Mastering our Lives as Citizens through Civic Reach

Our belief as Americans in the mythical power of our individualistic eminence has poorly equipped us throughout U.S. history to act as citizens with shared ownership in the quality of our democracy and government. Indeed, the mere statement that “we are governed” riles many Americans. Strong individualist tendencies handed to us through centuries provoke many in our society to regard government and public affairs generally as intrusive in their lives. Overcoming the isolation that is heir to unbridled individualism demands a new human capacity: the instinct resident in all of us to master civic reach and devote that reach to more authentic lives as true citizens concerned not only about ourselves but about all of us, together. Civic reach requires a certain humility, even awe, and a confident grasp of the complex social, economic, political and cultural forces that seeth and settle, conserve and disrupt, humanize and divide the communities and special places we treat as our homeplaces, but treat passively as if they did not need our involvement. In this webinar, Coro’s 2021 Crystal Eagle Award Honoree Paul Vandeventer, Coro alum and President & CEO of Community Partners, will share thoughts and ideas shaped by his upbringing, his Coro training and his nearly 30 years of supporting through Community Partners the acceleration of ideas into action that advance the public good.

This webinar will be moderated by Coro’s 2020 Crystal Eagle Award honoree Joe Lumarda, Coro alum and Senior Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor for Capital Group Private Client Services.

As President & CEO of Community Partners, Paul Vandeventer heads a community organization he co-founded in 1992 to help foster, launch and grow creative solutions to community challenges. Paul has led the organization through 29 years of dynamic growth and development to now include over 180 sponsored projects, a core staff of 43, more than a dozen large-scale, multi-year civic intermediary programs, and the management and administration of $70 million annually. Paul joined the Coro Fellowship Program in Public Affairs in 1979-80 in Los Angeles, during which Paul’s love for Los Angeles soared as the program’s explorations of the region deepened. Subsequently, he served on Coro’s board of directors, including a term as chair, and worked as a Coro trainer for two years. He co-authored “Networks that Work: A Practitioner’s Guide to Managing Networked Action,” and writes and speaks extensively on civil society, community, philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.

Joe Lumarda is Senior Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor for Capital Group Private Client Services, where he works with high net worth individuals and families to create customized plans for protecting and growing their wealth, often across multiple generations. Joe also helps nonprofit foundations and endowments to realize their long-term financial objectives through effective planning and investment management. Joe spent 16 years at the California Community Foundation as a vice president for development, executive vice president and chief operating officer. He also served as an independent director for Capital Research and Management Company’s Endowment funds and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He earned an EMBA from Claremont Graduate University and a BA in philosophy from Saint John’s Seminary College. He is a member of the board of the California Wellness Foundation, Southern California Grantmakers, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation.