FEATURE PROFILE

PHOTO/ SORENSEN INSTITUTE At a recent Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership event, past and the present Virginia Governors and Senators paused for the camera: (l to r) Senator (former Governor) Mark R. Warner, former Senator (former Governor) George F. Allen, former Governor (former Mayor of Richmond) L. Douglas Wilder, former Governor Gerald L. Baliles, former Senator John W. Warner, former Governor A. Linwood Holton, present Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Senator Jim Webb, former Senator (former Governor) Charles S. Robb, and former Governor Jim Gilmore.

By Coy Barefoot

The author is the director of communications and alumni relations for the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership located in Charlottesville, VA. He is also a best selling author having written Thomas Jefferson on Leadership, and The Corner: A History of Student Life at the University of Virginia.

There was a time when all of America looked to Virginia for leadership. Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Monroe, Henry, Lee: a generation of Virginians set examples of political leadership that shaped a country and set the course of world history. Witness now a new generation of leaders that has stepped forward to carry that magnificent legacy into the 21st century- a generation united not by age but by a resolve to realize a shared set of ideals.

Men and women, young and old, from Pulaski to Portsmouth, Fairfax to Halifax, from both sides of the aisle and from all walks of life have come forward to make political leadership in Virginia a model that will inspire the nation. They share a commitment to ethical service, bipartisan cooperation, and excellence in government. They appreciate the very real power of positive campaigns. They are passionate about thoughtful, engaged public policy. And they share a common experience: they are all graduates of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.

The Sorensen Institute was founded in 1993 by a group of Virginians who were concerned that a growing cynicism about politics was keeping capable and promising leaders from entering public life. They envisioned a political leadership program that would reach out to emerging leaders and provide them with the training necessary to succeed in politics and public service. A rigorously non-partisan organization, the Sorensen Institute identifies, educates, and trains Virginians from throughout the Commonwealth with a mission to improve political leadership and thereby strengthen the quality of governance at all levels of government. The Sorensen Institute takes its name from generous benefactor Thomas C. Sorensen, who passed away in 1997. Through a variety of programs-for high school and college leaders to first time political candidates and influential business and community leaders-the Sorensen Institute has established itself as a powerful and effective force for restoring public confidence in our political system. As US Senator and former Governor Mark Warner, an early proponent and Sorensen board member, has commented, "This organization is incredibly important. Sorensen has become the model of successful bipartisan leadership training for the nation."

At the heart of every Sorensen program are three central themes: ethics in public service, the power of bipartisanship, and a concentrated study of public policy issues. Most of its programs take students across Virginia to see for themselves the impact of policy decisions in communities throughout the Commonwealth.

The Sorensen Institute has more than 1,000 graduates of its four programs: Political Leaders, Candidate Training, College, and High School Leaders. Seventeen alumni have been elected to the Virginia General Assembly, sixteen of whom currently serve- two in the Senate and fourteen in the House. Dozens more have been appointed to boards and commissions, while nearly 100 have been elected to local office. In the November 2007 elections alone, a record 48 Sorensen graduates won elected office: 18 Republicans, 18 Democrats, and 12 Independents. Other alumni are serving in critical positions of leadership in nonprofits, local governments or in the private sector.

Whether they serve in elected office, have been appointed to a board or commission, or take an active role in their communities, Sorensen alumni have a deep appreciation for the civic responsibilities we all share as Americans. From 17 to 70, they are earnestly committed to public service. And they have each taken to heart a key Sorensen lesson: when it comes to politics, we're not all going to agree all the time- but we don't have to demonize each other simply because we disagree.

"We couldn't have envisioned all the programs that would exist today at the Sorensen Institute," Michael Bills has said. "And yet they all are cut from the same cloth, this importance of ethics, governance, and bipartisanship. They all embody those characteristics which are as relevant today as they have ever been. In fact, the need for that in Virginia and the importance of it as Virginia goes forward, is as great today as it will ever be."

US.Senator and former Virginia Governor Mark Warner was there in the beginning as well. "I remember back in late '93 when Leigh Middleditch, Michael Bills, and Bill Wood, who was the first executive director who hadn't even started yet, came to Northern Virginia. I got together a group of leaders who had been active in political campaigns to hear this presentation about this crazy idea. Could we create an institute to train in a bipartisan fashion community leaders who might want to run for political office? Everyone listened politely and kind of thought, oh, that's never going to get off the ground. But this was an example of passion and a good idea coming together with people who just wouldn't take no."

The first Political Leaders class graduated in the spring of the following year and included future State Senator Emily Couric. It was fitting that the Sorensen Institute found a home at Thomas Jefferson's University of Virginia, where it is proud to be part of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Though it is housed at the University, the Sorensen Institute relies on donations and grants from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund its programs.

An optional Friday tour has become one of the most popular aspects of the program. Participants enjoy exclusive, personally guided visits to a variety of sites, all of which speak to many of the policy issues now facing state and local governments-whether it is the port at Norfolk, a state prison facility in Southside, or a poultry processing plant in the Valley. Over the years the Sorensen Institute's Political Leaders Program has become a traditional "first step" for up-and-coming political leaders in Virginia.

Veteran political journalist Bob Gibson is Sorensen's executive director. "The real power of this program," Gibson said, "and the reason it has become a national model, is that it makes it possible for Republicans and Democrats to forge lasting friendships across the aisle. You see it every year in this program. The most strident conservatives and the most committed liberals discover that they have a great deal more in common as Virginians than they might at first think. They spend time together, they get to know each other, they learn where the other side is coming from on an issue and why they believe the way they do. They learn to disagree without putting each other down. They learn to talk politics with more understanding and civility. It's an amazing thing to see happen."

The Sorensen Institute's Political Leaders Program attracts men and women of all ages from across Virginia who are actively involved in their communities and who desire to participate in the political process. Approximately 35 participants are selected each year in a highly competitive process that includes a detailed essay-based application and in-person interviews held across the state by board members, alumni, and staff. For its 2009 program, the Sorensen Institute received a record 112 applications for those 35 spots.

One essential goal of the selection process is to ensure that the program participants reflect the demographic and geographic make up of the state. Each class has a balance between Republicans and Democrats, in addition to participants who have other party or no party affiliations. This composition is critical to the effectiveness of the program.

Delegate John Cosgrove is a member of the Sorensen State Advisory Board and a graduate of the Political Leaders Program Class of 1998. "Sorensen has been a very important part of my political life. One of the greatest things I brought out of the program was the ability to compromise. Compromise is not losing. Compromise is coming out with the best that you can where everybody wins something. I think the Sorensen Institute ingrains that in their graduates. And for those who go on to elected office, that is a very valuable asset."

Dave Norris is a 2006 graduate of the Candidate Training Program who went on to win his election for Charlottesville City Council and now serves as mayor. "The Sorensen Institute believes in the promise of politics and public service. A throwback to a less cynical age? Perhaps. Or, possibly, Sorensen is helping to create a new generation of politicians, less bound by the tired ideological strife and politics of personal destruction that have so bedeviled past public discourse. I would highly recommend Sorensen's Candidate Training Program to anyone who wants to win his or her election campaign and take a lead role in building a hopeful new future for politics and public service in Virginia."

The Candidate Training Program is an intensive, four day experience focused on the fundamentals of a winning campaign for office. Participants explore the nuts and bolts of building a strong campaign from the ground up-all within the context of ethics and principled public service. The curriculum does not prescribe a particular set of campaign guidelines or rules, but does provide candidates with a framework for developing their own code of conduct to run a winning and ethical campaign. Participants in the program represent a broad range of ideologies and a diversity of communities from throughout Virginia. The Sorensen Institute is absolutely committed to maintaining a partisan balance among the campaign consultants and political experts who speak as part of the program. All the speakers have a wealth of experience in Virginia campaigns and elections.

Both youth programs are held on grounds at the University of Virginia each summer. The programs offer a Virginia focused, multidisciplinary curriculum with three main goals:

• To prepare future leaders for ethical and responsible citizenship and public service in the Commonwealth;
• To connect Virginia's youth leaders from different backgrounds and philosophies with each other and with current leaders in the government, business, and nonprofit sectors; and
• To energize our democratic system of government by promoting civic engagement among youth leaders.

Jarrett Ray was a member of the College Leaders Program Class of 2006. "Sorensen provides students with a vast wealth of in depth knowledge and hands on experiences of the inner workings of the Commonwealth of Virginia," Ray said. "This training and time spent meeting with Virginia's leaders empowered me to not only influence the way government works, but to lead others to do the same."

"My time at Sorensen gave me a whole new perspective on politics," said Gayathri Segar, a member of the High School Leaders Program Class of 2005. "Meeting other people my age who had different opinions really made me understand and appreciate our government and political leaders. Sorensen showed me that there are people out there like me who really care and want to be active, involved citizens. It was an awesome program."

In 2007 the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognized the Sorensen Institute's College and High School Leaders Programs as among the very best in the nation and a national model when it comes to giving young people the skills and motivation to become politically engaged in their communities.

Former US Senator John Warner, who serves as the Honorary Chairman of the Sorensen Institute's State Advisory Board, recognized those who support the Sorensen mission when he said, "I want to say thank you to those who have invested-and I use that word very carefully, not donated but invested- in this fine work so that our state and our communities can have better trained individuals to take on the heavy burdens of public life. It makes no difference whether it's the library board or the General Assembly or coming to Congress. It's becoming more complex, more demanding, and more challenging. What you do by way of this early education will reap tremendous benefits in the years to come."

Governor Tim Kaine has commented, "The Sorensen Institute and its alumni are meeting Jefferson's challenge by steadfastly working to make sure Virginians do come forward, that we continue the proud tradition of public service begun by our forefathers. Ethics, bipartisanship, and a responsible government that serves people with honor and integrity, these are the ideals at the heart of the Sorensen mission and these too are the hallmarks of the Virginia way. The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership is a vibrant symbol of our commitment, as Virginians ever rise to that great challenge Thomas Jefferson gave us."

According to Sorensen cofounder Leigh Middleditch, "I appreciate the opportunity to have worked with Michael Bills to help create the Sorensen Institute. I believe our graduates are setting examples of leadership and service that will have a very positive impact throughout Virginia. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all those who support our mission, and particularly to Tom Sorensen who said that one of our graduates will someday be a United States Senator-and maybe President."

Delegate Jennifer McClellan of Richmond is a member of the Sorensen Institute's State Advisory Board and a graduate of both the Political Leaders Program Class of 2001 and the Candidate Training Program Class of 2005. "Once upon a time, politics was viewed as a noble profession," she said. "Sorensen reminds us that it is and can be again."

For more information:
Coy Barefoot
Director of Communications & Alumni Relations
Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
P.O. Box 400206
Charlottesville, VA 22904
(434) 243-2427
barefoot@virginia.edu
www.sorenseninstitute.org

WHO WAS SORENSEN?
In 1997, the Virginia Institute was named for generous benefactor Thomas C. Sorensen shortly before he passed away. Tom Sorensen was a retired investment executive and a former deputy director of the US Information Agency. Tom had a passionate belief in the mission of the organization. It was his wish that future generations of Virginians would always have the ability to take advantage of this unique opportunity. At the heart of Tom Sorensen's inspiring legacy is an enthusiastic commitment to principled leadership and public service. Tom Sorensen's younger brother Theodore served as special counsel and speechwriter to President John F. Kennedy.