Kif Scheuer and CivicSpark – Friends of the EPIC-Network

Kif Scheuer

Program Director
CivicSpark
Local Government Commission
kscheuer@lgc.org
916-448-1198 x312 (O)
415-717-4809 (C) 
On LinkedIn

Favorite Place

Pt. Reyes is an amazing wild space with a wonderful combination of coast, hills, nature, and community

What was your first interaction with a school-community project and the impact it had on you?

When I was first working in the nonprofit space in 2007, I had the opportunity to support campus-based energy-efficiency interns. Their enthusiasm for both making a real-world difference and the nitty-gritty of technical projects was inspiring and very motivating. It directly led to the idea that became our CivicSpark program.

How did you first learn about EPIC-N?

I have the good fortune of knowing Dr. Marc Schlossberg since before his UO days, so I’ve been following the emergence of EPIC-N for a long time.

What are some of the top priorities you are working on this year?

Thinking about how our Fellowship program can sustain through the COVID response, how we might pivot to support recovery efforts, and how we can also keep some focus on climate responses in our work while also recognizing the urgency of COVID responses.

In what ways are you looking to engage, or work with others, either from within the EPIC-Network, or in general?

CivicSpark is always looking to grow our connections with any organizations that are working on developing and supporting pathways for emerging leaders in the sustainability field. Our Fellowship is a great opportunity for emerging leaders, so we’re very interested in getting the word out to folks who work with college students who might be looking for their next step. We also have a network of over 300 young professional alumni who can provide insight into what the field looks like. Finally, where we have Fellows active, we can potentially provide a bridge or connection to the work our Fellows are doing.

What led you to participate within the EPIC-Network in your current capacity?

As noted in the previous response, CivicSpark is involved with supporting emerging leaders in the sustainability space, as EPIC is also involved in this work, we feel like there’s a natural alignment of interest and community building.

What are you hoping attendees will take with them after attending your presentation?

For the “Friends of the EPIC-Network: CivicSpark“ interview, we hope that attendees come to understand what CivicSpark is, how we work, who we serve, and why it’s an effective strategy for helping communities address their sustainability needs. We also hope that EPIC-N program managers in particular, get some ideas about:

• How CivicSpark can be a strong “next step” opportunity for EPIC students.
• How the CivicSpark alumni network could offer EPIC students / Programs some first-person perspectives about early-stage sustainability careers.
• In California (for now) existing or planned CivicSpark Fellow placements can potentially represent good liaisons for local EPIC programs who are working in communities where CS Fellows are (or will be) placed.
• Finally, CivicSpark is a program of the Local Government Commission with a good network of local governments (mostly in CA) so we can help get the word out for recruitment purposes for local programs.