989, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Colorado Springs, Inc., has been recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers who advocate for children in the 4th Judicial District ( El Paso and Teller counties). CASA's goal is to ensure safety and permanency for children whose lives are in turmoil. CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to be a voice for these children in court and in the community. The desired result is that children are placed into safe, loving homes where they can thrive. CASA is an affiliate of the National CASA Association. This summer fellowship provides a young adult the opportunity to research best practice in volunteer retention. Evaluate statistics on current and past volunteers to determine demographics for targeted recruitment efforts and strategies for increasing retention. Supervise exchanges and parenting time in our Supervised Exchange and Parenting Time program. |
Phoebe Jiang ‘09 |
Denver School of Science and Technology The Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) is dedicated to providing an outstanding liberal arts high school education with a science and technology focus to a diverse student population. By creating a powerful learning community centered on core values and a shared commitment to academic excellence, DSST will increase the number of underrepresented students (women, minorities and economically disadvantaged) who attain college science and liberal arts degrees. DSST will graduate responsible, engaged citizens who are prepared to be leaders of the future. The yearlong fellow will help DSST build an organization to replicate our original school in four new sites; support the school's communication, fundraising and public relations efforts including helping with maintaining the website, producing school communications and working with donors; serve as an advisor to 12-14 students; teach an elective class throughout the year in a topic that interests her and in which she has expertise. |
Will Rosenheimer ‘10 |
Hispanic Scholarship Fund The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the nation’s leading organization supporting Hispanic higher education. Founded in 1975, HSF’s vision is to strengthen the country by advancing college education among Hispanic Americans, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. The Rising Star program is a joint venture between the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and select non-profits in Colorado to support exceptional students whose grade point average is lower than the 3.0 minimum required for traditional scholarships, but who have been identified as having strong likelihood of college success, and who are participating in mentoring and academic support programs. The ultimate goal of Rising Star is to increase college matriculation and persistence amongst targeted students. The summer fellow will manage a week-long summer bridge program for scholarship recipients who will attend college for the first time in the fall, along with a concurrent program for college sophomores to help them prepare for activities like internships, study-abroad, and job interviews. The fellow will help research opportunities for immigrant students, help with outreach planning, and perform other duties as required. |
Risa Katz ‘12 |
NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Foundation NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Foundation (“the Foundation”) is a state-wide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to supporting and protecting every woman’s right to make informed personal decisions about the full range of reproductive health options. NPCCF engages in several major activities, including: public education and outreach about women’s reproductive rights and healthcare; policy and education initiatives to improve access to reproductive health services; research, coalition building and public policy activities aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies in Colorado and thereby lowering the need for abortion. The PIFP summer fellow will assist staff in developing and implementing the above activities, including: assisting in planning Prevention First events in communities across Colorado; recruiting volunteers and supplying them with the information they need; setting up and taking down festival booth for 9 summer festivals; maintaining detailed record of volunteers, donations, and outreach supply inventory; following-up and thanking volunteers after each of their shifts. |
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is the nation’s preeminent bi-partisan organization of, by and for state legislatures. All 50 state legislatures are members. NCSL serves the nation’s 7,382 state legislators and thousands of legislative staff. With its national headquarters in Denver and its federal office in Washington, DC, NCSL provides non-partisan information to help state legislators make more informed decisions about the full range of state policy issues, from Agriculture to Zoning. Information services include maintaining and updating a national information clearinghouse of resources; tracking state legislative activities on a variety of topics; monitoring federal actions that affect states; writing and publishing hundreds of reports; creating and updating Web resources; conducting meetings and seminars for state legislators and legislative staff, ranging from small invitational seminars to large national meetings; responding to thousands of phone and email requests from constituents, the media, and others; and providing in-state testimony when requested. Four NCSL programs will offer Fellowships this year: |
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Britt Landis ‘11 |
NCSL's Education Program covers policy issues ranging from pre-school/school readiness, all issues in the K-12 education system, post-secondary education, and adult learning/workforce development. The summer fellow will specifically work on post-secondary issues. This includes policy related to the rising cost of college, improving college access and success, rethinking student financial assistance, and supporting adult learners. Specific duties will include assisting staff in tracking and analyzing state legislation, updating Web pages on various topics, answering requests for information, and conducting research on key policy issues. The fellow will have the opportunity to help prepare for and participate in one or more multi-state seminars involving state legislators which will be held in the summer of 2009. |
Naiara Posniak ‘09 |
NCSL’s Health Program covers a variety of health policy issues, such as health reform, health access for millions of uninsured Americans, public health and wellness initiatives, women’s health, primary care, pharmaceutical issues, health insurance regulation and reforms, Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), determining “health priorities” (i.e., best use of limited resources), cancer policy issues, chronic disease prevention and control, public health emergency preparedness, and many other issues. The summer fellow for NCSL’s Health Program will be involved in assisting one or more staff in tracking state legislation, updating Web pages on various topics, answering requests for information, helping prepare for meetings to inform state legislators, and likely contributing to brief publications. |
Brenna Swift ‘09 |
NCSL’s Partnership on Family Economic Success focuses on policy approaches aimed at helping low-income working families succeed. Partnership work crosses many policy and program areas such as education, labor and workforce, financial services, economic development, health and human services. Examples of specific policy approaches include tax breaks for low-income working families, incentives to save, asset building and financial education. The summer fellow for NCSL’s Family Economic Success Partnership will be involved in assisting one or more staff in conducting research, updating the partnership web page, preparing for meetings to inform state legislators, tracking legislative actions and writing for a publication on opportunities for working families. |
Jay Hobbs ‘11 |
NCSL’s Transportation Program covers a variety of policy issues, such as transportation funding, traffic safety, traffic congestion, driver's license requirements, distracted drivers, rail issues, and “intelligent transportation systems.” The summer fellow will assist with tracking state legislation, updating Web pages on various topics, answering requests for information, helping prepare for meetings to inform state legislators, and likely contributing to brief publications. |
Joel Minor ‘11 |
Sonoran Institute The mission of the Sonoran Institute is to inspire and enable community decisions and public policies that respect the land and people of western North America. Since 1990, the Institute has been helping communities conserve and restore natural and cultural assets and manage growth and change through collaboration, civil dialogue, sound information and local, state and federal public policy. The focus of Sonoran’s Colorado work includes the Western Colorado Legacy Program, which works with communities at the local level in support of collaborative conservation and sustainable energy, and a statewide policy program that focuses on “Livable Places and Open Spaces” policy regarding smart growth in partnership with many diverse allies. The responsibilities of the summer fellow (Glenwood Springs) would include communication with decision makers and community stakeholders in the designated community regarding options for promoting sustainability and key opportunities, researching policy options to bring back to the community and engaging with other technical assistance organizations to share best practices regarding land use, transportation, housing, water, energy, and other sustainability issues. |
Sophie Glass ‘09 |
The yearlong fellow (Denver) would work both on federal legislative policy for the 2009-10 session of Congress as part of our Western County Action Network (focused on balanced transportation funding and oil shale development) and on our state legislative agenda for 2010, which will include work on land use, transportation and open space policies. The year-long fellow would be responsible for advocacy on one or more policy issues, including outreach with coalition allies, public education and direct lobbying of decision makers. |
Brenna Gomez ‘09 |
Women's Resource Agency The mission of the Women’s Resource Agency (WRA) is to help women of all ages attain and maintain self-sufficiency. We do this by providing personal and professional skill development, as well as opportunities that increase the number of women in our community who understand the public policy issues that effect their daily survival. WRA is a positive force of change in the lives of women and girls living in families of moderate to low incomes and we strive to empower girls and women to believe in themselves and gain the skills to have a productive future. Responsibilities of the summer fellow include: advancing the public policy advocacy agenda and community relations of WRA in the Pikes Peak Region; coordinating development, planning and implementation of Advocacy Circles on specific topics related to women’s economic security; monitoring public policy at the local, state and federal level as it relates to women’s and girl’s issues; implementing media relations plan which may include writing press releases and setting up interviews; working on the Communications plan and Fundraising plan of WRA to increase the presence of WRA in the Pikes Peak Region. |
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Contact info: Lani Hinkle, Administrator Public Interest Fellowship Program The Colorado College 14 E. Cache la Poudre St. Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Email: Lani.Hinkle@ColoradoCollege.edu Phone: 719-227-8175 Fax: 719-389-6804 |
