Senate Confirms Bipartisan Leaders to Corporation for National and Community Service Board

Washington, DC- The U.S. Senate last week confirmed four leaders from the nonprofit, civic, and corporate sectors to serve on the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

The approval of the board nominees took place the same day the Senate confirmed Wendy Spencer to serve as the agency's Chief Executive Officer. Spencer, a proven service leader and experienced manager, will begin her term as CEO on April 9.

The new board members are Rick Christman, CEO of Employment Solutions in Lexington, Ky.; Marguerite W. Kondracke, senior advisor and former President and CEO of America's Promise Alliance; Lisa Quiroz, Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility for Time Warner Inc.; and Phyllis N. Segal, Vice President of Civic Ventures. The nominees, two Republicans and two Democrats, were nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate on March 29.

The board sets overall policy and direction for CNCS and its programs. CNCS is the nation's largest grant maker for volunteering and service, engaging more than five million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in results-driven service each year through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, the Social Innovation Fund, and other programs, and leading the President's United We Serve initiative.

“We're delighted the Senate has confirmed these outstanding national leaders to serve on the CNCS board,” said Laysha Ward, president of Community Relations for Target and CNCS board chair. “They will provide key insight and direction as the Corporation for National and Community Service increases the impact and effectiveness of national service in tackling the most critical challenges facing our communities.”

The board and CEO confirmations provide strong leadership at a time when CNCS is poised for greater impact and success, with well-run programs, an impact-focused Strategic Plan, a strong network of state service commissions, thousands of results-driven grantees that include some of America's most entrepreneurial organizations, key partnerships in the nonprofit and corporate sector, a high-performing workforce, and a widespread culture of impact and accountability.

Each year, CNCS programs engage millions of Americans in service through 70,000 community and faith-based organizations, supporting food banks, homeless shelters, youth centers, senior homes, and hospitals. The agency and the network it supports multiply the impact of the federal investment by generating more than $800 million in outside resources and mobilizing 3.5 million additional volunteers each year.

“We thank the President for nominating these outstanding individuals, and the Senate for confirming them. We are grateful to these nominees for their leadership in their respective fields and their desire to serve in this important role advancing the impact of service in America,” said Robert Velasco, II, Acting CEO of CNCS. “This bipartisan board is a shining example of what can happen when people work together to get things done.”

The new board members will assume their duties upon being sworn in. Here are their bios:

• Rick Christman, of Lexington, Ky., is CEO of Employment Solutions, a multi-faceted nonprofit organization serving the needs of those with barriers to employment. Christman has been with Employment Solutions for 25 years, growing the organization to include a food processing business, a box manufacturing business, and a document destruction business all of which employ people with developmental disabilities. In addition, Employment Solutions also operates a temporary staffing agency, an accredited certificate-based college, and a job placement service all of which assist low income and other disadvantaged persons obtain gainful employment. He has served or is serving on boards that include the Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, Lexington Transit Authority, and New Beginnings Bluegrass, a community residential program for people with mental health conditions. He has a Bachelor's degree in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, and a Masters in Vocational Rehabilitation from the University Of Wisconsin, Stout.
   
• Marguerite W. Kondracke, of Tennessee, is currently serving as CEO of America's Promise Alliance. The Alliance was founded by Gen. Colin L. Powell to make children and youth a national priority, urging all Americans to fulfill five promises for our nation's young people: caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others. Currently, America's Promise is focused on addressing the nation's high school dropout crisis. During her 40-year career, Kondracke has been both an entrepreneur and a public servant, always working as an advocate for children and families. Before joining America's Promise, she served as Special Assistant to U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander and Staff Director for the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families. Previously, she co-founded and was CEO of the nation's largest employer-sponsored child care company, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, one of Fortune's “100 Best Companies to Work For.” Kondracke has been named one of the “Top 50 People of Power and Influence” by The NonProfit Times. She is a trustee of Duke University, where she co-chairs DukeEngage, which makes civic engagement an integral part of the undergraduate experience.
   
• Lisa Garcia Quiroz, of New York, is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility for Time Warner Inc. She was appointed to this newly created position in January 2004. In this role, Garcia Quiroz is responsible for setting and implementing the strategic direction of Time Warner's philanthropic efforts in education and the arts, developing all employee-based volunteer initiatives, and establishing Time Warner's new social responsibility guidelines and reporting. In addition, Quiroz is responsible for the company's global diversity and multicultural business initiatives. Prior to assuming her current position, Ms. Garcia Quiroz worked at Time Inc. where she was founding publisher of People en Español. Previously, at Time Inc., she developed and launched Time For Kids, a classroom news publication. Active in civic issues, Garcia Quiroz was appointed to the New York State Business Development Council and also serves on the board of directors of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies at the City College of New York. A respected leader in the Hispanic community, Quiroz received the 2002 Hispanic Heritage Award for Leadership, and was inducted into the Hispanic Scholarship Alumni Hall of Fame in 2003. She received both her undergraduate degree and her Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University.
   
• Phyllis N. Segal, of Boston, Massachusetts, is currently a Vice President of Civic Ventures, a non-profit think tank. She also serves on the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program, which was established in memory of Segal's husband, Eli, who was the first CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. From 1994 to 2000, Segal was Chair of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, where she was responsible for administering and adjudicating claims under the Federal Service Labor Management Relations Statute. Among other positions during her career, Segal was Deputy Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, founding Legal Director of the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, Chair of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and on the faculties of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and New York University School of Law. Segal holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

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