Liberty Hill invests in community leaders at the frontlines of change. These leaders face adversaries who can out-power, out-money and out-expertise them. That's why we created the Wally Marks Leadership Institute for Change – intensive on-the-job training for community organizers. The Institute training ensures these leaders go into David & Goliath battles with smarts and strength.
The Wally Marks Leadership Institute for Change at Liberty Hill is a 9-month program with four Core Skills Tracks:
I. Community Organizing
II. Grassroots Fundraising
III. Board Development
IV. Communications
The Institute is held on the last Wednesday of every month, February through October (skipping August) from 9am to 5pm.
2010 Wally Marks Leadership Institute Brochure and Application.
The 2010 Application Deadline is now closed. No further applications will be accepted.
Why Is The Institute Named for Wally Marks?
Wally Marks always stood out from the rest. A successful real estate developer, he was a man who gave generously of his own personal wealth to causes that—at least on the face of it—would seem to violate his own economic self-interest. Here was a man who could use his resources to avoid the mean streets of L. A, but instead used them to come face to face with refugees, homeless people, public housing residents, to understand their circumstances, their humanity. Wally served as a member of Liberty Hill Board of Directors from 1989-2006, and helped transform Liberty Hill to the organization that it is today.
Wally took particular interest in the seed funding of new and emerging grassroots organizations, and often gave his time as well as his money to these groups. In his respectful and patient, but very persistent way, Wally would urge these groups to build their infrastructure and learn effective organizing practices to reach higher levels of impact. Knowing that Wally would have been an enthusiastic supporter of the Leadership Institute for Change, his family and friends joined together to make a multi-year financial commitment to sustain the Leadership Institute for Change to celebrate his legacy of investing in grassroots leaders working together to advance social change.