Online Forum Convenes Leading Experts to Discuss Incentives to Promote Social Entrepreneurship

NEW YORK, NY – September 21, 2009 – The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government will join with NewTalk this week to host a candid, in-depth, online discussion about ways to encourage social innovation in our cities’ social service delivery systems. The discussion will involve some of our nation’s most creative and insightful nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurial mayors and other public officials, philanthropists, and other influential thinkers. This unique collaboration will connect past NewTalk participants with those leaders involved in the Institute’s Executive Session, an ongoing three year dialogue on entrepreneurship and social innovation.

This event will provide an opportunity for this diverse group of experts to rethink the conditions under which communities work to address entrenched social problems. The group will address the obstacles involved in repurposing social service dollars towards better performing models and programs, and how can we remove these obstacles. Participants will also explore the ultimate question of how we can attract, enable, and grow successful innovations to catalyze real change in our communities.

“We are delighted to join forces with the Kennedy School’s Ash Institute as we expand the NewTalk community,” said Philip K. Howard, Chair of Common Good, the nonpartisan organization that created NewTalk. “The diversity of expert perspective will undoubtedly lend itself to a useful and novel conversation on the important issue of how to foster and sustain innovation in our cities.”

The discussion will take place from Wednesday, September 23, at 9:00 am through Friday, September 25 at 3 p.m. at www.NewTalk.org. Participants will include:

• Linda Gibbs, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, City of New York;
• Ben Hecht, President and CEO, Living Cities, Inc.;
• Sarah Horowitz, Founder and Executive Director, Freelancers Union;
• Eric Schwarz, Co-founder and CEO, Citizen Schools, and;
• Deborah Wadsworth, Board Member and Senior Adviser, Public Agenda.

The discussion will be led by the following Harvard Kennedy faculty members:

• Stephen Goldsmith, Former Mayor of Indianapolis and Professor, Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation;
• Frank Hartmann, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School's Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, and;
• Mark Moore, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations.

Over the course of the three-day NewTalk forum, members of the general public can visit www.newtalk.org to view the discussion as it unfolds or to join the conversation alongside the experts.
Participants’ photos and full biographies are available at www.newtalk.org

About NewTalk

Launched in June 2008, NewTalk (www.newtalk.org) offers a new kind of conversation: one that acknowledges reality, uncovers common ground, and finds a responsible way forward. It takes advantage of the Internet, letting each discussion unfold over several days with notable participants contributing from across the country. Recent NewTalk discussions have included renowned American leaders such as Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York; Bill Bradley, former presidential candidate and U.S. Senator; Shirley Franklin, Mayor of Atlanta; Edith Jones, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; and a host of other high-profile thinkers with a wide range of expertise.

NewTalk was created and is supported by the non-profit organization Common Good (www.commongood.org) in recognition of the need to improve the quality of public discourse on a broad range of topics. Founding donors of NewTalk include the Anschutz Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Previous discussions, now archived on NewTalk, include “Is it Possible to Fix Government?”; “What Should Universal National Service Look Like?”; “Should Higher Test Scores be the Main Goal of School Reform?” and many more.

About the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation

The Roy and Lila Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Institute fosters creative and effective government problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world’s citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Institute. The Institute’s Executive Session on Transforming Cities through Civic Entrepreneurship is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and established in conjunction with New Profit Inc. Additional information about the Ash Institute is available at www.ashinstitute.harvard.edu.

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