Programs
ALF Programs
Fellows Program
The Fellows' program is the first year of a multi-year commitment to
American Leadership Forum and the community. During the Fellows' year
approximately 20-24 leaders (Fellows) are selected to participate in
monthly seminars and a six-day wilderness experience. The program
focuses on collaborative problem solving, conflict management,
community building, ethics and social issues in the Sacramento region.
The heart of the ALF yearlong Fellows program is the Wilderness
Experience. For the Mountain Valley chapter, this is a six-day
adventure in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The participants experience
group problem solving and physical challenges such as rock climbing,
rappelling and hiking to the summit. The experiential learning about
collaboration and exceeding personal limits provides a powerful
foundation of trust and respect for working together in community
through future.
Each class develops a class project for the community. This project
focuses on an important public issue chosen by the Fellows' group. The
project often continues beyond the initial program year.
Every class reflects the ALF diversity goal of private sector leaders
(corporate, small business, professional and media) and public and
nonprofit sector leaders (county and city officials, education, social
services, arts, religion and community) and a labor leader. They
represent the spectrum of ethnic groups in the region and are from the
five counties in the area: Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo and
Northern Solano.
Senior Fellows Program
The graduate program facilitates for Fellows the commitment to
community building. Graduates of the program, called Senior Fellows,
are using the skills and connections from their ALF experience to
impact both their community and work. Senior Fellows events expand the
opportunities to ALF classes to connect and work together on community
issues.
ALF provides programs for these leaders to meet on a regular basis in
forums with noted speakers, at issues forums, at an annual Senior
Fellows retreat, and at the Exemplary Leader Award Dinner. ALF also
looks for opportunities for Senior Fellows to work together on
community projects, some of them already established and some proposed
by individuals or groups.
The object of these opportunities is for Senior Fellows to meet across
classes and to build trust and understanding between individuals who
otherwise would not become acquainted. The resulting ever-expanding
network is a vital resource for the community served by ALF-Mountain
Valley and for the Senior Fellows themselves.
Exemplary Leader Award Dinner
Each year a leader who exemplifies ALF's values of building community
is honored. The dinner is always well attended by Senior Fellows, the
current class, the new class and guests. Other guests include corporate
and community affiliates and community leaders. The Exemplary Leader
Award Dinner remains the premier fundraising event of the ALF-MV year.
ALF-MV Exemplary Leaders (with titles at time of award):
- 2010: Fred Teichert, Executive Director, Teichert Foundation
- 2009: Pat Fong Kushida, CEO, Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce
- 2008: Darrell Steinberg, incoming Calif. State Senate President pro tem
- 2007: Allen Warren, President & CEO, New Faze Development, Inc.
- 2006: Dennis H. Mangers, President, California Cable & Telecommunications Assn.
- 2005: Muriel Johnson, Supervisor, County of Sacramento
- 2004: Dr. William H. Lee, Publisher, The Sacramento Observer
- 2003: Lina Fat, Executive Chef, California Fat
- 2002: Michael Ziegler, President & CEO, PRIDE Industries
- 2001: Robert T. Matsui, Member, U.S. House of Representatives
- 2000: Dr. Donald R. Gerth, President, California State University, Sacramento
- 2000: Joe Serna, Jr., Mayor, City of Sacramento (posthumous)
- 1999: Sandy Smoley, Secretary, California Health & Human Services Agency
