Mayor, Councilman to Lead Council for National League of Cities
Dean, Steine to Co-Chair Council on Youth, Education, and Families
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (December 9, 2011) -Mayor Karl Dean and Metro Councilman Ronnie Steine have been appointed co-chairs of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) 2012 Council on Youth, Education, and Families. The one-year appointments were made by NLC President Ted Ellis, Mayor of Bluffton, Ind.
The appointments reflect the national recognition of the leadership they have shown on issues facing children and families. Dean’s innovative initiatives in support of youth and education include the SCHoLAR’s Academy to prepare Metro Nashville students for college; Limitless Libraries; the Music Makes Us music education curriculum; the Metro Student Attendance Center; the Nashville Afterschool Zone Alliance and the Tennessee Charter School Incubator.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to lead the Council on Youth, Education, and Families and to share our experiences in helping to improve education and youths’ lives here in Nashville. Nothing we do as a city is more important, and we have a great story to tell,” Dean said. “I look forward to working with Councilman Steine and others to help foster even more innovative ideas to strengthen families and improve the wellbeing of our children and youth here in Nashville and in cities across the country.”
NLC’s Council on Youth, Education, and Families was established in 1999 to promote and support municipal leadership on behalf of the nation’s children, youth and families.
“The YEF Council does such important work for young people nationwide,” Steine said. “I look forward to partnering with the Mayor in this leadership role. It will certainly give us an opportunity to share all we are doing here in Nashville and possibly pick up a good idea or two from other cities.”
While the Council has been led by many prominent mayors and city councilmembers, the partnership between Dean and Steine represents the first time in recent memory that a mayor and city councilmember from the same city have shared a leadership role on an NLC council or committee.
“Both Mayor Dean and Councilmember Steine have established themselves as national leaders in the effort to improve outcomes for children and families in our nation’s cities and towns,” said NLC President Ellis. “Their willingness to work together in bringing Nashville’s many innovations and accomplishments to NLC’s leadership group on these issues speaks volumes about their commitment to our next generation, and NLC will be stronger and more effective as a result of their ground-breaking collaboration.”
Mayor Johnny DuPree of Hattiesburg, Miss., and Karl Nurse, Council Member in St. Petersburg, Fla., will serve as Council vice chairs. The Council also oversees the work of NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families.
“We look forward to learning how this innovative leadership approach can add a new dimension to the Council’s work,” said Clifford Johnson, the Institute’s executive director. “If successful, we hope it will serve as a model for other NLC leadership groups in the years ahead.”
The Institute for Youth, Education, and Families helps municipal leaders take action on behalf of the children, youth and families in their communities. NLC launched the YEF Institute in January 2000 in recognition of the unique and influential roles that mayors, city council members and other local leaders can play in strengthening families and improving outcomes for children and youth.
The National League of Cities is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.
For media inquiries contact:
Bonna Johnson
615-862-6461
bonna.johnson@nashville.gov