Corporation for National and Community Service

Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting

September 19, 2018

12:00 p.m. ET

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The Board of Directors for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) convened 

in Washington, D.C. on September 19, 2018. The following members were present:

 Shamina Singh, Chair

 Rick Christman

 Eric Liu

 Mona Dixon (by telephone)

Chair’s Opening Statement

Chair Shamina Singh called the meeting to order, welcomed the other Board members and the 

attendees at headquarters and on the phone, and thanked everyone for continuing to give their 

time, energy, and expertise to CNCS and its thousands of projects that engage millions of 

citizens in results-driven service. She also thanked all the dedicated staff members and 

volunteers from CNCS programs who carry out the vital work of national service every day at 

50,000 locations around the country.

Ms. Singh reviewed the agenda: She would deliver comments; CEO Barbara Stewart would 

provide an update on agency activities; the Board would recognize several people for their 

service; there would be an update on CNCS initiatives and partnerships to support veterans 

and military families; and Ms. Singh would open the floor for public comments.
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Report on the Board’s Retreat

Ms. Singh reported that the Board had had a stimulating and educational conversation, 

beginning with a strong report from Barbara Stewart about operations, personnel updates, and 

the agency’s plentiful recent accomplishments. They discussed Board nominations and

governance. The Board expressed hope that the Senate would move expeditiously to approve 

the two pending nominations. 

Barbara and her senior team, including Brian Finch, Director of Business Transformation, Lori 

Giblin, Chief Risk Officer, and Woody Davis, Acting Chief Information Officer, offered a lengthy 

discussion on the Transformation and Sustainability Plan. Ms. Singh said:

I compliment Barbara and her team for the careful and thoughtful approach that they’ve 

taken in developing the Plan and for going the extra mile to get input from the staff of 

CNCS, and grantees and partners in the field, so thank you for that, Barbara.

The Board shares the goal of the Plan to strengthen programs, expand opportunities for 

Americans to service and increase our impact in communities. We agree that this is an 

opportune time to strengthen the core operational functions that we need to do in order to 

build long-term sustainability and growth for CNCS.

The Plan addresses topics the Board has been working on for years, including the need to 

address the criminal history background check process, modernizing our information 

technology systems, and simplifying branding. We were pleased to hear about the 

extensive effort made to secure a new vendor to provide timely and compliant criminal 

history background checks. This is a major step that will reduce burdens on grantees and 

staff. This is very important work and, while not very glamorous, it’s essential to the 

smooth functioning of the Agency and stewardship of taxpayers’ dollars. As a Board of 

Directors, ensuring that efficiencies to promote service and to produce more impact of 

service is our key priority. The Board appreciates how CNCS is always looking for ways to 
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strengthen operations, risk management, and accountability.

We recognize that national service is built on partnerships and appreciate how Barbara 

and her team have actively sought input from State Commission staff and grantees around 

the country on how to implement the Plan and we encourage that dialogue to continue.

We’re also appreciative of how many staff are engaged in the process on the working 

groups to support the Plan.

The Board will continue to be engaged in transformation and sustainability and the 

implementation of the components that will put CNCS on the path to growth and impact.

The Board discussed budget and financial matters with Bob McCarty, Chief Financial Officer,

and reviewed ongoing efforts to educate elected officials about CNCS’s critical work with Bo 

Bryant, Director of Government Relations. The Board is pleased that Congress is expected to 

approve an increase in the agency’s budget for the second year in a row.

The chair closed her recap with compliments for CEO Barbara Stewart for her outstanding job 

since taking the helm of the agency. She asked Ms. Stewart to report.

The Chief Executive Officer’s Report

Ms. Stewart thanked Ms. Singh and the Board. She noted how lucky CNCS is to have Ms. Singh as 

Chair and to have a dedicated, distinguished Board. CNCS is fortunate to have the wisdom and 

guidance of a Board – an unusual arrangement in government.

Ms. Stewart also thanked her team at CNCS and noted how grateful she is for the wonderful 
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work the agency team is doing, at times under difficult circumstances. She has found the CNCS 

family’s focus on the mission to be impressive and appreciates all they do to move national 

service forward. She’s also grateful for the grantees, who are part of CNCS’s extended family 

and our boots on the ground as they work daily with volunteers and service members.

Ms. Stewart noted that one of the most fun things about being CEO, and a great blessing as well,

has been the chance to meet so many people who do truly great work. Ms. Stewart read a 

portion of her remarks about recent agency accomplishments, the extensive listening sessions 

held over the summer on the Transformation and Sustainability Plan, and a summary of input 

the agency received on the plan so that “the great things that are occurring here at CNCS are 

properly included in the record.” She said:

Twenty-five years ago this Friday, the National and Community Service Trust Act was 

signed into law. It’s really a wonderful milestone that we’re about to embark upon. The 

bipartisan legislation that created CNCS and AmeriCorps ushered in a new era of citizen 

service in America. And over the past quarter century, national service has produced 

extraordinary results, helping countless Americans succeed in school, find productive 

work, escape poverty and achieve their potential in life. We should all feel absolutely

wonderful about being part of that success story.

Through Senior Corps and AmeriCorps, millions of Americans have experienced the 

transforming impact of national service, changing their lives through powerful ways and 

helping them accomplish things that they never thought they could. We’ve seen national 

service embraced by America’s nonprofit, faith-based, and voluntary sector and that our 

core principles of local control, grass roots solutions, and public-private partnerships are 

right on track.

The 25th anniversary is an opportune time to reflect on our proud past but even more 
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important, it’s a time to look ahead, to build for the future, and make the changes 

necessary to ensure our long-term sustainability and growth. As all of you here at CNCS 

know, that is my top priority. As CEO, the goals of our Transformation and Sustainability 

Plan are to strengthen our programs, expand opportunities to serve, and increase our 

positive impact in communities across the nation.

We’ve just finished a three-month listening session period. As many of you are well aware, 

more than 700 people participated in one of seven listening sessions or calls, and we 

received more than 260 comments from individuals and organizations in written form.

This process was extremely helpful, and I want to say a big thank you to everyone who 

took the opportunity to provide comment, whether in writing or in person, and a big 

thanks to the team here at CNCS who helped organize and coordinate those listening 

sessions.

The comments we heard covered a lot of ground and we heard some concerns and we got 

a lot of good suggestions. It was really interesting to hear the input of our external 

community. One of my big takeaways, however, is that we are on the right path. There was 

a great deal of support for the goals and the accomplishments that the goals will lead to in 

terms of growing national service and sustaining our organization. We received a number 

of positive comments about the direction and the overall focus of building a sustainable 

future.

As hopefully you all have seen and read, we sent a detailed update not only to the CNCS 

employee team but also our very broad national service family on Monday about what we 

heard, and while I’m not going to go into the details of that, hopefully you all have had a 

chance to read it. I want to highlight a few key takeaways.

On our first goal, to improve core business functions, we heard loud and clear that we need 

to make it easier for grantees to complete a criminal history check process, a topic that we 

spent some time this morning discussing. The criminal history check process is a burden 

for our grantees. It’s also, unfortunately, very necessary – but we were very pleased to 

share with our AmeriCorps colleagues just last week that we’ve engaged a national vendor 

that will be able to provide timely and compliant checks for CNCS grantees starting this 

fall. When we presented this at the AmeriCorps symposium just last week, it was the 

applause line. It was what grantees were most excited about. So, solving our grantees’
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problems is one of the things we need to be doing and I’m very pleased with the work 

that’s been done here in the organization to get us to that point.

We also heard, not surprisingly, how important it is to have a reliable and modern IT 

system and that along those lines, there’s a great interest in grantees participating in the 

process of testing that new system and also being involved in the design of how it will look 

going forward. We agree on both points. We need to involve our grantees. The state 

commissions, in particular, are very interested in being involved in that process.

A number of grantees weighed in on Goal 3, about evidence. It was interesting to me,

because this seemed to be such an obvious goal, using evidence in our decision making. But 

the devil is always in the details, and so we have been discussing with grantees the reality 

that we need to focus more on evidence, use evidence more so that we can have greater 

impact. That’s the whole purpose of that goal. More evidence leads to greater impact. But 

we have emphasized with our external stakeholders – and I emphasize with you all today –

that this is a directional goal. This isn’t a cliff. This isn’t a way to defund organizations. The 

notion of using more evidence going forward so that we can have greater impact leads to 

the long-term sustainability of national service. It also is another example of being good 

stewards of taxpayer dollars.

We heard a number of very positive comments about the goal of simplifying and 

streamlining the application process. That comes as no surprise to any of you. We also 

heard about the equally important opportunity to simplify grants management 

requirements and procedures within and across programs. We’re taking that input very 

seriously as we design processes going forward. We share that goal of wanting to 

streamline the process for applicants and current grantees.

We heard very broad support for the notion of improving and simplifying our brand.

Again, that will not surprise anyone participating in this meeting today. There’s a number 

of perspectives of what the specifics of that will look like but there is very strong consensus 

about the fact that we need to have a simplified brand so that more Americans will know 

what our programs are, will know what our programs stand for, and easily understand 

what our programs are and how they can get involved. It’s also extremely important that 

our stakeholders here in Washington understand our programs so that they understand 

that when they’re supporting our grantees, that support needs to translate into supporting 
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CNCS.

So, these are some of our big takeaways from our listening sessions. We have been 

incorporating their insight and input into the working groups. Progress on all these goals 

in terms of timing is going to vary going forward and will move at different paces, but we 

will continue to seek input from the CNCS team and the field and provide updates in the 

coming months.

I want to also thank all the individuals in CNCS who submitted an application to be a part 

of the working groups. Nearly 20 percent of our organization were sufficiently interested 

in engaging in this process that they submitted an application and for just the first two 

working groups, we have a terrific team of colleagues who have graciously spent 

significant time over the last couple of months and I am really looking forward to hearing 

their recommendations next month.

After her remarks on the Transformation and Sustainability Plan, Ms. Stewart addressed 

CNCS’s other priorities for supporting our field and building for our future. She noted the 

agency’s preparation – then underway – for responding to Hurricane Florence, and 

complimented the effective work of the Disaster Services Unit (DSU) and AmeriCorps members. 

She noted how the DSU has been coordinating with federal, state, and local emergency 

partners, including State Service Commissions and our state offices. CNCS has 500 members of 

the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team, including FEMA Corps members, on standby for rapid 

deployment as soon as we get the go-ahead.

Ms. Stewart noted further that, while it is always sad when our fellow Americans face these 

challenges, our ability to be a part of their recovery is an extremely impressive aspect of our 
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programming. The spirit of service we’ve seen in the Carolinas is just the latest example of 

Americans coming together to support each other in challenging times.

The previous Tuesday was the 17th anniversary of 9/11. Congress authorized CNCS to lead the

September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance to commemorate this tragic event 

and remind us that service and patriotism go hand-in-hand to strengthen the fabric of our 

country. Members of CNCS leadership served at several sites across the country. Ms. Stewart 

hosted House Education and Workforce Chairman Virginia Foxx; they served together with an 

AmeriCorps NCCC team at a Habitat for Humanity site in North Carolina. Chairwoman Foxx 

brought a plant, dug a hole, and planted it next to the Habitat home, and said it was an honor to 

serve alongside so many selfless volunteers to remember the lives lost on 9/11. It was a 

wonderful moment, and fantastic to see someone who has had concerns about CNCS take the 

time to engage with our volunteers and see first-hand the wonderful work our AmeriCorps 

members are doing.

Another priority has been making sure the White House, Members of Congress, and other key 

decision-makers know about the critical work national service members and volunteers do to 

solve problems in communities throughout the country. Many of the projects they work on are 

directly aligned with Administration priorities, including combatting the opioid crisis, 

preparing for the 21st Century jobs, supporting veterans and military families, and much more.
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Ms. Stewart noted how the agency has been working with land management agencies on ideas 

to expand conservation service opportunities and meeting with high-level leaders at the 

Department of Health and Human Service and the White House about how national service can 

play a bigger role in addressing the opioid crisis.

Ms. Stewart was pleased to see that Fiscal Year 2019 Conference Agreement includes an 

increase in funding for AmeriCorps and Senior Corps – a testament to everyone’s great work

and the critical role national service plays in the country, and an acknowledgement by 

Congress of the work that has been done.

Ms. Stewart next shared “Be the Greater Good,” a new AmeriCorps Public Service 

Announcement recruitment video. She noted that a stronger economy and wider availability of 

employment makes recruiting for AmeriCorps programs just a bit more difficult. She has heard 

about this challenge from colleagues at CNCS and from colleagues in the field who do the 

recruiting. She thanked Chester Spellman, Director of AmeriCorps State and National, for 

recognizing the need for this PSA and getting the ball in motion, and Mike Cys and his Office of 

External Affairs team for producing this video. Narration was by Jerry Prentice, Director of the 

National Service Trust. The PSA was created entirely in-house, which saved significant 

resources. The “Be the Greater Good” video was then shown. The PSA will soon be sent to 1,200 

television stations across the country. The State Service Commissions will help with outreach, 
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and there will be a digital outreach campaign.

Ms. Stewart concluded by noting how proud she is of the ways our 300,000 AmeriCorps 

members and Senior Corps volunteers make an impact in 50,000 locations across the country.

Since she joined CNCS, it has been a privilege to meet so many volunteers and members who 

are helping people – and even more special to see the individuals they have helped and the 

lives that have been changed by their volunteer service. She is proud of what was done before 

she arrived and even more excited about where we are now. National service has a strong 

foundation, growing bipartisan support, a quarter-century of knowledge and experience, and a 

plan to move forward and strengthen CNCS and the national service movement. She is excited 

about what the future holds for all of us.

Chair Singh thanked Ms. Stewart for a fantastic report and complimented the PSA. She 

personally has seen it shared widely on Facebook by people who loved the video, love 

AmeriCorps, and love service, noting that it was a wonderful video. She thanked Barbara for all 

that she is doing that and for jumping right in, noting that Ms. Stewart hit the ground running 

and hasn’t looked back.

Chair Singh welcomed Board member Eric Liu and asked if any Board members had questions 

or comments on Ms. Stewart’s report. There were no questions.
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Recognition of Service

Chair Singh next recognized several people who have provided outstanding service to CNCS 

and our nation. First to be recognized were two attorneys from CNCS’s Office of General 

Counsel.

John C. Greenhaugh was recognized for his 27 years of honorable service in the U.S. Army Judge 

Advocate General’s Corps, 10 years in the District of Columbia’s General Counsel’s Office, and as

Associate General Counsel at CNCS. John provided wise legal advice to AmeriCorps VISTA, 

Research and Evaluation, the Office of External Affairs, and the CNCS Board, among others. John 

exemplifies the qualities of public service.

Thomas L. Bryant was recognized for 20 years of service in the U. S. Army Judge Advocate 

General Corps and for his service since 1993, when he was detailed from the Department of

Defense to CNCS, to support the establishment and operation of AmeriCorps NCCC – and never 

left. He served as an Associate General Counsel since 1994, providing key guidance to Senior

Corps and NCCC. The Board thanked Tom for devoting more than 44 years to the practice of 

law and public service, supporting those who defend our country through the military, and 

those serving their communities through CNCS programs.
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Because the Board had previously voted to approve resolutions for Mr. Greenhaugh and Mr. 

Bryant, no votes were needed at this meeting.

Kim Mansaray was recognized for serving a cause larger than herself for more than a quarter of 

a century, personifying the integrity, high standards, and professionalism of a public servant. 

She has dedicated her career to advancing programs that have transformed countless lives at 

home and abroad. Kim started her national service journey as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra 

Leone and returns next month to the Peace Corps, where she will serve as Country Director in 

Mongolia. Kim provided outstanding leadership at CNCS for more than 17 years, serving in 

positions of increasing responsibility, including as Acting Chief Executive Officer from January 

2017 until February 2018. Kim provided strong, steady leadership as Acting CEO during a time 

of transition, keeping everyone focused on mission and operations. She handled sensitive 

discussions with Congress and the White House, kept open communications with key 

stakeholders, and created a supportive work culture that valued performance, professionalism,

and respect at a time when employee satisfaction had decreased across the federal 

government.

Chair Singh personally, and on behalf of the Board, expressed her profound respect for Kim and 

a deep appreciation for her invaluable service, guidance, and tireless efforts on behalf of public 

service. She noted that she has been an amazing colleague, an incredible friend, and a true 
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leader who has Chair Singh’s and the whole Board’s undying respect, admiration, appreciation,

and gratitude for her leadership in a time of change. Ms. Singh thanked Kim and invited the

other Board members to speak about her.

Mr. Christman thanked Kim, remarked on the pleasure of knowing her, wished her all the best, 

and noted what a fabulous job she did of “keeping our wheels on the road.” Mr. Liu added his 

own gratitude and said that Kim’s leadership was pivotal during a period of transition. She has 

modeled the spirit of servant leadership that we often talk about. Mr. Liu added that he had

been delayed in arriving at the Board meeting because he’d been at a gathering of people at the 

Marine Corps to think about recruitment. The Marines’ slogan, “every Marine a rifleman,”

means every Marine, whatever his or her job may be – cook, commandant, pilot – needs to 

know the basics of marksmanship. Kim embodies the civic equivalent of that. In every role she 

had at CNCS, she was at her core a servant of the people. The Peace Corps is lucky to gain the 

benefit of her experience.

Chair Singh called for a vote on the resolution honoring Kim. Mr. Liu seconded the motion and 

suggested that Ms. Singh read the “Therefore...” clause before the full vote. She invited Mr. Liu 

to do that. He read: “Therefore, be it resolved this 19th day of September 2018, that the Board

of Directors for the Corporation for National and Community Service expresses its profound 

respect and deep appreciation for Kim Mansaray’s invaluable service, guidance, and tireless 
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efforts on behalf of public service.”

Ms. Singh asked for a vote on the resolution. All Board members present were in favor, and the 

resolution was approved.

Ms. Mansaray was brought up front to receive an award. Chair Singh read: “With grateful 

recognition, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Office of the 

President of the United States honors Kim Mansaray for the President’s Lifetime Achievement 

Award for her lifelong commitment to building a stronger nation through volunteer service.”

Ms. Mansaray expressed sincere thanks to the Board.

Ms. Singh next recognized Board member Rick Christman for his dedication and contributions 

on the CNCS Board. He served two terms on the Board – from April 2012 to May 2013 and from 

March 2015 through the week after this Board meeting. Ms. Singh noted the “excellent insights, 

advice, and guidance on a wide range of subjects, especially on matters related to management 

and operations” that Mr. Christman had contributed. Ms. Singh added that the Board will miss 

him, and his effective and passionate advocacy for national service.

Eric Liu said he appreciated Mr. Christman’s experience, wisdom, and steady sensibility. These 

traits, he noted, were critical for everyone, but especially for Mr. Liu when he was new to the 
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Board.

Mr. Christman reflected on his years of service on CNCS’s Board, saying he’s been delighted to 

get to know such great Board members and staff, and that from his perspective as CEO of an 

organization, he wants everyone to know that CNCS has been, and remains, in very good hands.

Ms. Singh called for a vote on the resolution honoring Mr. Christman. Mr. Liu moved for the 

vote; all were in favor and the resolution was approved.

Introduction of CNCS Senior Leaders Earl Gay and Deborah Cox-Roush

Ms. Singh introduced two of CNCS’s senior leaders, Earl Gay and Deborah Cox-Roush, to speak 

about initiatives in their programs.

Mr. Gay, U. S. Navy Rear Admiral, retired, is the Presidential appointee serving as Senior 

Advisor for Wounded Warrior, Veteran, and Military Family Initiatives. He has more than 35 

years of experience, including tours as Commander of the Navy Recruiting Command, 

Commandant of the Naval District, Washington, D.C., and the Navy’s Director of Congressional 

Liaison for the U. S. House of Representatives. He was Senior Advisor at the Office of Personnel 

Management and Assistant Administrator at the Small Business Administration. Admiral Gay 

spoke about recent initiatives to support veterans and military families. Ms. Singh noted that 
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CNCS has a dual mission related to veterans: we both engage them and serve them. Passage of 

the Serve America Act increased CNCS’s focus in this important area.

Ms. Singh also introduced Deborah Cox-Roush, Director of Senior Corps. Ms. Cox-Roush leads 

the Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, and RSVP programs, which together engage 

220,000 Americans age 55 and over in volunteer service to meet pressing needs in 

communities across the nation. She noted that Ms. Cox-Roush brings more than 30 years of 

high-level professional experience in management, advocacy, and volunteer coordination to 

CNCS. She has a long history of involvement with community, nonprofit, and philanthropic 

causes related to women, economic empowerment, small business development, and job 

creation.

Remarks by Earl Gay

Admiral Gay noted that in his role as the Senior Advisor for Wounded Warrior, Veteran, and 

Military Family Initiatives, he works across CNCS’s four major programs: AmeriCorps State 

National, VISTA, NCCC, and Senior Corps. He described his work with them as finding ways to 

expand and strengthen our strong foundations through collaboration and building trusting 

relationships so that CNCS can serve more veterans and have more veterans serving.

AmeriCorps State and National and VISTA offer strong capacity-building for programs that help

veterans. He also noted that CNCS has strong programs across the nation where veterans 
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mentor veterans, including college student veterans.

Admiral Gay noted his enthusiasm about AmeriCorps NCCC’s efforts for veterans, highlighting 

that for the past four years NCCC has provided critical logistical support to the VA’s annual 

National Wheelchair Games, a rewarding experience for everyone.

Admiral Gay noted CNCS’s strong focus on helping veterans – especially wounded warriors and 

their families – transition to civilian life when they return from overseas deployment, with 

particular emphasis on addressing veterans’ suicide rate of 22 per day. He noted that, of all 

CNCS’s programs, Senior Corps has the greatest involvement with the VA. Senior Companion 

and RSVP have 27,000 veterans who volunteer. He also noted that Senior Corps is 

spearheading the Veterans Health Administration’s Choose Home initiative, begun from a 

strong partnership cultivated by CNCS’s Erin Dahlin and the VA’s Lelia Jackson.

Remarks by Deborah Cox-Roush

Ms. Cox-Roush thanked the Board for inviting her to speak and noted that one of her highest 

priorities when she came to CNCS was to use taxpayer dollars wisely. She wants to raise up 

Senior Corps, national service, and CNCS. CNCS is one team with one mission: How do we save 

taxpayer dollars, collaborate, and act as one team with one mission? With partnerships.
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Ms. Cox-Roush updated the Board on the public partnerships Senior Corps has been working 

on across the federal government. These inter-agency partnerships save taxpayers’ dollars by 

sharing resources, collaborating on ideas, and working together on the Administration’s 

priorities. She stated we work closely with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, 

Health and Human Services, HHS’s Administration for Community Living, the Drug 

Enforcement Agency, and the Federal Trade Commission. One of our most rewarding 

partnerships, she noted, is with Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Health Administration.

Senior Corps volunteers serve more than 359,000 family members of veterans, and its 

programs also give veterans the chance to continue serving the nation when they return home.

Ms. Cox-Roush also described an important new interagency agreement (IAA) with the 

Veterans Health Administration to support its Choose Home initiative. Senior Corps’ statutory 

authority has allowed us to create innovative demonstration grants for communities that the 

VHA identified as needing more companionship and respite services for veterans. VHA has 

given CNCS $2 million for five Senior Corps Choose Home Demonstration Grants that will help 

veterans live independently in their homes as they age. This is a pilot program and will be a 

hybrid of our Senior Companion and RSVP programs. Approximately 200 volunteers will serve 

approximately 600 households annually over a three-year period.

She also noted that the Senior Corps Choose Home Project will serve veterans in the Colorado 
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Springs, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Pittsburgh, and eastern Montana regional areas. This joint 

initiative expands services to veterans and their caregivers, reduces the social isolation of 

veterans, creates new opportunities for veterans to serve their country again as Senior Corps 

volunteers, and strengthens the relationships between Senior Corps grantees and local VA 

Centers. Senior Corps will evaluate the program’s implementation model and develop materials 

to guide hoped-for scale-up in additional cities. We regularly hear compelling stories of 

service’s impact on the volunteers and the households they serve. CNCS would like to mobilize 

more national service resources, including AmeriCorps, VISTA and NCCC programs, to support 

this project. These Senior Corps grants are the first in many years to provide funds through an 

IAA for demonstration purposes. 

At the end of Ms. Cox-Roush’s remarks, Mr. Liu asked about the length of the demonstration 

and when we’ll start hearing not only anecdotes of effectiveness, but also some wider measures 

of impact. Ms. Cox-Roush replied that the awards are for three-year grants, and all the dollars 

come on the front end. Some of the VHA’s funding will support an evaluation of the initiative’s 

implementation, facilitated by CNCS. Senior Corps will do an analysis of the impact of this 

demonstration grant. One thing that will be reviewed is the impact of increasing the volunteer 

stipend from the current $2.65 per hour to our statutory limit of $3.00 per hour. Questions 

include: How will that affect our volunteers? How will that affect the veterans themselves, who

can remain independent in their homes?
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Mr. Liu asked about Ms. Cox-Roush’s statement that this is the first time in a while CNCS has 

had an interagency agreement that resulted in funds being disbursed for demonstration grants.

She noted that CNCS hopes to find other opportunities to do demonstration grants, needing to 

identify them and collaborate with other agencies and nonprofits, hoping that the launch of this 

pilot project spurs expansion across the country.

Ms. Singh then asked Admiral Gay whether CNCS is looking to connect with military initiatives 

that work with veterans around volunteerism and address issues such as housing and families.

Admiral Gay replied yes, noting that he tries to stay out of the office and build partnerships. He 

was a guest speaker recently for NCCC Class 24. They are in southwest Florida right now, 

building homes for disabled veterans. There are a number of other NCCC initiatives in 

connection with veterans: on the Appalachian Trail, in the northeastern quadrant, with Habitat 

for Humanity, and out in Arizona. He also visited Arizona State University’s McCain Institute for 

International Leadership and the Pat Tillman Center, which supports student veterans and 

their dependents. Admiral Gay aims to get to Seattle and Sacramento to advance veterans’ 

causes. He quoted Mr. Liu’s TED Talk: “We have the power to make a positive difference.”

Mr. Liu offered to help Admiral Gay do a trip to Seattle. He noted that in the programs Admiral 

Gay describes, and in the new demonstration project, there is a larger layer of story-telling 
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12:00 p.m. ET

21

around the work. Mr. Liu observed that, just as he saw at the Marine Corps recruiting command 

summit he was at earlier in the day, we know from survey data that the younger generation is, 

in general, a generation that does not gravitate toward the “national.” They think more locally.

They don’t gravitate toward institutions. They like doing things ad hoc. Unlike the Marine Corps

– which needs “the few and the proud,” and whose recruits often do think in old-school ways 

about service – our work here combines veterans service and national community service.

Mr. Liu said he would like CNCS to tell a story about this work that’s oriented toward young 

people. Those might be young veterans, or young people who aren’t veterans but find service to 

be an interesting way to see the bigger picture of what it means to be useful, to connect the dots 

between civilian service and military service. He acknowledges that Senior Corps, by definition, 

doesn’t capture the rising generation. But the story of service is one more young people need to 

see and hear. It would help young people think, “Oh yeah, this service a. helps veterans; b. I 

know people like this, this is my family; c. I could see myself in this picture.” Mr. Liu wonders 

about the plan for this and with the other initiatives to do some joint storytelling.

Admiral Gay responded that there would be a joint announcement of the grant with the VA, and 

that in November, CNCS and the VA will be doing a number of other joint ventures. As to the 

younger generation and volunteering, he and Sandy Scott (Senior Advisor to the CEO) have 

been meeting with the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. Admiral 
Corporation for National and Community Service

Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting

September 19, 2018

12:00 p.m. ET

22

Gay noted that he has dealt with 19-year-olds all his life and finds them better spokespersons 

to reach their own generation. He noted the service of young people both in and out of the 

military, observing that they understand you don’t have to wear the cloth of the nation to serve 

your nation – if you love your nation, you’ll serve her.

Conclusion of the Meeting

Ms. Singh thanked Admiral Gay and Ms. Cox-Roush for their comments. She also noted that 

there would not be a public comment session, as no one signed up to comment. However, Ms. 

Singh invited Board member Mona Dixon, who was on the phone, to add her thoughts. Ms. 

Dixon thanked Rick Christman and Kim Mansaray for their service.

As a final note, Ms. Singh announced that the wonderful PSA they saw earlier is on the CNCS

website. She encouraged everyone to link it, share it, send it around, and guaranteed it would 

be the best news somebody got that day. She thanked everyone for participating in the 

important discussions and adjourned the meeting at 1:06 pm.