City Benefits From CORO Fellow

Kirkwood, Missouri – Wednesday, November 21, 2007 -- The City of Kirkwood recently was privileged to be appointed with a Coro Fellow through the Coro Leadership Center of St. Louis. St. Louis is one of seven cities nationwide to offer a specialized program dedicated to strengthening its own region by developing effective and ethical leaders. The Coro Leadership Center of St. Louis provides nationally recognized, experiential training that sets the standard for community-based leadership development. Other cities offering the Coro Leadership Program include Cleveland, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. There are presently more than 10,000 Coro alumni nationwide.

            Joshua Smith of St. Louis, Missouri, was selected as Kirkwood’s appointed Coro Fellow. From October 17 to November 21, Smith worked from an office located within City Hall producing a summary report on the Meacham Park Redevelopment Project. His internship project was to synthesize the decade-plus-long project, providing reasons for the annexation in 1991 as well as the city’s and residents’overall goals for the redevelopment, the project’s year-by-year activities, and how the project was funded using tax increment financing.

            Smith, who obtained a degree in political science from Washington University, was accepted into the nine-month Coro Leadership program earlier this year. With plans to study law and pursue a career in politics, Smith has gained invaluable experience since finishing his collegiate studies through his work with AmeriCorps, first tutoring underperforming students at an elementary school in the city of St. Louis and later with AmeriCorp’s St. Louis Emergency Response Team. As a member of this team, Smith responded to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, ice storms, and other severe weather, providing local officials with advice on how to make the best use of volunteers. Now, as a Coro Fellow, Smith will add experience in non-profit, government, labor, business, and electoral issues to his resume.

# # # # #

Back To News Releases