Joining the Forum

Meet the 2007 Forum Members (click here)

Forum members are a dynamic national group of thought leaders and opinion shapers, including business leaders, top academics, key policy makers, community practitioners and intellectuals. They are the currency of the Forum and the engine that catalyzes action for U.S. inner cities. 

There is great diversity: Forum members range from portfolio managers for the largest public pension funds in America to heads of leading corporations doing business in the inner city, from a CEO who placed at #1 on the Inner City 100 list to the on-the-ground practitioners from community development organizations.

There is also great unity: Forum members share a strong motivation for change and a sense of urgency to improve America's inner cities, and they believe that a business-led revitalization is the most sustainable method for bringing economic and social justice to inner city residents.

Forum Members are:

Civic Leaders Mayors State Treasurers City Councilmembers and Commissioners	Private Sector Executives Financial investors Real estate developers  Inner city entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 CEOs
Public-Private Partnerships Chambers of commerce Community development corporations Economic development agencies	Institutional Practitioners Research and academic institutions National foundations and associations Federal agencies

Who Should Join and Who is Eligible? 

Members are existing and emerging leaders and achievers in their fields, and often have decision-making authority over budgets, policies and strategic direction. Forum Members engage with the network because they share the following characteristics:

• A work-focus, in whole or in part, on inner city economic development issues and action, or on inner city business growth and investment.
• A commitment to making a difference in local, regional, and national economic development strategies for inner cities.
• A desire or preference to collaborate, connect and work with like-minded individuals to accomplish their goals and objectives for inner city revitalization.
• An objective to promote business goals that can simultaneously achieve both community and economic returns
• A belief in the theory that building a sustainable inner city economic base and accelerating revitalization in urban areas depends on private, for-profit business development.

Membership for the Whole Organization

When a leader joins as a Forum Member, Membership is accorded to the entire organization (or business unit for large corporations). Organizations are encouraged to designate the highest-ranking leader within the organization, agency, or corporate division to be the Member on record.