POLICYLINK APPOINTS NEW ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING; AND ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF SENIOR STAFF MEMBER

New York, NY.  PolicyLink, the Oakland, California-based national nonprofit organization, announced today that Josh Kirschenbaum, senior associate, has been named the organization’s associate director for development and planning.  Kirschenbaum, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a master’s degree in city planning at the University of California, Berkeley, spearheaded the Community Building in the Digital Age initiative at PolicyLink, conducting research on cutting-edge trends, building community organizations’ capacity to harness the power of technology, and promoting the use of e-advocacy, Geographic Information Systems, and other computer applications as tools to achieve policy change.  He co-authored the PolicyLink reports Bridging the Organizational Divide: Toward a Comprehensive Approach to the Digital Divide (2001) and Community Mapping:  Using Geographic Data for Neighborhood Revitalization (2002).  Previously, Kirschenbaum directed a defense conversion research program at the University of California, Berkeley, where he managed partnerships between the university and the city of Oakland.  In his new role, Kirschenbaum will lead PolicyLink efforts to build diverse, multisector alliances and implement strategic initiatives to advance the organizational mission.  "Since he joined PolicyLink in 1999, Josh’s energy and enthusiasm have been an inspiration to the entire organization," said PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell.  "With his immense knowledge of the organization and his strategic guidance, we look forward to an even brighter future as we continue to advance economic and social equity." 

PolicyLink also announced the departure of associate director Raymond Colmenar, a longtime senior staff member who joined Blackwell during the formative stage of the organization in 1998.  Colmenar has assumed the position of senior program officer in the San Francisco office of The California Endowment (TCE), a private, statewide health foundation established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians.  He will work to advance TCE’s mission by building relationships with key community leaders and organizations and overseeing grantmaking at the Bay Area office. 

Prior to joining PolicyLink, Colmenar served as senior research associate at the Rockefeller Foundation, executive director of the South of Market Problem Solving Council, and policy analyst for the City and County of San Francisco; he also chairs the board of directors of Filipinos for Affirmative Action, and was a Rockefeller Foundation Next Generation Leadership Fellow.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego and a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.  During his seven-year tenure, Colmenar led PolicyLink projects in California focused on state-level fiscal reform, school construction policy, and equitable public infrastructure investment.  "Ray’s vision, dedication, and expertise have been critical to the success of PolicyLink, and he will be missed," said Angela Glover Blackwell.  "I know The California Endowment—and indeed the broader community building and public health fields—will benefit enormously from his talented leadership in this new position."

PolicyLink is a national nonprofit research, communications, capacity building, and advocacy organization working to advance policies to achieve economic and social equity. PolicyLink collaborates with a broad range of partners to implement strategies to ensure that everyone—including those from low-income communities of color—can contribute to and benefit from economic growth and prosperity.

Return to News Release Home