John Gomperts

ohn Gomperts . Washington, District Of Columbia Connect Connect with John Gomperts Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center See contact info 500+ connections John S. Gomperts became President and CEO of America’s Promise Alliance in May 2012. Prior to coming to America's Promise, he served as Director of AmeriCorps, starting in June 2010, with a responsibility for implementing the bipartisan Kennedy Serve America Act. Gomperts' work at AmeriCorps focused on demonstrating and increasing community impact and strengthening the AmeriCorps member experience. From 2006-2010, Gomperts served as President of Civic Ventures (now known as Encore.org), an organization devoted to promoting the engagement of millions of experienced baby boomers in encore careers. Gomperts was CEO of non-profit Experience Corps for five years beginning in 2003, leading a program that recruits people over 55 to be tutors and mentors in urban public schools. He led Experience Corps through dramatic growth and expansion, as well as a highly successful independent evaluation of Experience Corps’ impact. Prior to joining Civic Ventures and Experience Corps, Gomperts served in a variety of positions including COO at Public Education Network; Chief of Staff for the Corporation for National and Community Service; Legislative Director for Senator Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania; and Deputy Director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Committee, working for Senators Tom Daschle of South Dakota and John Kerry of Massachusetts. Before working on Capitol Hill, Gomperts worked at an advocacy organization, practiced law and clerked for a federal judge. Gomperts has also served on numerous boards and advisory groups, including Points of Light Institute/Hands On Network, VolunteerMatch, The News Literacy Project and Politics & Prose Bookstore. Gomperts earned his JD from Georgetown University Law Center and graduated magna cum laude from University of California, Berkeley with an AB in History. Gomperts is married to Katherine J. Klein, a Professor of Management and Vice-Dean for Social Impact at The Wharton School, and they have two daughters, Nora and Lily. Show less Show less of John’s summary Articles & activity 1,765 followers Must Reads: A Priest, a Pediatrician, and Other Leaders on the Importance of Relationships to Young People John’s profile photo John Gomperts Published on LinkedIn Ask young people what they need to thrive and it always comes back to relationships—people who know them, care about them, who are in their corner and on their side. And when we ask young people what helped them get back on track after a detour, the answer is invariably a person who offered support and encouragement. It might be a relative, a neighbor, a peer, a boss, a coach, a teacher, or a mentor. Many people have long recognized the importance of relationships, but I sense (and very much hope for) a growing and much broader recognition of the central role that caring adults and relationships play in helping young people develop. Over the past few months, there have been a notable series of articles, books, and materials by thought-leaders both in and outside of the youth development sector that help underscore the centrality of relationships in a young person’s life. Here are six I highly recommend and urge you to read if you care about relationships in the lives of young people: 1. In School and Out, Relationships Matter If you’d expect anyone to know a thing or two about the power of relationships, that would be the CEO of Communities In Schools, Dale Erquiaga. After all, CIS’ motto is, “It’s relationships, not programs, that change children.” So, it’s little wonder that Erquiaga published a terrific piece laying out the argument for why young people need relationships with caring adults in their lives. He covers brain development, epigenetics, and what Kent Pekel from the Search Institute calls the “relationship gap.” Erquiaga also reminds us that the subject of relationships is a rare topic that everyone can agree on: “It's certainly not as easy as swiping left or right to find a relationship. But it does seem like something the left and right can both agree on as we debate how to improve schools.” 2. Developmental Relationships: The Active Ingredient in Youth Interventions Search Institute continues to build on their strong track record around the power of relationships with a new study. In 2012, a group of researchers from said that “developmental relationships” for young people is like fluoride in toothpaste: it’s easy to get distracted by flashy colors or innovative ideas, but it’s this central ingredient that really makes a difference. With that idea in mind, Search Institute is in the middle of a multi-year study examining how we can strengthen these relationships in young people’s lives—particularly young people from marginalized communities—and this paper describes their findings so far. 3. The Power of Relationships: How and Why American Adults Step Up to Mentor the Nation’s Youth This summer MENTOR released a follow-up to their 2014 report The Mentoring Effect. The new report, The Power of Relationships, provides the most comprehensive picture of what adults think about mentoring kids who are not their own. The report is full of interesting insights, including the fact that two-thirds of Americans consider it highly important for young people to have mentors, but they estimate that only a quarter of youth have the mentors they need. Echoing Dale Erquiaga’s comment about caring adult relationships being an idea that can attract broad-based support, the MENTOR report finds that mentoring unites people, even in a time of division. The research shows deep and enthusiastic support for public and private investments in mentoring. 4. Where American Renewal Begins The New York Times columnist David Brooks has long recognized and often written about the importance of relationships. It was only a matter of time before he found his way to Thread in Baltimore—and he was predictably captivated by what Thread is doing. Thread provides underperforming students with a “family” of volunteers, adults who provide the support that is so crucial to their success. “In short, the organization weaves an elaborate system of relationships, a cohesive village, around the task of helping kids,” Brooks writes. His column does a terrific job of conveying the work and the ethos that makes Thread so special. 5. Who You Know Julia Freeland Fisher, who leads the education research division of the Clayton Christensen Institute, set out to write a book about education technology and ended up writing a book about the power and importance of relationships. While educators and advocates often think about the developmental importance of relationships, Fisher zeroes in on the vital nature of the social capital that relationships can provide. Who You Know is a short, smart volume, and it provides specific guidance for schools interested in creating models that increase a student’s access to caring adults, investing in models that strengthen teacher-student relationships, and using the latest technologies that expand students’ networks to experts and mentors. 6. The Underrated Healing Power of a Healthy Relationship Finally, I recently had the privilege of reviewing two remarkable new books about relationships: The Deepest Well: Healing from the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Nadine Burke Harris and Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship by Father Greg Boyle. Burke Harris is a highly-respected pediatrician, Father Boyle a Jesuit priest. Both work with children and youth, but they come from vastly different (and often opposing) perspectives of science and faith. Yet, in two powerful books, Burke Harris and Boyle arrive at the same conclusion: that positive, caring relationships play a crucial role in healing toxic stress and putting young people back on a path to success. If a physician and a priest agree on what’s most important, the rest of us should pay close attention. These are just a few of the books, studies, and articles that remind us just how much relationships matter. It’s great to see more awareness and energy around this important topic, and I hope you continue to keep the momentum going by reading, reflecting, and of course, sharing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John Gomperts is the president & CEO of America’s Promise Alliance, the nation’s largest partnership of organizations, communities and individuals committed to improving the lives of children and young people. 3 Comments Like Comment Share See all articles No alt text provided for this image Getting School Discipline Right. Rescinding the Department of Education's 2014 “Rethinking Discipline” guidance is the wrong approach. It won't make schools safer. We know that exclusionary discipline doesn't help students learn or thrive. And the data show exclusionary discipline is applied disproportionately to students of color. Full statement here: John shared this 9 Likes See all activity Experience Corporation for National and Community Service Director, AmeriCorps Company NameCorporation for National and Community Service Dates EmployedJun 2010 – Mar 2012 Employment Duration1 yr 10 mos LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area Encore.org President Company NameEncore.org Dates Employed2003 – 2010 Employment Duration7 yrs LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area Experience Corps President & CEO Company NameExperience Corps Dates Employed2003 – 2008 Employment Duration5 yrs LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area Public Education Network Chief Operating Officer Company NamePublic Education Network Dates Employed2001 – 2003 Employment Duration2 yrs LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area Corporation for National and Community Service Chief of Staff Company NameCorporation for National and Community Service Dates Employed1997 – 2000 Employment Duration3 yrs LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area Senate Democratic Leadership Committee Director, Steering Committee Company NameSenate Democratic Leadership Committee Dates Employed1995 – 1997 Employment Duration2 yrs LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area U.S. Senator Harris Wofford Legislative Director Company NameU.S. Senator Harris Wofford Dates Employed1992 – 1995 Employment Duration3 yrs LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area People For the American Way Legislative Counsel Company NamePeople For the American Way Dates Employed1989 – 1992 Employment Duration3 yrs LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area Kaye Scholer LLP Associate Attorney Company NameKaye Scholer LLP Dates Employed1984 – 1989 Employment Duration5 yrs LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area United States District Court for Northern California Judicial Law Clerk Company NameUnited States District Court for Northern California Dates Employed1982 – 1984 Employment Duration2 yrs LocationSan Francisco Bay Area Show fewer experiences Education Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center Degree NameJuris Doctor (J.D.) Dates attended or expected graduation 1979 – 1982 University of California, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley Degree NameBachelor's Degree Field Of StudyHistory Dates attended or expected graduation 1975 – 1977 University of the Pacific University of the Pacific Dates attended or expected graduation 1974 – 1975