Cronin selected as Aspen Institute fellow
Idaho state Rep. Brian Cronin, D-Boise, has been selected as a fellow of the Aspen Institute, in its Aspen-Rodel Fellowship program that focuses on transcending political partisanship and focusing attention on leadership and governance. Cronin is only the second Idahoan to be selected for the program; the first was Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in 2007. The program selects 24 elected officials a year, half Democrats and half Republicans and all under age 50; the fellows will participate in three weekend seminars in Aspen, all expenses paid.
Mickey Edwards, a former longtime Republican congressman from Oklahoma who chairs the program, said, "Fellows are selected based on their reputations for intelligence, thoughtfulness, and a willingness to work across party lines to seek solutions to public problems." Click below for the institute's full announcement.
September 22, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aspen Institute Selects Cronin as Governance “Rising Star”
Boise legislator among only 24 elected officials nationwide selected for Rodel Fellowship
(Boise) — The Aspen Institute has announced that Rep. Brian C. Cronin (D-Boise), the House Minority Caucus Chairman, has been selected as one of 24 of America’s leading public officials asked to participate in the Aspen-Rodel Fellowship program. Now in its seventh year, the program is focused on transcending political partisanship and focusing attention on overarching questions of leadership and governance.
“Fellows are selected based on their reputations for intelligence, thoughtfulness, and a willingness to work across party lines to seek solutions to public problems,” said former Congressman Mickey Edwards, the program’s director. “We are pleased to welcome this year’s class of fellows as they continue to make a difference in our public lives across the country.”
The class of 2012 is the seventh class of Rodel Fellows. Each year the institute selects 24 elected officials who have been nominated—12 Republicans and 12 Democrats, all under the age of 50. The inaugural class included Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Congressman Paul Ryan, and former Lt. Gov. and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. The 2012 class includes several state attorneys general, mayors, legislators, and California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the former Mayor of San Francisco. Cronin is only the second Idahoan to have ever been selected as a Rodel Fellow; Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden participated in the Class of 2007.
“I’m deeply humbled by the honor and recognition that this fellowship represents,” said Cronin. “I look forward to getting to know and learning from some very accomplished public servants. And in today’s highly polarized political environment, this program is an amazing and unique opportunity to look past our differences and explore strategies and frameworks for solving the many challenges currently facing our country and our states in more collaborative and productive ways. The skills, ideas, and insights that I will take away will no doubt serve me well in my work in the Idaho Legislature.”
The 24-month program kicks off in January, with the first of three weekend-long seminars taking place in Aspen. All expenses are paid for by the Aspen Institute.
For more information about the Rodel Fellowship, visit http://as.pn/rodel
About The Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute mission is two-fold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, D.C.; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
About Rep. Brian Cronin
Brian Cronin was elected to the House of Representatives in 2008 and became Minority Caucus Chairman in 2010. He represents Idaho’s District 19, which includes Boise’s North End, East End, downtown, Foothills, Highlands, Warm Springs Mesa, and Harris Ranch. Cronin is the owner of Cronin & Associates, a marketing and communications firm he founded in 2003. He and his wife Veronica also own and operate Garabatos Spanish Preschool, which they founded in 2006.
