- Resources
- Programs
- Flinn-Brown Fellowship
- CivEx
- Arizona Leaders on Board
- Leadership Collaborative
- Strong Foundations: Principles of Preparedness for Civic Leadership Workshop
- Arizona Civic Life Partnership
- Flinn Young Leaders
Arizona Center for Civic Leadership
Enhancing civic life in Arizona through education, engagement, and leadership programs.
The Center’s cornerstone initiative which includes participation in the Flinn-Brown Academy and Flinn-Brown Network. Apply through Feb. 28.
Meet the nearly 500 Fellows who make up the Flinn-Brown Network through this searchable directory.
Join us for virtual public policy seminars emphasizing learning and discussion.
A partnership to measure Arizona's progress on civic participation and connected communities—and act.
A statewide resource for organizations strengthening civic leadership by working together on common priorities.
A program helping teens build necessary skills and knowledge as they imagine unique paths to civic responsibility.
Connect with Arizona Center for Civic Leadership: Stay up to date. Join our email list.
The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership
The nonpartisan Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation enhances civic life in Arizona through civic education, engagement, and leadership-development programs. Flinn Young Leaders emphasizes civic learning and skill-building and helps teens imagine paths to making a difference. CivEx delivers educational programming for the public to become better-informed on Arizona policy and political topics. The Civic Leadership Collaborative and the Arizona Civic Life Partnership convene organizations that strengthen civic participation and connected communities. The Center’s cornerstone, the prestigious Flinn-Brown Fellowship, is an immersive experience for community leaders from diverse backgrounds. Fellows engage in rich discussions with policymakers and political experts; join a robust professional network; and gain understanding of how to address Arizona’s most pressing issues through public service.
2026 Flinn-Brown Fellowship application opens. Apply by Feb. 28
The 2026 application for the Flinn-Brown Fellowship is open. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. Both in-person and virtual information sessions are being held throughout February for prospective applicants.
For 15 years, the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation has offered the premier program for experienced leaders to expand their knowledge, put their connections to use, and make a difference in their communities.
In May, about 25 Arizonans from the private, nonprofit, and public sectors will emerge from a competitive application and interview process as the 2026 Flinn-Brown Fellows. [Apply]
Arizona Center for Civic Leadership celebrates 15 years
In 2026, the Flinn Foundation marks the 15th anniversary of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership as an important moment for us to reflect on how the Center began and how its work has evolved over time.
Over time, the Center has grown beyond its original focus on preparing state-level leaders. Under the leadership of Flinn Foundation President and CEO Tammy McLeod, Ph.D. and Flinn Foundation Vice President, Civic Leadership Dawn Wallace, the Center has continued to evolve, embracing a more expansive understanding of civic leadership that begins with education, deepens through experience, and is sustained through connection, dialogue, and long-term engagement within Arizona’s civic life. [Read more]
Flinn-Brown Fellow Annette Zinky helps lead bio company
Annette Zinky since 2017 has served as chief operating officer of TheraSpecs, an e-commerce company with specially tinted glasses for people with different kinds of light sensitivity and a past Flinn Foundation Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program participant. She also spent more than a decade in higher education, including serving as the director at the Small Business Development Center at Coconino Community College in Flagstaff, where she supported startups, business expansion, and local economic development.
She credits the Flinn-Brown Network for keeping Fellows engaged and informed, describing it as a community of thoughtful, motivated leaders whose expertise she trusts. She also values the opportunities within the Network for connection and dialogue, not for agreement, but to deepen understanding. [Read more]
Flinn-Brown Award recipients honored at annual Convention
Five Flinn-Brown Fellows were granted awards at the 2025 Flinn-Brown Convention at On Jackson in Phoenix: The Honorable Christine Thompson (Jack Jewett Award); Katelyn Harris Lange (Network Builder Award); The Honorable Janet Regner (Arizona Champion, Northern Arizona); Erin Carr-Jordan, Ph.D. (Arizona Champion, Central Arizona); and Charlinda Haudley, Ph.D. (Arizona Champion, Southern Arizona).
The 2025 Convention theme, Transformational Leadership: Catalyzing Change Together, emphasized shared responsibility, collective problem-solving, and the importance of engaging deeply with others.
[Read more]
Fellow and teacher Juan Francisco Padrés committed to his community
Born and raised in Nogales, Mexico, Juan Francisco Padrés crossed the border daily to attend school in the United States, a routine that shaped his perspective on opportunity and resilience.
Today, Padrés teaches sixth-grade world history at BASIS Tucson North. His journey to the classroom, however, was anything but linear. Over two decades, Padrés built a career that spanned entrepreneurship, finance, public service, and technology, each chapter marked by adaptability and commitment to serve his community. As he shapes young minds, Padrés continues to dream big. “All I can do right now is give my time as a teacher. If I can change a few lives or influence a few kids to continue their path, then that’s what I see as putting my little pebble into the community for now.” [Read more]
News and Updates
Civic Leadership
Flinn Foundation, Arizona America250 Commission, Art State Arizona reveal Five C’s art installations
A new exhibit at the Flinn Foundation reimagines Arizona’s iconic Five C’s — copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and climate — in pieces created by artists from around the state. The Foundation launched the show Feb. 3, in partnership with the Arizona America250 Commission and Art State Arizona, with about 150 people attending the opening reception. The project reflects a diverse group of artists from […]
Civic Leadership
The 2026 Flinn-Brown application is open
The 2026 Flinn-Brown Fellowship application opened Feb. 2 and will close at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. The Flinn-Brown Fellowship is a statewide civic leadership program like no other. For 15 years, the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation has offered the premier program for experienced leaders to expand their knowledge, put their […]
Civic Leadership
Arizona Center for Civic Leadership celebrates 15 years
In 2026, the Flinn Foundation marks the 15th anniversary of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership as an important moment for us to reflect on how the Center began and how its work has evolved over time. When the Center was established in 2011, it was guided by a clear conviction that Arizona’s future depended […]
Civic Leadership
Flinn-Brown Fellow Annette Zinky
Originally from the Midwest, Annette Zinky has called Arizona home since her youth. Growing up in the state shaped her deep appreciation for what she describes as the “spirit of adventure and determination,” a quality that grounds her work and leadership.
For information about Civic Leadership, please contact:
civicleadership@flinn.org or (602) 744-6832
