Flinn Foundation

Improving the quality of life in Arizona to benefit future generations.

Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

Enhancing civic life in Arizona through education, engagement, and leadership programs.

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The Center’s cornerstone initiative which includes participation in the Flinn-Brown Academy and Flinn-Brown Network.
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Meet the more than 435 Fellows who make up the Flinn-Brown Network through this searchable directory.
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Join us for monthly virtual public policy seminars emphasizing learning and discussion.
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Serving as a statewide resource for organizations interested and involved in strengthening civic leadership.
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A partnership to measure Arizona's progress on civic participation and connected communities—and act.
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An annual gathering of Flinn-Brown Fellows to make connections while learning about public service from policy experts and Fellows.

Connect with Arizona Center for Civic Leadership: Stay up to date.


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. 


Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

Register for March 27 CivEx on Pima County Prosperity Initiative

Flinn-Brown Fellows Julie Katsel and Tamara Prime of Tucson will host the March 27 event, featuring panelists Bonnie Bazata, Ending Poverty Now program manager for Pima County; Tisha Tallman, CEO, Primavera Foundation; and Flinn-Brown Fellow Heath Vescovi-Chiordi, economic development director for Pima County.

Katsel, assistant vice president, community relations at the University of Arizona, and Prime, COO of Primavera Foundation, will lead the conversation on the Pima County Prosperity Initiative, a partnership between Pima County and the city of Tucson to reduce generational poverty and increase opportunity and assets for low-income families. The virtual discussion begins at 2 p.m. [Register]


Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

Center releases sixth Leadership Forward for a Better Arizona podcast

In this sixth episode of the Leadership Forward for a Better Arizona podcast, host Dawn Wallace of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation is joined by 2023 Flinn-Brown Fellow Adam Goodman, a business and community leader and CEO of Goodmans.

In this wide-ranging interview, Goodman discusses shaping his third-generation furniture business to impact and better the community, and offers his perspective on print journalism, capitalism, community service, Flinn-Brown, and the open primaries initiative. The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. [Listen]


Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

Flinn-Brown Fellow David Garcia a believer in impacting education policy 

David Garcia is an associate professor at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College in the division of educational leadership and innovation, and director of the Arizona Education Policy Initiative at ASU. The former political candidate utilizes his expertise in research through writing and his teachings. 

The Flinn-Brown Fellow in 2022 published his book, “Teach Truth to Power; How to Engage in Education Policy,” which serves to better the public’s understanding on how to utilize research and academics to influence policy. He also enjoys the growth and excitement he gets to witness as an educator.  [Read more]


Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

Flinn adds two business leaders, including Flinn-Brown Fellow Adam Goodman, to board

Adam Goodman, a 2023 Flinn-Brown Fellow, and Chris Camacho, Greater Phoenix Economic Council president and CEO, have been elected to the Flinn Foundation board of directors.

Goodman represents the third generation to lead the Goodmans family business, a furniture and office design company, and is an ardent supporter of the arts, journalism, and health care. Camacho, an advocate for the biosciences, other innovation industries, and the arts, has served as president and CEO of the economic development organization for nearly a decade.

The Flinn board is responsible for allocating funding for the foundation’s grants and programs while setting its strategic direction. [Read more]


Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

Rural broadband focus of Leadership Forward podcast

In this fifth episode of the Leadership Forward for a Better Arizona podcast, host Dawn Wallace of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation is joined by two Flinn-Brown Fellows: Erin Carr-Jordan and Mignonne Hollis.

Carr-Jordan, president and CEO of the Digital Equity Institute, and Hollis, executive director of the Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation, discuss the importance of reliable and affordable broadband in Arizona’s rural, tribal, and underserved communities and the impact it can make on people’s lives. The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. [Listen]


Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

Flinn-Brown Fellow Dave Engelthaler combines public health and leadership

Dave Engelthaler, Ph.D. is the director and professor of TGen North, home of TGen’s Pathogen & Microbiome Division, and was recently named the 2023 Flagstaff Citizen of the Year.

The 2022 Flinn-Brown Fellow previously served as the Arizona State Epidemiologist and the Arizona Biodefense Coordinator and has used his vast knowledge in microbial genomics to research diseases such as COVID-19, tuberculosis, MRSA, and valley fever. Engelthaler said the Flinn-Brown Fellowship turns out better and more informed politicians while simultaneously providing enrichment for citizens through leadership development. [Read more]


News and Updates

Civic Leadership

February 2024 Network News

While I find my bliss in the autumn months, September evokes bittersweet emotions within me. Even though the heat is stifling, summer still represents a temporary escape from the routines and responsibilities of everyday life. The freedom of summer lies not just in the physical sense—road trips, summer camp, and fireworks on the 4th of July—but also in an emotional sense, where worries momentarily fade, and the spirit feels unburdened. 

Civic Leadership

Educator and researcher David Garcia a believer in impacting education policy  

This past May, I celebrated 35 years with State Farm, of which the last 24 years have been as a State Farm agent in Globe, Arizona. My leadership journey has been an interesting and rewarding adventure. I have served on the Globe City Council for 15 years and four of those years as mayor. I also serve on the governing boards of Gila Community College, Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center, First Things First Gila Regional Partnership Council, and on the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority’s Federal Programs Committee.

Civic Leadership

Flinn Foundation names leadership of Arizona’s statewide bioscience committee

Higher education executive Heather Carter, UArizona biomedical engineer Jennifer Barton to serve as chair, vice chair Heather Carter and Jennifer Barton, accomplished Arizona leaders in the biosciences, higher education, and public policy, have been named chair and vice chair of the Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee. The committee, administered by the Flinn Foundation, is the […]

Civic Leadership

Flinn Foundation adds two Phoenix business leaders to its board of directors

Arizona business leaders Chris Camacho and Adam Goodman—the heads of Greater Phoenix Economic Council and Goodmans, respectively—have been elected to the Flinn Foundation board of directors. Camacho, an advocate for the biosciences, other innovation industries, and the arts has served as president and CEO of the economic development organization for nearly a decade–an era of […]