Strong Cities, Strong Communities Twitter Town Hall - Hud - 2/27/12

>>> WELCOME TO HUD'S FIRST TWITTER TOWN HALL FEATURING SECRETARY DONOVAN. WE'RE DELIGHTED TO BE HERE TODAY IN THE TWITTERVERSE TO TALK ABOUT THE STRONG CITIES, STRONG COMMUNITIES FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. KNEES WITH THE ATTENTION IT'S ALREADY -- PLEASED WITH THE ATTENTION IT'S ALREADY GOTTEN AND WE'VE GOT QUESTIONS QUEUED UP FOR YOU, BUT BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THE QUESTIONS, LET ME GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIDBITS ABOUT WHAT THE STRONG CITIES, STRONG COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE IS. IT IS AN INITIATIVE THE WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHED LAST JULY IN 2011 AND AIMED AT IMPROVING THE CAPACITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE U.S. IT HAS FOUR DIFFERENT ELEMENTS. THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM AS CRITICAL COMPONENT THAT WILL BE ALIGNED WITH A SET OF RELATIONSHIPS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY ENGAGED IN THROUGH COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS TEAMS IN SIX -- FIVE CITIES AND ONE REGION ACROSS THE U.S. AND SO TODAY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FELLOW THAT WILL GO TO THOSE PLACES AND WITHOUT MUCH FURTHER ADO, LET'S DIVE INTO THE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR YOU, MR. SECRETARY. >> GREAT. >> BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, I THINK ONE GENERAL QUESTION I'D LOVE, THAT WE DIDN'T DEF, BUT I KNOW -- RECEIVE, BUT I KNOW YOU FEEL PASSIONATELY ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT, SO AS WE DIVE INTO THESE QUESTIONS, MAYBE YOU COULD GIVE US JUST A LITTLE BIT OF WHY, WHAT MAKES YOU SO PASSIONATE ABOUT SERVING AT THE LOCAL LEVEL? INCH WELL, YOU KNOW THIS, ERICA FROM HAVING SERVED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL YOURSELF. THE WORK WE DO IN HOUSING IS ABOUT CHANGING PEOPLE'S LIVES, AND WE DO IT THROUGH THE BRICKS AND MORTAR OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, DO IT THROUGH THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THEIR HOMES AND THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND JOBS AND SCHOOLS AND, YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU CHOOSE A HOME, YOU CHOOSE SO MUCH MORE THAN A HOME. YOU CHOOSE WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL, YOU CHOOSE PUBLIC SAFETY, ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY, BASICALLY. AND, YOU KNOW, WIME I LOVE THE WORK -- WHILE I LOVE THE WORK WE DO AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, IT'S REALLY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL THAT WHAT WE DO TOUCHES PEOPLE'S LIVES. THE BRICKS AND MORTAR, THE WAY IT CHANGES THEIR OPPORTUNITY, THE CONNECTIONS THEY HAVE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THE SURROUNDING METROPOLITAN AREAS. ALL OF THAT HAPPENS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND SO IT'S REALLY -- WE CAN DO OUR JOBS PERFECTLY AT HUD AND NOT HAVE THE IMPACTS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE OR WANT TO HAVE IF WE DON'T HAVE GREAT PARTNERSHIPS ON THE GROUND WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT. AND SO THAT'S -- THAT'S REALLY WHY I CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PIECE. >> SO WITH THAT, LET'S TAKE OUR FIRST QUESTION. >> RIGHT. >> COMES FROM STEVE. HOW WILL FAQ FELLOWS HELP MANAGE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CITIES AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? >> WELL, I WANT TO ANSWER THIS WEIGH IN TWO WAYS. -- THIS QUESTION IN TWO WAYS. ONE IS THE BIG PICTURE LEVEL AND ONE IS MUCH MORE SPECIFICALLY AND STEVE TO YOUR QUESTION, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND WORKING AT LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, ERICA, IS THAT WHEN HUD STARTED IN THE 1960s, THE MODEL WAS BASICALLY WE WOULD SIT HERE IN WASHINGTON, INSIDE THE BELTWAY AND KIND OF DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR COMMUNITIES. IF YOU THINK ABOUT URBAN RENEWAL AS A PERFECT EXAMPLE, IT WAS REALLY COME IN, WIPE OUT WHAT'S THERE, AND START ANEW, ALMOST A TABULAR-AZA OR A BLANK SLATE IN TERMS OF APPROACHING COMMUNITIES. AND FRANKLY, THAT DIDN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, THE ASSETS, THE REAL STRENGTHS LOCAL COMMUNITIES HAD IN EXISTING COMMUNITIES AND TRY TO BUILD ON THOSE. WE'VE OBVIOUSLY LERVED A LOT IN THE -- LEARNED A LOT IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE WITH STRONG CITIES, STRONG COMMUNITIES IS BUILD A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO SAY, NO, THIS ISN'T ABOUT WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THINKS YOU OUGHT TO DO AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. THIS IS ABOUT YOUR VISION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, WHAT YOU THINK YOUR COMMUNITY SHOULD BECOME, BUT WITH PARTNERSHIP AND ASSISTANCE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO IT'S REALLY TRYING TO REVERSE THAT OLD RELATIONSHIP, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, SAY THE FEDERALLY GOVERNMENT DOES -- FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES HAVE A ROLE. WE FIND OF DISAPPEARED FOR 20 YEAR IN THE PICTURE AND WE'RE NOW TRYING TO COME BACK TO THE SCENE TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, BUT TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT'S REALLY ABOUT LOCAL VISION AND IN THAT SENSE, THIS SC2 FELLOWSHIP IS GOING TO BE AT THE OF CREATING A WHOLE NEW RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL LEVEL. AT THE SPECIFIC LEVEL, I THINK WHAT'S SO EXCITING ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP IS THE FELLOWS WILL LITERALLY EMBEDDED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. MANY OF THEM ARE SITTING JUST A FEW STEPS AWAY OR A FEW DOORS AWAY FROM THE MAYORS IN THESE CITIES. THEY'RE PART OF THAT TEAM THAT THE MAYOR HAS PUT TOGETHER LOCALLY, AND WILL BE WORKING SIDE BY SIDE WITH MEMBERS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO DO THIS. THIS WON'T BE SOME DISTANT RELATIONSHIP. IT'S VERY MUCH EMBEDDED AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST CREATIVE MAYORS IN THE COUNTRY. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> YOU WORKED CLOSELY WITH THEM. THEY'RE REALLY REMARKABLE MAYORS WITH A GREAT VISION. >> THANKS TO MAYOR WHARTON WHO TWEETED ABOUT THIS EVENT TOO. >> ALL RIGHT. >> THEY'RE ON BOARD COMPLETELY AND EXCITED, I THINK, ABOUT THE ROLE THESE FELLOWS WILL PLAY ALSO AS A COMPLIMENT TO THE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS TEAMS WE HAVE ON THE GROUND, THE FEDERAL OFFICIALS. >> YES. >> WHO ARE THERE. SO IT'S AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY. LET'S GO TO THE NEXT TWEET. SO GREEN AND HEALTHY HOPES, HEALTHY HOUSING TWEETED, HOW WILL SEQ LEARN FROM EXPERIENCES -- SC2 LEARN FROM EXPERIENCES OF SIMILAR PROGRAMS BUILT ON GOVERNMENT COLLABORATION? >> ONE OF THE THINGS WHEN WE DECIDED TO PUT THIS TOGETHER, WE KNEW WE COULDN'T DO IT ALONE IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT THE SC2 INITIATIVE, AND ERICA, YOU DESERVE SO MUCH CREDIT FOR THIS, WE'VE GOT SO MUCH DIFFERENT FEDERAL AGENCIES, MORE THAN TEN DIFFERENT FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT ARE PARTICIPATING, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WANTED. WE HAVE DIFFERENT COMPOSITION OF THESE TEAMS FROM THESE DIFFERENT AGENCY, BUT WE ALSO KNEW WE COULDN'T DO IT ALONE IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, SO WE NEEDED TO BRING OTHER PARTNERS. ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION FUNDING $2.5 MILLION TO GET THIS PROGRAM GOING AND THEY BROUGHT NOT JUST THE FUNDING, BUT ALSO DEEP EXPERIENCE IN THESE KIND OF EFFORTS, SO THEY BROUGHT A WHOLE BUNCH OF INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND ALSO PARTNERS WHO REALLY CAN HELP CONNECT US TO WHAT'S WORKED AND WHAT HASN'T IN THE PAST, AND WHAT KIND OF GOVERNMENT INNOVATION, WHAT KIND OF COLLABORATIONS IN THE PAST HAVE REALLY HELPED THE SERVICE. THE OTHER THING WE DID, AS WE BROUGHT THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND, ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOVED ABOUT THEIR APPLICATION TO RUN THE PROGRAM IS THEY'RE DOING THE SAME THING FOR INDUSTRIAL CITIES AROUND THE WORLD. THEY HAVE GOT A FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM EMBEDDED IN INTERNATIONAL CITIES THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH MANY OF THE SAME ISSUES OR HAVE STRUGGLED WITH MANY OF THE SAME ISSUES THAT OUR SC2 CITIES AND REGION ARE GOING TO STRUGGLE WITH, SO THAT'S GREAT IN TERMS OF BRINGING NOT JUST NATIONAL HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVE, BUT INTERNATIONAL HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVE. THE LAST THING I'D SAY IS WE HAVE UNIVERSITIES AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT FELLOWS FEEL PART OF NOT JUST LEARNING AS DOING, NOT JUST ON THE -- IN THE TEAMS AT CITY HALL, BUT ALSO THAT THEY'RE GETTING A CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE, GETTING EXPERTISE FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO COME IN, YOU KNOW, IN A CLASSROOM SETTING AND SUPPORT THE LEARNING THAT THEY'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, IN REALTIME IN THE JOBS. SO THAT KIND OF CLASSROOM AND UNIVERSITY SUPPORT, THOSE UNIVERSITIES HAVE SO MANY RELATIONSHIPS ALREADY IN THESE PLACES, THAT'S GOING TO BRING A LOT OF INNOVATION AND EXPERIENCE AS WELL. >> I THINK IT'S SUCH AN INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT THE LOCAL NETWORK, THE NATIONAL NETWORK AND THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK THAT YOU WILL BE TO BUILD IN THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. >> AND LOOK AT YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE IN THE LOCAL FIELD, YOU WERE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT BUT ALSO WORKED IN A FOUNDATION AND YOU KNOW WHAT REMARKABLE BREADTH OF EXPERIENCE, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT FOUNDATION ENGAGEMENT WITH A FOUNDATION LIKE THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION, YOU GET ALL OF THAT HISTORY AND WEIGHT AND LEARNING THAT THEY HAVE HAD FROM ALL OF THEIR OTHER FUNDING EXPERIENCES THAT COMES TO BEAR ON THIS AS WELL. >> EXACTLY. WELL, LET'S TAKE THE NEXT QUESTION, THANK YOU. SO GALEN SWEETS IN WHAT WAYS WILL SC2 FELLOWS BE ENCOURAGED TO COLLABORATE IN THE PRIVATE AND PHILANTHROPIC SECTORS IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. >> IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. TO START WITH THE PHILANTHROPIC SIDE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE SEEN AS WE PUT THE TEAMS TOGETHER ON THE GROUND AND THE PARTNERSHIPS, WE HAVE A LOT OF LOCAL FOUNDATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE. WE TALKED ABOUT ROCKEFELLER, McARTHUR, SOME OF THE NATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, BUT WE HAVE LOCAL FOUNDATIONS THAT REALLY ARE SORT OF THE CONVENERS, IF YOU WILL, OF ALL THE DIFFERENT SECTORS COMING TOGETHER. WE SEE THAT IN DETROIT WITH KRESKE FOUNDATION AND WE'VE SEEN IT IN CLEVELAND FOR THE REGION WITH ALL THE PHILANTHROPIC EFFORTS THERE AND REPEATED IN A RANGE OF PLACES, IN MEMPHIS AND IN NEW ORLEANS, ALL THE OTHER CITIES. SO I THINK YOU WILL SEE VERY DEEP ENGAGEMENT AND ACTUALLY THOSE FOUNDATIONS HAVE ALREADY BUILT INTO SETTING UP THE PLANS FOR THE FELLOWS. BUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS, AND EVERY ONE OF THE MAYORS I'VE TALKED TO HAS WANTED TO AND HAS BROUGHT TO THE TABLE, RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, THE PRIVATE SECTOR BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, IF YOU DON'T HAVE EMPLOYERS IN THE AREA SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE REALLY WANT TO FOCUS ON AT A TIME WHEN, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE IN THESE COMMUNITIES IS JOBS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL. SO THE MAYORS HAVE REALLY BUILT IN THAT COLLABORATION FROM THE BEGINNING AND YOU'VE SEEN IT ON THE GROUND ALREADY IN THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE WITH SOME OF THE CITIES. YOU SPENT A LOT OF -- OUR EVALUATION TEAMS THAT WENT IN ON THE GROUND SPENT A LOT OF TIME INTERVIEWING, TALKING TO PRIVATE SECTOR ACTORS TO TRY TO MAKE SURE WE KNEW WHAT THEY NEEDED, WHAT THEY WANTED OUT OF THIS, THIS FELLOWSHIP. >> YEAH, AND I WAS JUST SAYING THE NUMBER OF WEEKS WE'LL BE BRINGING A LOT OF THOSE PIECES TOGETHER TO FOSTER THAT COLLABORATION AND CONTINUE TO LEARN AND GROW AND LOOK AT OTHER MODELS WHERE ALL OF THIS ALIGNMENT BETWEEN PHILANTHROPIC, PRIVATE SECTOR, PUBLIC SECTOR INVESTMENTS HAS HAPPENED WELL SO WE CAN BE THRANS LATING THOSE EFFORT -- TRANSLATING THOSE EFFORTS ON THE GROUND IN OUR CITIES. >> GREAT. >> NEXT WE HAVE A TWEET FROM DURHAM HOUSING. HOW CAN CITIES THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL IN COOPERATIVE PLANNING SHARE BEST PRACTICES TO SUPPORT THE SC2 EFFORT? >> GREAT QUESTION, AND IF YOU GOT SOME IDEAS AT DURHAM HOUSING, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT THEM. TWEET US SOME ANSWERS TO YOUR OWN QUESTION, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. >> EXACTLY. >> YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE ARE REALLY TWO DIFFERENT WAYS THAT I WOULD SEE PRIMARILY DOING THAT. ONE IS THAT WE HAVE SET THIS UP SO THAT IT ISN'T JUST EACH CITY OR REGION TRYING TO LEARN ON ITS OWN. BY HAVING IT BE PART OF A FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE, BY HAVING THE FELLOWS COME TOGETHER ACROSS DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIES DURING THE PERIOD OF THE FELLOWSHIP, SPONSORED BY THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND AND THEN ALSO BY THE UNIVERSITIES, THERE'S CLEARLY GOING TO BE THE INFUSION OF OTHER PLACES' EXPERIENCES OR EVEN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES THROUGH THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LEARNING FROM IN THIS EXPERIENCE. ALSO THE FACT YOU HAVE THOSE UNIVERSITIES INVOLVED MEANS THAT IF THERE ARE PARTICULAR LESSONS THAT ARE BEING LEARNED, THOSE CAN BE RECORDED IN SKASE STUDIES -- CASE STUDIES OR OTHER THINGS THAT CAN BE TAUGHT ELSEWHERE, SO I THINK THAT, WE'RE BUILDING IN THAT WAY OF BOTH BRINGING OTHER LEARNING AND ALSO HAVING NEW LEARNING. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS, AND YOU WORKED SO HARD TO THIS, ERICA, WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE A NATIONAL RESOURCE NETWORK THAT IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE TO NOT JUST THE SC2 CITIES, BUT OTHER PLACES THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH MANY OF THE SAME ISSUES, AND THAT'S GOING TO ALLOW THEM TO BRING IN THE BEST CONSULTING, THE BEST ASSISTANCE FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO HELP THEM TACKLE THOSE CHALLENGES, SO IT'S NOT JUST HUD GOING TO BE AT THE TABLE AND OUR SISTER AGENCIES, BUT WE CAN ALSO BRING HELP FROM SOME OF THE BEST PRIVATE SECTOR, NONPROFIT SECTOR CONSULTANTS TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM AS WELL. AND THAT WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BOTH BRINGING LESSONS AND ALSO SPREADING THOSE LESSONS THROUGH THIS NATIONAL RESOURCE NETWORK. >> RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND THANKS TO DURHAM HOUSING FOR THAT QUESTION AND TWEET US YOUR IDEAS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING THOSE. SO NEXT IS HE WILL ALEXANDRA FROM BETTER PLANNING. WILL FELLOWS WORK ON SPECIFIC HUD-FOCUSED PROJECTS WITHIN EACH PILOT CITY OR WILL THE CITY GOVERNMENT SET FELLOWS' PRIORITIES. >> I WANT TO GO BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED WITH A QUESTION THREE OR FOUR QUESTIONS BACK WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS FELLOWSHIP. WE STARTED RIGHT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, AND MAYBE YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE ON ONE OF THE TEAMS. >> YEAH, SURE. >> WE SENT TEAMS IN TO DO EVALUATIONS RIGHT UP FRONT, AND THAT WAS THE WHOLE PURPOSE WAS TO SAY, MR. MAYOR, MR. COUNTY EXECUTIVE, PRIVATE SECTOR, ALL THE FOLKS WE SPOKE TO, WHAT'S YOUR VISION OF WHAT WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH? AND LET'S BE VERY SPECIFIC, LET'S PUT DOWN IN WRITING, IN AN MOU, WHAT EXACTLY DO WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH OUT OF THIS? WHAT ARE YOUR TOP PRIORITIES? SOME OF THEM ARE CLEARLY HUD PRIORITIES. OTHERS WERE RELATED TO OTHER AGENCIES AND MANY OF THEM CUT ACROSS DIFFERENT AGENCIES. THERE ARE PRIORITIES THAT REALLY CROSS THE SILOS OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THAT'S BASICALLY THE WORK PLAN THAT'S BEEN SET UP FOR EACH OF THESE PLACES. MANY OF THEM HAVE HUD PRIORITIES, BUT MANY OF THEM MAY BE MORE FOCUSED ON WORKFORCE TRAINING OR OTHER THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, TOUCH HUD BUT AREN'T DIRECTLY HUD'S RESPONSIBILITY. WE'VE CONSTRUCTED THE TEAMS OF WHO'S GOING TO GO IN FROM THE VARIOUS AGENCIES BASED ON WHAT WE HEARD AND WHAT WE SAID IN THOSE PRIORITIES, RIGHT? SO WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT EACH OF THE TEAMS HAS A SET OF PRIORITIES THAT ARE THERE. AND THEN WHAT FOLLOWS FROM THAT IS THAT EACH OF THOSE FELLOWS WILL -- THAT ARE IN THAT COMMUNITY, WILL BE WORKING ON SOMETHING AND THE BENEFIT OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW IT MATTERS TO THE MAYOR, RIGHT? >> YES. >> THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SOMEBODY HERE AT HEADQUARTERS AT HUD DREAMED UP. IT IS SOMETHING THAT THAT MAYOR HAS SAID THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME TO GET DONE. >> AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS APPEALING TO US ABOUT THE APPLICATION IS CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY THAT'S GOING TO BE DOING THE TRAINING HAS PILOT TESTED THIS, ACTUALLY MORE THAN PILOT-TESTED THIS, DONE THIS TRAINING FOR MORE THAN A DECADE AND THEY HAVE A PROJECT SELECTION WHERE THERE'S REAL OWNERSHIP OVER THE MAYOR AND THE CITY HAVE AND TRACKS THE RESULTS AND EVEN SHOW SOME COST SAVINGS AS A RESULT OF OTHER KINDS OF PROJECTS THAT FELLOWS LIKE THIS HAVE DONE. SO I THINK THAT CONTINUING TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THERE'S OWNERSHIP OVER THE WORK IS REALLY AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THIS. WE HAVE ANOTHER -- WE'LL KEEP ON GOING HERE, I HOPE THIS IS KATIE. I HOPE I SAID THAT CORRECTLY. WHAT SORT OF TRAINING AND SUPPORT DO YOU OFFER TO THE SC2 FELLOWS? >> WELL, PERFECT TRANSITION FROM WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT CLEVELAND STATE. WHAT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE IS THAT THIS ISN'T JUST A WORK EXPERIENCE. WE'RE GOING TO -- I THINK ALL THE EXPERIENCE THAT I'VE HAD, THAT OTHERS HAVE HAD WITH THESE KIND OF PROGRAMS IS WHERE THEY'RE MOST SUCCESSFUL IS IF THERE'S A REAL SENSE THAT THIS IS A CLASS OF FELLOWS, EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT IN THE SAME CITY, THAT THERE'S A GROUP OF PEERS THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH AND THAT YOU'RE LEARNING TOGETHER WITH. THERE'S A SET OF SIX, I THINK, TRAINING SESSIONS THAT ARE GOING TO -- HAVE ALREADY BEEN SET UP. THERE WILL BE TRAVEL AND ALL THOSE EXPENSES COVERED BY THE FELLOWSHIP TO GO TO THOSE PLACES, TO ACTUALLY LEARN TOGETHER WITH YOUR FELLOW FELLOWS, AND TO BUILD ON THAT EXPERIENCE THAT YOU'RE HAVING IN YOUR MAYOR'S OFFICE, ON THE GROUND IN YOUR COMMUNITY, WITH CLASSROOM TRAINING THAT REALLY SUPPORTS THAT. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S MORE YOU WANT TO SAY ABOUT IS, BUT I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT, IF I'M SITTING HERE AS A STUDENT THINKING ABOUT SIGNING UP, THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT ADVANTAGES OF THIS PROGRAM. >> AND BECAUSE IT'S A TRAINING PROGRAM THAT HAS SOME KIND OF ACCREDITATION TO IT, PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO GET CREDITS. >> GREAT POINT, YES. >> I THINK THAT'S GREAT FROM APPLYING TO ANY KIND OF FUTURE PROGRAM OR WORK OR ANY KIND OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT KIND OF PROGRAM. AND THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT FEATURE OF THE WORK, BUT I THINK LEARNING BY DOING IS A FEATURE -- I THINK ONE OF THE OTHER PIECES OF THE PROGRAM THAT WAS APPEALING IS THAT VERY FOCUSED ON WHAT ARE THE CORE COMPETENCIES YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. SO IT'S VERY TAILORED TO THAT, AND DESIGNED -- AND THEN YOU CAN THINK ABOUT, WITHIN THAT, YOU HAVE A WHOLE VARIETY OF KINDS OF TOPICS THAT ARE MORE THAN HUD, RIGHT? BECAUSE THIS IS A 13 DIFFERENT FEDERAL AGENCY INITIATIVE. THE FELLOWS WILL BE WORKING ON ISSUES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION, THEY WILL BE WORKING ON ISSUES RELATED TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND SO THE TRAINING PROGRAM IS ADAPTABLE ENOUGH TO BOTH PROVIDE THE KINDS OF TRAINING ON THE CORE COMPETENCIES, LIKE PROJECT MANAGEMENT, BUT ALSO TAILOR IT TO HAVE PROJECTS THAT WILL BE SPECIFIC TO THE AGENCIES AND THE WORK THAT THEY WILL BE DOING. SO IT BLENDS BOTH ALONG WITH A MENTORSHIP COMPONENT AS WELL. >> I WONDER IF I CAN SIGN UP. I'M GETTING SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. >> I HAVE THOUGHT THE SAME THING, BUT I THINK WE'RE BOTH COMMITTED TO BEING HERE. >> YEAH, YEAH. >> REBECCA TWEETED, HOW DID YOU CHOOSE WHICH CITIES TO SEND THE FELLOWS TO? MR. SECRETARY, AND THANKS FOR DOING THIS. >> THANK YOU FOR TWEETING, REBECCA. APPRECIATE IT. WE ACTUALLY HAD A LENGTHY PROCESS-ERICA, YOU WERE INVOLVED, TO FIGURE OUT WHICH PLACES TO FOCUS ON. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS A VARIATION OF GEOGRAPHY, OF SIZE, THE TYPES OF CHALLENGES THAT THE PLACES WERE FACING, AND THAT REALLY LED US TO HAVE CITIES AS DIFFERENT AS FRESNO, DETROIT, NEW ORLEANS, CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA. DIFFERENT SIZES, DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIES, SO WE REALLY WANTED TO GET A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF THEM. AND WE WANTED TO, AT THE SAME TIME, NOT HAVE TOO MANY THAT WE DIDN'T REALLY FOCUS ON THEM AND GET RESULTS. SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EFFORT, WE WANTED TO REALLY INVEST IN THESE PLACES AS A MODEL AND SEE WHAT WORKS AND THEN TAKE IT TO OTHER PLACES ONCE WE KNOW WHAT'S SUCCESSFUL. THE OTHER THING, HONESTLY, AND IN SOME WAYS, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, IS WE WERE LOOKING FOR STRONG LOCAL LEADERSHIP. THE QUALITY OF THESE MAYORS, THE QUALITY MORE BROADLY OF THE ENGAGEMENT THAT THEY HAVE, WE WEREN'T JUST LOOKING FOR, HEY, THERE'S A COMMITTED MAYOR HERE, BUT THIS IS A MAYOR WHO'S ALREADY BUILT A SET OF RELATIONSHIPS AND SUPPORT MORE BROADLY IN THAT COMMUNITY FORGETTING THINGS DONE. AND I JUST SAID IT'S SO MUCH FUN TO SPEND TIME WITH THESE HAIRS. YOU'VE DONE -- THESE MAYORS. YOU HAVE DONE IT NOW. THEY ARE INCREDIBLY DYNAMIC LEADERS AND THAT WAS FRANKLY A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF CHOOSING WHERE TO GO IS, LOOK, THIS IS NOT ABOUT A FEDERAL VISION. IF THIS IS ABOUT A LOCAL VISION, THEN THERE HAS TO BE LOCAL VISION THERE AND THESE ARE MAYORS THAT HAVE A REAL VISION OF WHERE THEY WANT TO GO. >> AND AS YOU KNOW IN OUR LAST CONVERSATION WITH A SMALL GROUP OF THEM, THEY'RE ALSO REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT TAKING WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED AND MAKING SURE OTHER CITIES CAN BENEFIT FROM IT TOO, SO IT'S HELPING US THINK ABOUT HOW THIS IMPROVES THE RELATIONSHIP OF OUR FEDERAL POLICIES ACROSS THE BOARD IS SOMETHING I KNOW THEY'RE VERY FOCUSED ON AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO DOING THIS AGAIN IN ANOTHER SET OF CITIES IN THE FUTURE AND TRANSLATING THAT. SO JONAH TWEETED, WHAT WOULD A TYPICAL BE LIKE FOR AN SC2 FELLOW, RECOGNIZING THAT MOST DAYS AT CITY HALL ARE NOT TYPICAL. THANK YOU, JONAH. THAT'S GOOD, GREAT QUESTION. >> JONAH, YOU MAY HAVE WORKED AT A CITY HALL, IT SOUNDS LIKE. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS, AND I THINK IT REPEATS WHAT JONAH SAID, BUT THE TYPICAL DAY WILL BE IN CITY HALL. IT WILL BE VERY CLOSE TO THE MAYOR AND THE MAYOR'S SENIOR TEAM, EXECUTING ON THESE VARIOUS PRIORITIES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR EACH OF THESE PLACES, SOILED THINK ABOUT IT AND I'LL -- SO I WOULD THINK ABOUT AND I'LL TALK ABOUT BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCE FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND YOU CAN MAYBE GIVE SOME OF YOUR IMPRESSIONS. I THINK WHAT YOU WOULD SEE IS A GOOD CHUNK OF YOUR TIME SPENT ORGANIZING TEAMS ACROSS CITY AGENCIES, COUNTY AGENCIES, REGIONAL AGENCIES. I COULD SEE OUR FELLOWS AS PROJECT MANAGERS DRAWING TOGETHER, WHETHER IT'S, HEY, I NEED THE RIGHT PERSON FROM THE TRANSPORTATION AGENCY AND THE HOUSING AGENCY, MAYBE THE AGENCY THAT'S DOING INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, WE NEED TO PULL THEM TOGETHER AT CITY HALL AND REALLY MAKE SURE ALL OF THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE VERY CLEAR TIMELINES AND PROJECTS, THAT WE'RE STAYING ON TRACK AND DRIVING THOSE THROUGH. AND YOU WILL, AS A FELLOW, NOT BE JUST OBSERVING. YOU WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE MEETINGS, DRIVING THEM AND MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS WORKING TOGETHER. THE OTHER THING I THINK THAT WILL BE FUN IS YOU WILL GET OUT OF CITY HALL AS WELL. YOU WILL BE GOING TO, WHETHER IT'S MEET WITH FOUNDATIONS LOCALLY, YOU MIGHT MEET WITH A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. IN MANY CASES, IT WILL BE CONNECTING TO REGIONAL EFFORTS. THERE ARE REGIONAL PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONNECTING TRANSPORTATION WITHIN CITIES TO THE BROADER REGIONS. THOSE KIND OF ENGAGEMENTS, I THINK, WILL BE HAPPENING, AND I ALSO THINK ABOUT -- TAKE AN EXAMPLE LIKE IN MEMPHIS WHERE A LOT OF FOCUS IS GOING TO BE ON JOB CREATION. YOU MIGHT BE SITTING DOWN WITH SOME BUSINESS EXECUTIVES FROM THAT CITY AND SAYING, LOOK, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT ON THIS TRAINING INITIATIVE. HOW DO WE MAKE SURE IT'S TAILORED TO THE KINDS OF JOBS THAT YOU NEED? AND, YOU KNOW, THEY MIGHT SAY TO YOU, YOU'RE CRAZY TO DO THAT, HERE'S WHAT WE REALLY NEED. THOSE KIND OF MEETINGS WILL BE CRITICAL IN TERMS OF HELPING TO DRIVE THE PROGRAMS FORWARD. >> YEAH, YEAH. I MEAN, I SERVED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN CHICAGO WHEN I WAS IN MY 20s AND THE THING I FOUND WAS, I DIDN'T DESERVE ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY I GOT, BUT I THINK YOU CAN ACTUALLY -- >> YES, YOU D ERICA. YOU'VE SHOWN THAT YOU DID. >> I GUESS, BUT YOU USE IT AND YOU LEARN A LOT, AND THAT'S TO SAY THAT I THINK YOU GET A LOT OF THINGS THROWN AT YOU AND IT'S A REALLY OPPORTUNITY TO TEST AND LEARN AND GROW PROFESSIONALLY AND I THINK ALSO THE DIRECT INTERACTION WITH CONSTITUENTS WHO ARE GOING TO TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THE SERVICES THAT ARE BEING DELIVERED IS ALWAYS AN ANCHOR AND A REALITY CHECK FOR EVERY DAY THAT YOU SERVE. >> YEAH. YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT HAVING WORKED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. I ALWAYS REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, WHEN MY MOM OR MY RELATIVES WOULD COME TO TOWN. I WILL TAKE THEM TO SEE THE THINGS THAT I WAS WORKING ON, AND I WOULD OFTEN GET OUT OF OFFICE WORKING IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO GO, YOU KNOW, WE WERE WORKING ON A REZONING, FOR EXAMPLE. GO AND WALK THE STREETS. IT'S ONE THING TO LOOK AT A MAP OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND IT'S A DIFFERENT THING TO WALK DOWN A STREET IF AND TALK TO SOMEBODY WHO LIVED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD FOR 30 YEARS AND ASK THEM, WHAT DO YOU WANT THIS STREET TO LOOK LIKE TEN YEARS FROM NOW? >> YEAH, YEAH. >> AND SO THOSE KIND OF EXPERIENCES ARE ONES THAT I ALWAYS REMEMBER AS MUCH AS ANYTHING ELSE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. >> MR. SECRETARY, THANK YOU FOR SPENDING YOUR TIME WITH US. WE'RE NOT DONE YET, TWITTERVERSE. WE'LL TAKE A FEW MORE OF YOUR QUESTIONS, BUT I KNOW YOU'VE GOT TO HEAD OVER TO THE WHITE HOUSE FOR A MEETING, SO WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. >> I ALSO NEED A FEW MINUTES FOR FILL OUT MY APPLICATION FOR THE FELLOWSHIP BEFORE I GET TO THE MEETING. >> DON'T TELL MR. PRESIDENT. ANYWAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A SHORT BREAK AND COME BACK AND AND THE REST OF YOUR QUESTIONS. HOLD ON. >> THANKS FOR ALL YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS, ERICA. I WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT YOU. >> WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM WORKING ON IT. THANKS. >> WELCOME BACK, TWITTERVERSE. WE ARE HERE TO ANSWER THE REST OF YOUR QUESTIONS. I'M JOINED BY GEORGE GONZALEZ, THE SECRETARY UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO LEAVE, BUT WE'RE THRILLED TO HAVE HIM SHARE HIS WISDOM WITH US WHEN HE WAS HERE, AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE MORE OF YOUR QUESTIONS. SO LET'S SEE THE NEXT TWEET. ALL RIGHT. >> SO ERICA, WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM BEN WHO WOULD LIKE TO ASK, HOW WILL THE SC2 FELLOWSHIP ALIGN WITH OTHER URBAN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS AROUND THE COUNTRY LIKE THE BLOOMBERG INNOVATION FUND. >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND SOMETHING WE GAVE A LOT OF THOUGHT TO. AND I WOULD JUST SAY ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT DESIGNING THIS PROGRAM WAS LOOK AT OTHER SUCCESSFUL MODELS AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND SO ONE OF THOSE SETS OF MODELS WAS THE KUREX FELLOWS AT UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA RAN THAT DEEPLY ENGAGED IN PLACE AND TAKING SORT OF LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT APPROACH, WE'VE ALSO HAD QUFRT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF THE OTHER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS LIKE CODE FOR AMERICA, WHICH IS IN I THINK DETROIT AND NEW ORLEANS. AND THE BLOOMBERG INNOVATION FELLOWS, WHICH ARE IN MEMPHIS AND NEW ORLEANS. SO WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WAYS WE CAN BENEFIT FROM THE SAME KIND OF TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, BENEFIT FROM SOME OF THE OTHER KINDS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY, AND SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO DOING THAT AS PART OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. AND IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS OUT THERE WE'RE NOT AWARE OF THAT WE SHOULD BE ALIGNING THIS, TWEET THEM THAT INFORMATION TO US. YES. >> WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM McKENNA WHO IS ASKING, WILL FELLOWS HAVE A CHANCE TOS A MY FOR POSITIONS WITH HUD AFTER THE FELLOWSHIP IS COMPLETE? IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. >> IT IS A GREAT QUESTION. OF COURSE, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY LIKE ANYBODY FOR A POSITION IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. I WILL SAY THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE REALLY HOPING FOR, AND I THINK THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND AND THE CITIES WILL SELECT ON, HOWEVER, IS A COMMITMENT TO STAYING WITH THE CITY. SO IF THINGS WORK OUT AND THE CITY IS REALLY HAPPY WITH THE WORK AND THE FELLOW IS HAPPIES WITH THEIR TIME IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OUR HOPE IS THAT THERE WILL ACTUALLY BE A COMMITMENT TO STAY. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS BUILD A BENCH IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT WITH THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BRING IN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE EARLIER ON OR IN MAYOR MID CAREER WHO -- IN THEIR MID CAREER WHO WANT TO ENGAGE, SO I THINK CERTAINLY THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT WE'RE ALSO HOPING THAT THIS IS A NET CONTRIBUTION TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. >> ROBIN ASKS, HOW WILL FELLOWS INTERACT WITH PLANNING PRACTITIONERS WHO ARE WORKING IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE AREAS OF NONPROFITS? >> THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION. I THINK THE SECRETARY TALKED TO IT A LITTLE BIT BEFORE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE STRONG CITIES, STRONG COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE IS PARTNERING FOR GROWTH, AND SO WITH THE REAL STRESS AND EMPHASIS ON THE NEED TO PARTNER WITH PEOPLE IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AS WELL AS IN THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVELS TO BRING BACK OPPORTUNITIES OR REALLY LEVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES IN THESE PLACES, AND SO WE CERTAINLY HOPE AND EXPECT THAT THESE FELLOWS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH LOCAL PLANNING PRACTITIONERS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE NONPROFIT, PHILANTHROPIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR, AND ARE LOOKING FOR PARTNERS AND HAVE IDENTIFIED ALREADY SOME PARTNERS IN EACH ONE OF THESE CITIES THAT ARE GOING TO HELP SUPPORT THOSE KIND OF CONNECTIONS AND MAKE SURE THAT THESE FELLOWS ARE PART OF THOSE NETWORKS. >> OKAY. OUR NEXT QUESTION COMES FROM ANDREA, WHO ASKS, WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SC2 PROGRAM FOR APPLICANTS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. PEOPLE OUT THERE ARE ASKING, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO APPLY? >> LET ME FIRST SAY IF YOU VISIT THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES WEBSITE OR OUR OWN WEBSITE, HUDUSER.ORG OR YOU CAN GET THERE FROM HUD.GOV, YOU WILL FIND THE APPLICATION AND WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DOWNLOAD IT AND AND APPLY. WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE DEMONSTRATED WORK EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICAL KIND OF REAL-WORLD WORK EXPERIENCE? ONE OF THE VARIETY OF AREAS THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS GRAPPLE WITH, SO JUST BECAUSE HUD IS SPONSORING THE PROGRAM DOES NOT MEAN WE'RE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXCLUSIVELY HAD EXPERIENCE IN HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT. RATHER, HUD IS REALLY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S SPONSOR FOR THIS, SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IS CHEER THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR A WIDE RANGE OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF EXPERIENCES THAT FOLKS BRING TO BEAR IN THIS AREA. SO THAT'S ONE THING. SO A LITTLE BIT OF WORK EXPERIENCE. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING FOR LEADERS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT TIMES ARE TOUGH AND IT WILL TAKE CERTAIN KINDS OF LEADERSHIP QUALITIES TO HELP NAVIGATE THROUGH THESE ISSUES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. AND SO THE MAYORS HAVE ALSO COMMUNICATED TO US, THEY WANT PEOPLE WITH LEADERSHIP QUALITIES BECAUSE THEY'RE ALSO LOOKING AT BUILDING THEIR BENCH AND THINKING ABOUT HOW THESE FELLOWS MIGHT PLAY A ROLE LONGER TERM IN THEIR CITIES, SO I THINK THOSE TWO THINGS COUPLED TOGETHER ARE PRETTY CRITICAL. CERTAINLY WE'LL LOOK AT OTHER KINDS OF EDUCATION BACKGROUND AND THOSE ARE IMPORTANT AS AN EVIDENCE OF KIND OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, BUT SOME REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE IS -- AND LEADERSHIP ARE TWO OF THE IMPORTANT QUALITIES WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR. >> PERFECT. WHAT ARE THE BENCH MARKS FOR SUCCESS FOR THE SELECTED FELLOWS AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF THEY MAKE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES? >> THE SECRETARY MENTIONED BEFORE, WE'LL WILL BE, AS PART OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM, STRUCTURING A VERY CONCRETE PROJECT FOR EACH OF THE FELLOWS, SO AT THE END OF THEIR TIME, THEY WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO POINT TO THAT THEY WORKED ON AND CLEAR BENCH MARKS OF SUCCESS. AND THE CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY WHO HAS RUN A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM HAS VERY CLEAR, SORT OF WAYS TO IDENTIFY MILESTONES FOR THOSE PROJECTS, SO THAT DEFINE THE PROJECT, HIGHLIGHT MILES STONES AND OUTCOMES, AND THEY HAVE HAD PAST SUCCESS WITH ACTUALLY HAVING THESE PROJECTS RESULT IN COST SAVINGS OR IMPROVED SERVICE DELIVERY, AND SO WE'LL BE LOOK AT THAT IN THESE PROJECTS THAT FELLOWS WILL BE DOING AND VERY CLEARLY UP FRONT SETTING THOSE EXPECTATIONS OUT AND HAVING THE PROJECT IDENTIFICATION COME FROM BOTH THE MAYOR AND THE LOCAL LEADERSHIP IN THE CITY GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS THE INTERESTS OF THE FELLOWS. >> THIS QUESTION COMES FROM JOEL. HE ASKS, WHAT KIND OF WORK EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, AND SKILLS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN FELLOWS? >> SO THIS IS DEFINITELY A PROGRAM, AND WHEN I MENTIONED BEFORE THAT WE LOOKED AT OTHER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS TO DESIGN THIS ONE AND IN RESPONSE TO WHAT THE MAYORS SAID, WE DO WANT PEOPLE WITH SOME WORK EXPERIENCE. SO THIS IS EARLY TO MID CAREER FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY. THE PRESUMPTION IS, YES, PEOPLE HAVE COMPLETED COLLEGE AND PROVIDED THAT EVIDENCE TO US, BUT I THINK WE AROUND LOOKING NECESSARILY FOR ONE TO HAVE COMPLETED A MASTER'S DEGREE NECESSARILY, ALTHOUGH THAT IS SOMETHING WE WOULD WANT PEOPLE TO SHARE WITH US AS A PART OF THIS APPLICATION PROGRAM. BUT SORT OF THE PRACTICAL REAL-WORLD WORK EXPERIENCE IS IN ONE OF THESE TOPICAL AREAS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN. >> THE NEXT QUESTION COMES FROM ELLEN WHO ASKS, WILL THE FELLOWS HAVE ANY INPUT OR CHOICE INTO WHICH CITY THEY ARE SENT TO? >> WE WILL, IN THE LATER STAGE OF THE PROCESS, AFTER WE'VE DONE SOME INITIAL SCREENING OR I SHOULD SAY GERMAN MARSHALL FUND HAS DONE THE INITIAL SCREENING, REALLY ASK PEOPLE THEIR PREFERENCES FOR WHICH CITIES THEY WOULD LIKE TO GO TO. SO -- AND, YOU KNOW, THEY WILL BE THERE AND INTERVIEWED BY THOSE CITIES AND IF THEY'RE MADE AN OFFER, THEY HAVE A CHOICE TO ACCEPT OR DECLINE, BUT WE'RE HOPING THAT THEY WILL TELL US THAT THERE'S A CITY THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A PREFERENCE TO GO TO, THEY WILL BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT AND WILL ONLY GIVE US THE CITIES THAT THEY WOULD BE MOST INTERESTED IN GOING TO. >> NEXT QUESTION COMES FROM MAYOR ISABEL WHO ASKS WHAT KIND OF PROFESSIONALS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR TO APPLY FOR THE SC2 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. I THINK THAT RELATES TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS WE ANSWERED BEFORE. >> YES. >> MICHAEL SHAW ASKS, WHAT WILL SC2 FELLOWS HELP MANAGE -- HOW WILL SC2 FELLOWS HELP MANAGE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CITIES, FEDERAL, OBVIOUSLY AGENCIES, AND PHILANTHROPY. >> JUST RELATING BACK TO SOMETHING THE SECRETARY SAID BEFORE, THIS IS A CORNERSTONE OF THE APPROACH TO STRONG CITIES, STRONG COMMUNITIES. REALLY, WHAT UNDERGIRDS THIS IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF PARTNERSHIP, A DIFFERENT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND THE RECOGNITION THAT AN IMPORTANT BRIDGE IN THAT RELATIONSHIP OR IMPORTANT WAY IN WHICH THAT RELATIONSHIP CAN WORK BETTER ON THE GROUND IS THE ROLE OF PHILANTHROPY, NONPROFITS, INCREASINGLY THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL. SO THE SC2 FELLOWS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS KIND OF NEW PARTNERSHIP SYSTEM THAT WE'RE BUILDING. THEY DON'T HAVE TO CARRY ALL OF THAT MANAGEMENT OF THAT RELATIONSHIP ON THEIR OWN, BUT THEY SHOULD EXPECT TO COME IN TO THIS WITH SORT OF BEING A PART OF THAT NETWORK, HAVING -- MANAGING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WILL BE A CRITICAL PART OF THE WAY THEY CARRY OUT THEIR DAY-TO-DAY WORK, AND A VERY MUCH A CORNERSTONE OF THE PHILOSOPHY AND APPROACH OF THE STRONG CITIES, STRONG COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE. >> ERIC KA, THAT WAS OUR LAST QUESTION. >> GREAT. >> IF YOU DON'T MIND, JUST TELLING OUR VIEWERS ONE LAST TIME, WHERE CAN THEY GET ONE OF THE APPLICATIONS, APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM? >> THEY CAN GET THE APPLICATION BY GOING TO THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES WEBSITE OR THEY CAN GO TO HUD.GOV AND FOLLOW -- FINE THE OFFICE OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH AND FIND IT THERE, OR WWW IDENTIFY HUDER --.HUD USER IDENTIFY ORG WILL ALSO HAVE THE APPLICATION ON ITS SITE. >> COMPLELT EXCELLENT. AND WE'LL BE TWEETING OUT THAT INFORMATION AS WELL. >> GREAT, THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. THIS IS AN EXCITING PROGRAM. >> THANK YOU, GEORGE. I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP IN PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. NOW I CAN SAY I'VE DONE A TWITTER TOWN HALL. >> THERE YOU GO. >> THANKS.