Hires Exec from American Society on Aging, Wall Street Journal Reporter; Promotes Former Washington Post Columnist

SAN FRANCISCO — Civic Ventures, a nonprofit think tank and incubator working to capture the historic opportunity for social renewal created by the aging of the baby boom, added significant new experience to its national team recently.

• Jim Emerman, former chief operating officer at the American Society on Aging, is Civic Ventures new executive vice president and will run its newest national initiative, the Purpose Prize. Nominations opened today for five $100,000 investments in Americans over the age of 60 who are combining their passion, creativity, experience and entrepreneurial skills to tackle issues of social significance. (For details, go to www.LeadWithExperience.org.)
• David Bank, veteran Wall Street Journal reporter and author of Breaking Windows: How Bill Gates Fumbled the Future of Microsoft, is a new senior vice president and will direct the new Civic Ventures Institute.
• Stefanie Weiss, communications director at Experience Corps and freelance author of a column called "Midlife" in the Washington Post, is Civic Ventures new vice president for communications.

"We are very fortunate to have all three of these exceptionally talented people working in key leadership positions at Civic Ventures," said Marc Freedman, the organization's founder and president. "They're innovative thinkers and accomplished professionals who will help Civic Ventures capture the opportunities that exist in a nation rich with experience."

Emerman is leading a $9 million, three-year program to celebrate and stimulate innovation among social entrepreneurs over the age of 60. In addition to the Purpose Prize, the effort will include a national summit for experienced and aspiring social innovators from across the country and a $1.5 million Fund for Innovation to provide grants to help prize winners and finalists expand their community work and take breakthrough ideas to scale.

"After 17 years working in the field of aging, it's heartening to see real attention being given to the creativity and entrepreneurial talent of people in the second half of life. It's an incredible opportunity for me to be part of changing the way our society views this huge and largely untapped resource," Emerman said.

Bank, whose book on Bill Gates was named one of the Best Business Books of 2001 by the Harvard Business Review, is leading Civic Ventures think tank activities. He will direct the Institute's research and report and write on the dramatic social, economic and political changes taking place as the largest generation in the nation's history moves through and beyond its 50s. The Institute's new blog is now online at www.ageofinnovation.org.

"It's a huge story," said Bank. "The demographic shifts are inevitable. They can either become a crisis or an opportunity. The more I grasped the scale of the changes ahead, the more I realized I wanted not only to cover them, but to help take advantage of them to solve some big problems."

Weiss, after two years with Civic Ventures' signature program Experience Corps, has assumed direction of communications efforts for all of Civic Ventures programs.

"Over the past two years, I've been inspired by Experience Corps's growth and success, and wowed by the creativity, innovation, and dedication of Experience Corps's members," Weiss said. "I'm pleased to be able to continue working with Experience Corps, while also diving in to help tell the bigger story of the potential of older adults to transform America."

Civic Ventures is a think tank and program incubator, working to help society achieve the greatest return on experience. Experience Corps, a national service program that engages adults over 55 to solve serious social problems in their communities, is a signature program of Civic Ventures.

To learn more, visit www.civicventures.org or www.experiencecorps.org.

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