Looking back over the last 30 years, has the vision of AmeriCorps been realized? Are the central tenets of the program still relevant? How has AmeriCorps evolved over the last 30 years? President Bill Clinton and AmeriCorps Alumni will share their perspectives on the role AmeriCorps has played in strengthening communities, developing leaders, and building a stronger democracy.
AmeriCorps: Thirty Years Forward
OCTOBER 26, 2023
Watch the livestream here
A Conversation with President Bill Clinton and AmeriCorps Alumni
Leveraging AmeriCorps as a Diverse and Mission-Oriented Talent Pipeline
The AmeriCorps Experience and Higher Education: A Leap Year, not a Gap Year
AmeriCorps as a Community Asset
Closing Remarks
Browse sessions
A Conversation with President Bill Clinton and AmeriCorps Alumni
President Bill Clinton - Founder and Board Chair, Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States
Domingo Morales - Founder, Compost Power
Leroy “J.R.” La Plante - Associate Vice President, Wokini Initiative, South Dakota State University
Rebecca Lange - Commander, 659th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, U.S. Air Force
Kyle Kimball - Vice President of Government Relations and Community Engagement, New York University
AnnMaura Connolly - President, Voices for National Service
Leveraging AmeriCorps as a Diverse and Mission-Oriented Talent Pipeline
AmeriCorps is increasingly viewed as a strategy for preparing people for work. Learn from industry executives why they are recruiting more AmeriCorps alumni and what about their national service experience sets them apart from other candidates. Learn from AmeriCorps alums about how their AmeriCorps experience prepared them for their chosen careers. Panelists will also discuss strategies for building more intentional talent pipelines from national service into their fields.
Derrick Rainey - Mayor of Wrightsville, AR
Amy Sovocool - CEO, Conservation Legacy
Nyjeer Wesley - Program Liaison, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Alice Kwan - Principal, Deloitte Consulting
Shirley Sagawa - Board Member, AmeriCorps
The AmeriCorps Experience and Higher Education: A Leap Year, not a Gap Year
AmeriCorps has been a pathway to higher education for more than 1.2 million Americans. Those who complete a year of service with AmeriCorps receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards that they can use to pay for college or to help pay back student loans. To date, AmeriCorps alumni have received over $4 billion in education awards. More than 315 colleges and universities have signed on as Schools of National Service and provide incentives and awards to AmeriCorps alumni in recognition of the tremendous value they bring to the higher education or post-secondary experience. What more can leaders in higher education do to incentivize participation in AmeriCorps by their prospective students and graduates? From priority admissions to course credit for service, panelists will explore the role that higher education can play in encouraging more Americans to serve in AmeriCorps.
Mark Gearan - President, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Secretary John King - Chancellor, State University of New York and former Secretary of Education
Flor Romero - Associate Director of Career Pathway Connections, LA Promise Fund
Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto - Dean, Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas
AmeriCorps as a Community Asset
Over the last 30 years, AmeriCorps has become a vital part of community response to urgent needs in education, climate, disaster response, meeting the needs of veterans and so much more. Panelists will discuss the myriad ways that national service has become a central force for strengthening communities and advancing equity across the country.
Fagan Harris - Chief of Staff, Office of Maryland Governor Wes Moore
Kaira Esgate - CEO, America’s Service Commissions
Julie Gehrki - Vice President, Philanthropy, Walmart
Alan Khazei - Co-Chair, More Perfect and Co-Founder, City Year
Closing Remarks
President Bill Clinton - Founder and Board Chair, Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States
In October 2023, the Clinton Foundation celebrated three decades of AmeriCorps – the transformational national service program established by President Clinton that harnesses the energy and ingenuity of citizens to improve communities and helps those who serve to earn money for college or to pay back student loans. To mark the occasion, President Bill Clinton convened national service champions, leaders in the public and private sectors, and some of the more than 1.25 million AmeriCorps alumni for “AmeriCorps: 30 Years Forward,” a Summit for the future of national service.
The Summit invited attendees to:
Explore Opportunities:
Discuss ways to expand the impact of service programs at the national, state, and community levels and how AmeriCorps can further enrich the higher education experience and serve as a pipeline of mission-oriented talent.
Share Stories of Impact:
Hear first-hand testimonials that bring to life the unique contribution AmeriCorps programs make in mobilizing Americans and cultivating the next generation of leaders.
Learn for the Future:
Understand what makes national service models, like AmeriCorps, successful for individuals, organizations, and communities – and how we can expand access and deepen the value proposition for a new generation of changemakers.
Partners
AmeriCorps: 30 Years Forward was presented by the Clinton Foundation in partnership with AmeriCorps, More Perfect, Voices for National Service, and With Honor Action.
Join Us
Join the Conversation
We invite you to join the conversation on social media by following our channels and using the hashtag #AmeriCorps30.
An enduring commitment to strengthening America
President Clinton has spent his career championing opportunities that bring people from diverse backgrounds together to take action, serve their communities and country, and strengthen democracy. Thirty years ago, as president and in accordance with his belief that we all have a responsibility to act, he established the Corporation for National and Community Service and created AmeriCorps — a public/private partnership designed to mobilize and develop Americans from all walks of life to serve as leaders.
Scroll through the photos below to find 4 facts about AmeriCorps.
To learn more about the founding of AmeriCorps, explore the Clinton Presidential Library’s digital exhibit “Learning to Serve, Serving to Learn: AmeriCorps During the Clinton Administration.”
On September 21, 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Trust Act of 1993, which established the Corporation for National and Community Service and created AmeriCorps.
Agenda
Welcome Remarks
A Conversation with President Bill Clinton and AmeriCorps Alumni
Looking back over the last 30 years, has the vision of AmeriCorps been realized? Are the central tenets of the program still relevant? How has AmeriCorps evolved over the last 30 years? President Bill Clinton and AmeriCorps Alumni will share their perspectives on the role AmeriCorps has played in strengthening communities, developing leaders, and building a stronger democracy.
Participants
- President Bill Clinton Founder and Board Chair, Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States View bio
- AnnMaura Connolly President, Voices for National Service View bio
- Kyle Kimball Vice President of Government Relations and Community Engagement, New York University View bio
- Leroy "J.R." La Plante Associate Vice President, Wokini Initiative, South Dakota State University View bio
- Colonel Rebecca Lange Commander, 659th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, U.S. Air Force View bio
- Domingo Morales Founder, Compost Power View bio
Testimonial
Participants
- Jada Zuñiga Public Health AmeriCorps Alum View bio
Leveraging AmeriCorps as a Diverse and Mission-Oriented Talent Pipeline
AmeriCorps is increasingly viewed as a strategy for preparing people for work. Learn from industry executives why they are recruiting more AmeriCorps alumni and what about their national service experience sets them apart from other candidates. Learn from AmeriCorps alums about how their AmeriCorps experience prepared them for their chosen careers. Panelists will also discuss strategies for building more intentional talent pipelines from national service into their fields.
Testimonial
Participants
- Cynthia Lietz Dean, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, Arizona State University View bio
The AmeriCorps Experience and Higher Education: A Leap Year, not a Gap Year
AmeriCorps has been a pathway to higher education for more than 1.2 million Americans. Those who complete a year of service with AmeriCorps receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards that they can use to pay for college or to help pay back student loans. To date, AmeriCorps alumni have received over $4 billion in education awards. More than 315 colleges and universities have signed on as Schools of National Service and provide incentives and awards to AmeriCorps alumni in recognition of the tremendous value they bring to the higher education or post-secondary experience. What more can leaders in higher education do to incentivize participation in AmeriCorps by their prospective students and graduates? From priority admissions to course credit for service, panelists will explore the role that higher education can play in encouraging more Americans to serve in AmeriCorps.
Participants
- Mark Gearan President, Hobart and William Smith Colleges View bio
- Secretary John King Chancellor, State University of New York and former Secretary of Education View bio
- Flor Romero Associate Director of Career Pathway Connections, LA Promise Fund View bio
- Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto Dean, Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas View bio
AmeriCorps as a Community Asset
Over the last 30 years, AmeriCorps has become a vital part of community response to urgent needs in education, climate, disaster response, meeting the needs of veterans and so much more. Panelists will discuss the myriad ways that national service has become a central force for strengthening communities and advancing equity across the country.
Testimonial
Participants
- Martin Heinrich U.S. Senator for New Mexico View bio
Testimonial
Participants
- Michael Rojas Incident Commander Serving in Maui, Hawaii, Volunteer Iowa, AmeriCorps Disaster Response View bio
Remarks and introduction
Participants
- Sarah Dudley College Retention Project Team Leader serving at Southern Arkansas University, AmeriCorps VISTA View bio
Closing Remarks
Participants
- President Bill Clinton Founder and Board Chair, Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States View bio
CEO, AmeriCorps
Executive Director, Clinton Foundation
Founder and Board Chair, Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States
William Jefferson Clinton, the first Democratic president in six decades to be elected twice, led the U.S. to the longest economic expansion in American history, including the creation of more than 22 million jobs.
After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation, and today, the renamed Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, works to improve global health and wellness, increase opportunity for girls and women, reduce childhood obesity, create economic opportunity and growth, and help communities address the effects of climate change.
Today the Foundation has staff and volunteers around the world working to improve lives through several initiatives, including the independent Clinton Health Access Initiative, through which over 11.5 million people in more than 70 countries have access to CHAI-negotiated prices for HIV/AIDS medications. The Clinton Climate Initiative, the Clinton Development Initiative, and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership are applying a business-oriented approach to promote sustainable economic growth and to fight climate change worldwide and in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In the U.S., the Foundation is working to combat the alarming rise in childhood obesity and preventable disease through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Clinton Health Matters Initiative. Established in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative brings together global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. So far, more than 3,600 Clinton Global Initiative commitments have improved the lives of over 435 million people in more than 180 countries.
In addition to his Foundation work, President Clinton has joined with former President George H.W. Bush three times – after the 2004 tsunami in South Asia, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Ike in 2008, and with President George W. Bush in Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. Today the Clinton Foundation supports economic growth, job creation, and sustainability in Haiti.
President Clinton was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. He and his wife Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton have one daughter, Chelsea, and live in Chappaqua, New York.
President, Voices for National Service
Vice President of Government Relations and Community Engagement, New York University
Associate Vice President, Wokini Initiative, South Dakota State University
Commander, 659th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, U.S. Air Force
Founder, Compost Power
Public Health AmeriCorps Alum
Principal, Deloitte Consulting
Mayor of Wrightsville, AR
Board Member, AmeriCorps
CEO, Conservation Legacy
Program Liaison, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Co-Founder and CEO, With Honor
Governor of Utah
City Year Little Rock Alum and Clinton School of Public Service Student
Dean, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, Arizona State University
President, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Chancellor, State University of New York and former Secretary of Education
Associate Director of Career Pathway Connections, LA Promise Fund
Dean, Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas
Director, Clinton Presidential Library
Senator for Delaware
CEO, America’s Service Commissions
Vice President, Philanthropy, Walmart
Chief of Staff, Office of Maryland Governor Wes Moore
Co-Chair, More Perfect and Co-Founder, City Year
U.S. Senator for New Mexico
Incident Commander Serving in Maui, Hawaii, Volunteer Iowa, AmeriCorps Disaster Response
College Retention Project Team Leader serving at Southern Arkansas University, AmeriCorps VISTA
Founder and Board Chair, Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States
William Jefferson Clinton, the first Democratic president in six decades to be elected twice, led the U.S. to the longest economic expansion in American history, including the creation of more than 22 million jobs.
After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation, and today, the renamed Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, works to improve global health and wellness, increase opportunity for girls and women, reduce childhood obesity, create economic opportunity and growth, and help communities address the effects of climate change.
Today the Foundation has staff and volunteers around the world working to improve lives through several initiatives, including the independent Clinton Health Access Initiative, through which over 11.5 million people in more than 70 countries have access to CHAI-negotiated prices for HIV/AIDS medications. The Clinton Climate Initiative, the Clinton Development Initiative, and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership are applying a business-oriented approach to promote sustainable economic growth and to fight climate change worldwide and in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In the U.S., the Foundation is working to combat the alarming rise in childhood obesity and preventable disease through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Clinton Health Matters Initiative. Established in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative brings together global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. So far, more than 3,600 Clinton Global Initiative commitments have improved the lives of over 435 million people in more than 180 countries.
In addition to his Foundation work, President Clinton has joined with former President George H.W. Bush three times – after the 2004 tsunami in South Asia, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Ike in 2008, and with President George W. Bush in Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. Today the Clinton Foundation supports economic growth, job creation, and sustainability in Haiti.
President Clinton was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. He and his wife Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton have one daughter, Chelsea, and live in Chappaqua, New York.