Over the years, Cities of Service has found that the greatest indicator of successful citizen engagement in a city is the presence of a strong leader. With this in mind, Cities of Service created the role of “Chief Service Officer.” These Officers are senior-level administration staff members who plan, coordinate, and evaluate the implementation of citywide service plans that engage citizen volunteers in their communities.
The Chief Service Officer role is a champion for citizen volunteers, a voice for the mayor, a partner to city agencies, and a conduit for businesses and community groups. The Officers are instrumental in building a city’s capacity to address its most pressing challenges.
With $450,000 in support from JPMorgan Chase, Cities of Service created the Chief Service Officer Leadership Initiative, which installed a Chief Service Officer in each participating city’s administration. After a competitive application process, Cities of Service chose Detroit, Miami, and Phoenix to participate in the Initiative. They each received up to $100,000 in grant funding along with program consulting support for one year. The selected Chief Service Officers for each city are: Michael Hammett in Phoenix, Victoria Kovari in Detroit, and Raul Hernandez in Miami.
All three of the Chief Service Officers have now completed the process of developing and finalizing their citywide service plans. Explore them below.
Impact Volunteering
Our Citizen Engagement Model
In five steps, our citizen engagement model helps city leaders to build more vibrant communities with support from their citizens. Throughout the process, these steps strengthen trust between citizens and city leaders and help to sustain engagement and participation. Download the infographic to see how this model comes to life.
With special thanks to:
