Lincoln Vibrant Communities

Helping Leaders and Teams Build Thriving Cities

Lincoln Vibrant Communities brings together the forces of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Claremont Lincoln University in a powerful initiative for leaders and teams addressing public sector challenges. This one-of-its-kind program invests in leadership, policy, and advanced practical skills to build communities that are defined by trust and civic engagement, and focused on positive change.

How it works

  • Participants across the United States become connected through a six-month Fellows Program in a network of skilled professionals working towards sustainable public sector change.
  • Fellows bring small teams to a six-month Teams Program to build skills and capacity for the collaboration and community engagement needed to achieve community-driven solutions to the challenges cities grapple with daily.
  • Faculty, researchers, and practitioners from Claremont Lincoln University and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy guide both programs, embedding graduate-level credentials directly into the public sector change work of participating leaders and their teams through asynchronous, online, fully applied courses.
  • As a result, leaders and teams both make a difference in addressing a significant challenge and achieve an advanced practice graduate certificate in leadership, in public administration, or both.
  • Continued technical assistance and advanced programs are planned for teams to continue the momentum. The ongoing network of participants, professionals, and experts remains a constant before, during, and after the program for an instant resource of ideas, trends, policies, and practices.

The Fellows Program

Fellows participate in a six-month program that includes immersive in-person training and events. These are complemented by fully online leadership curricula, individual and group coaching, expert webinars, and peer networking. Fellows will:

  • Address critical and complex challenges facing counties and cities, such as housing, climate readiness, land use and water management, transportation, municipal finance, and social equity

  • Learn methods to drive change, such as scenario planning, data visualization, building cases and models, storytelling to inspire, and conflict management and mediation

  • Acquire actionable leadership skills in the form of situational awareness, dialogue and collaboration, change management, resiliency, and deep cultural competency

Upon completion: Receive nine credits toward a CLU degree and earn an Advanced Practice Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Leadership

Submission Deadline: February 18, 2025

TEAMS PROGRAM

Teams work alongside experts and mentors in this six-month program to build the expertise needed to achieve community-driven solutions to the challenges their cities grapple with every day.

The program includes individual and group coaching, expert webinars, peer networking, and online curricula focused on public administration policies and advanced practices that are fully integrated with critical leadership skills for public sector professionals. Teams will:

  • Gain advanced skills in strategic communication, regional planning, scenario planning, master plans, and policy evolution
  • Work directly and closely with a mentor
  • Conduct site visits with other teams to share knowledge, learning, and feedback
  • Come together at the annual Lincoln Vibrant Communities Conference to report on the transformation and impact that this work had on their community
Diagram of Teams Program

Upon completion: Receive nine credits toward a CLU degree and earn an Advanced Practice Graduate Certificate

The Network: A one-of-its-kind ecosystem

Lincoln Vibrant Communities culminates in a rich online network of resources, peers, and experts that connects fellows and teams from across the country to draw on each other’s strengths as catalysts for local change. This Vibrant Communities Network, managed by a dedicated network concierge, includes optional immersive experiences, and unites leaders who engage others across the public and private sectors to transform their communities.

  • Lifetime, exclusive access for all fellows and teams
  • Monthly coaching
  • Regular, free programming
  • Networking opportunities
  • Authentic engagement with peers
  • Access to experts and the robust resources of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

CREATE SUSTAINABLE CHANGE

The Vibrant Communities Program Helps You:

  • Use scenario planning and data visualization on selected topics, such as housing, climate, city development, and more to determine approaches to resolve complex issues
  • Create and execute a master plan to address an issue that if resolved would make a significant difference in the community
  • Create and deploy specific plans for affordable housing or services for unhoused community members

  • Create and implement a financial model for structural deficits

The Vibrant Communities Team

Dr. Anne K. Turner

Dr. Anne K. Turner

Executive Director and Dean of Novel Programs

Dr. Anne K. Turner

Lee Kane, MPA

Associate Dean of Novel Programs

Dr. Anne K. Turner

Heather Weinberg

Director of Novel Programs

for more information

Call the Vibrant Communities Office at 909-451-9294 ext. 856, or email Heather Weinberg, our Director of Novel Programs at hweinberg@claremontlincoln.edu to learn more.