Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Last weekend, Dodge President and CEO Chris Daggett was the commencement speaker for the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. We thought you would like to read his inspiring words to Bloustein graduates on the importance of public service:

Remarks by Christopher J. Daggett

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Convocation
May 15, 2011

Good afternoon Dean Hughes, distinguished members of the faculty and staff, graduates, families and friends. I am truly honored and delighted to be with you today as you celebrate this milestone in your lives.

I am reminded of a quip from former Governor Mario Cuomo, father of New York’s current governor. He said, “Commencement speakers should think of themselves as the body at an old-fashioned Irish wake. They need you in order to have the party, but nobody expects you to say very much.”

That’s a lesson I’ll try to remember today.

First, you can be proud of your association with the Bloustein School. Your dean, Jim Hughes, is a legend in Trenton. When he lays out to the Legislature the state’s financial picture for the upcoming year, the members hang on every word.

The Bloustein School – its centers and affiliated institutes — lead the way in so many areas – transportation, housing, public health, energy, workforce development, the environment, and on and on.

Your faculty members receive countless honors and awards. And earlier this month, a national journal ranked Rutgers third in the nation among Graduate Urban Planning Programs. Congratulations to you all.

I’d also like to recognize the people who helped make today’s event possible — all the deans, advisors, faculty and staff who supported you throughout your program, and who guided you through the sometimes confusing maze of academia.

Graduations are a time of reflection – a brief and well-earned pause to look back so that you can then move forward. And in doing so here today, I want to make one key point: Public service is a high calling, worthy of the best and brightest of our students and citizens. Again, public service is a high calling, worthy of the best and brightest of our students and citizens.

A half century ago this year, President John F. Kennedy gave his stirring inaugural address, in which he put forth a call to public service. On that day, he inspired millions to consider serving their country – and many responded by entering the Peace Corps, VISTA, social service agencies, teaching, and the military.

How times have changed. Fifty years later, public service is regarded in too many circles as a dirty word. Just listen to the angry and demonizing rhetoric around the urgent need to rein in government pension and health care benefits — where government workers and teachers are cast as greedy people living off the public dole.

Or, remember how President Obama was castigated as a “community organizer”.

Or, listen to the words of a person I met with last week, who, in response to a high school student in Newark expressing his enthusiasm to become a politician, asked: “Why on earth would you want to do that? Politics is no career for any decent person….”

I heartily disagreed with that opinion – and quickly told the young man to go for it. To paraphrase my old boss, former Governor Tom Kean, “public service is a public calling.” We need more bright young people – and people of all ages — to follow his words and example and to take up the call, as you have done by choosing the Bloustein School.

So how did we get to this point? There’s no denying that some of this disdain was brought upon us by the misdeeds of some who held the public trust – those who enriched themselves while impoverishing their communities. Yes, the leaders of a number of public employee unions have been too hard-nosed in their unwillingness to consider the changes in contracts necessary to help solve the fiscal woes of our state and our nation. And too often, governors and legislatures have treated the state treasury as their own election-year piggy bank to hand out benefits and pork to buy the support of key constituencies.

But the vast majority of people that I have met in politics and government went into it for the right reasons – to serve, to make a difference, to share their talents with others, to lead a fulfilling life. They are the vast majority of public servants – the unsung heroes in the arena.

So, beyond the anger toward a small minority of self-serving individuals, why is there such a general distaste for the field of public service? Certainly the tenor of public discourse has been a real factor. Our poisonous political climate – in Washington, D.C., in the media, and in state capitals across the country – mistakes demeaning your opponents for reasoned discourse.

The non-stop 24-hour news cycle needs to be fed with controversy. There is a “with us or against us” mentality on both sides of the political aisle that leaves the majority of us – who are moderate in the best sense of the word – with no place to turn. Governor Kean once said that he was a middle-of-the-roader because the filth runs down the gutters on both sides of the street. Today, all too often, it seems that there is no middle of the road in the American political debate.

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the moral values that form the basis of our political choices. Responding to recent research in moral and political psychology, Haidt and his associates at CivilPolitics.org have said this about the state of political discourse:

“…when disagreements activate the psychology of good-versus-evil[,] [c]ompromise becomes far more difficult; reasoning becomes far less responsive to facts; and combatants begin to believe that the ends justify the means. When that happens, partisans are more willing to break laws, play dirty tricks, lie, and ruin the personal lives of their opponents — all in the service of what they think is a good cause. Good people are discouraged from entering politics. Good public servants are driven out of public service.”

I am increasingly concerned by the high level of apathy and distrust that many citizens have toward government. Too many Americans are discouraged by the poisonous political climate today – by the angry rhetoric, vicious personal attacks, and uncompromising ideologies. They are embarrassed by the “made for YouTube”, in-your-face rhetoric, that turns town hall meetings into shouting matches more suitable for the Jerry Springer show or a WWF wrestling match.

Their response has been to tune out, turn the volume down, and take a break from, or, worse, quit altogether, active citizenship.

We must move beyond the politics of anger, blame, personal attacks, demonization and public scorn. It is time to push back against this tide and create conditions for civil dialogue and civic action. It was this belief that led me to run as an Independent candidate in New Jersey’s 2009 gubernatorial election, and it is the reason I entered the philanthropic sector. It is also what inspired me in my years of public service.

Today, I ask you to do the same thing. You stand on the threshold of public service. You represent the best with conviction. Your passionate belief in a better life for yourselves and for your fellow citizens has carried you through the hard work to your graduation today, and it fuels tomorrow, when you begin, or continue, your life in public service and join the alumni of the Bloustein School, — a school described in its mission as being “committed to a rebirth of the public service ethic in the United States.”

No one is better poised to lead than you are, right at this moment. Whether you are receiving your Masters in City and Regional Planning, City and Regional Studies, Public Policy, or Public Affairs and Politics, or your Doctor of Philosophy in Planning and Public Policy, you have spent countless hours looking at and studying the facts – not the fiction – of issues.

Dee Hock, the founder of VISA, said, “It is far too late and things are far too bad for pessimism.” In America today, the economy is mired in what Dean Hughes and others have called the “New Normal,” a jobless recovery that leaves far too many people unemployed or underemployed. The healthcare debate rages ever on, and our environmental issues defy easy resolution. These are indeed difficult days.

But these are your days. This is your time. (more…)

Image: Kirk Moore for New Jersey Press Media | Courier Post

The real Jersey shore, that is.

Leaders from business and industry, state and local government officials, academics and non-profit organizations recently gathered at Monmouth University to discuss, “Building a Sustainable Future For New Jersey’s Coastal and Ocean Economy” for which Dodge’s President and CEO Chris Daggett was the keynote speaker.

Chris, who is a former Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region II Administrator  told the audience that “the next 30 years may bring the most significant changes to the coastal ocean since industrialization in the 19th century.”

In New Jersey, the economy and the environment are more inextricably linked in our coastal and ocean sectors than anywhere else in the state. According to U.S. Ocean and Coastal Economies (2009), New Jersey’s direct ocean economy:

• Generated $4.7 billion or 1.1% of the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

• Provided $2.8 billion in wages and salaries.

• Provided 88,457 jobs – 66% of which were in coastal tourism & recreation.

Balancing development, economic growth and the unique environmental needs in these areas is tricky. “The stress of shrinking state and federal government budgets can drive many to lose sight of the long view about the [water] infrastructure that is so critical to the state’s environmental and economic health,” Chris noted. In turn, we must “create the space and trust to conduct the difficult conversations around power, privilege, access, opportunity, justice, and the broader notion of ‘progress.’”

The philanthropic sector is well-positioned, he suggested, to play a leadership role as a neutral convener of all stakeholders, in order to establish a climate of civil, solutions-oriented discourse.

We asked Dodge grantee Tim Dillingham, who is the Executive Director of the American Littoral Society to give us his thoughts on the conference. He told us that “the fact that the business community participants started their comments with a recognition and acknowledgement of the importance of a clean and healthy coastal environment to their profitability was significant.”

He continuted, “Too often, the views of the business sector have been framed as the economy versus the environment. If we start the conversation about the challenges of building a sustainable coastal economy in agreement about the need for a healthy environment, we can get further down the road of finding answers to pressing issues, both economic and environmental. It offers the opportunity to frame the discussion differently – and the potential to break out of the historic logjams and conflicts over these questions. Most importantly, it strengthens our chances of finding answers that work. A new starting point in the conversation will generate new collaborations, tapping the creativity of both the conservation and business communities.”

For a write up of the event, see this article from the Courier Post

You can also read Chris’ complete keynote talk here.

Photo by Kevin Coughlin

To our all grantees, friends and colleagues who are experiencing this leadership transition with us, we share both a farewell message from outgoing President and CEO David Grant as well as a welcoming message from Dodge’s new President and CEO Chris Daggett. We urge you to read both, as well as to listen to Morristown Green’s podcast of the joint interview (also on our homepage) which Kevin Coughlin conducted with David and Chris. In it, David and Chris share their views on sustainability, training tomorrow’s leaders, and the role of philanthropy in a tough economic climate, among other topics. We believe their messages coupled with the podcast will give you a sense of both where we’ve been and where we’re going. Goodbye to David, and hello to Chris!

* * *

Almost twelve years ago, when I wrote my first introduction to a Dodge Foundation Annual Report, I invoked Robert Frost’s poem The Pasture. Placing the poem at the beginning of his collected works, Frost invites the reader into a world filled with images of spring and flow and rebirth – cleared springs and newborn calves tottering by their mothers – and wrote: We shan’t be gone long/You come too.

I was inviting our Annual Report readers into a world that struck me as similarly inspiring — full of the creativity of Dodge’s grantees and the Foundation’s own initiatives. Now I think I was writing to myself as well. We shan’t be gone long – indeed the twelve years have flown by, and I find myself full of gratitude at the end:

• For the people in the civic sector whom Dodge is so privileged to support. If there is ever to be “a society more humane, a world more livable,” as the Dodge mission language envisions, it will be because of the cumulative effects of their work;
• For the Dodge Board, which was not afraid to take risks. The Foundation’s response to 9/11, the launching of the New Jersey Cultural Trust, the construction of the green building at 14 Maple Avenue – all are testament to creative governance;
• For the Dodge staff, who are a mission-driven, hard-working, fun-loving group. They know that it is not only what they do but also how they do it that has defined Dodge’s place in the world. The day-to-day fellowship with them, doing work that matters, is what I will miss the most.

I wish Chris Daggett all the best as he takes on the leadership of this remarkable institution, and I thank all of the people who have been so supportive of Nancy and me and our sons Ben and Rob during our years in New Jersey.

With best regards,
David

* * *

Greetings! I come to Dodge with an overwhelming number of good wishes from people across the state, many of whom I have met over my years of involvement in the public, private and non-profit sectors, and others of whom I have never met, but who have great respect and hope for the work of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Those good wishes are both appreciated and humbling. I fully recognize the legacy of excellence and good works of Dodge’s first two leaders, Scott McVay and David Grant, and greatly appreciate the trust placed in me by the board of directors to carry on the tradition they established.

There is much to do, particularly given the state of the economy and the pressures placed on grantees by the decline in financing by individuals, governments and foundations. But times of turmoil are also times of opportunity – and foundations can lead the way by supporting the best programs of the past, and the new ideas that will shape the future. The key is to get the right balance of the two.

I am confident that the success of my predecessors will continue – but as good as the staff and board of the foundation may be, we cannot do it alone. We need your help – or, in the words of Robert Frost quoted by David Grant in his companion letter, “You come too”. Together, and led by our grantees, we will meet the challenges of the day.

I look forward to working with you.
Chris

After several months and a comprehensive search that attracted more than 200 candidates, the Trustees of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation have announced that Christopher J. Daggett will succeed David Grant as the new President and CEO. Chris will spend time with David and the Dodge program team this spring to assure a smooth transition, and he will assume full-time duties as President of the Foundation on June 14, 2010.

Chris has been a respected leader in New Jersey’s nonprofit world for nearly 20 years. He serves on the board of one of our partners in grantmaking, the Schumann Fund for New Jersey. He is also the New Jersey co-chairman of the Regional Plan Association (a Dodge grantee), a leading smart growth advocate with initiatives like America 2050, which strives to meet the infrastructure, economic development and environmental challenges of the nation as we prepare to add about 130 million additional Americans by the year 2050. Additionally, he serves as a New Jersey advisory board co-chair of the Trust for Public Land, which has preserved thousands of acres of open space across the US and has made remarkable contributions to greening urban spaces and revitalizing parks in Newark through its Parks for People program, which Dodge helps fund.

If you live in New Jersey, you probably recognize Chris’s name as the independent candidate for governor in 2009. He was the first independent candidate to raise the threshold amount of money to qualify for public matching funds and to participate in public debates with the major party candidates. He was also endorsed by The Star-Ledger, the state’s leading newspaper.

Previously, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor of New Jersey (1982-1983), Regional Administrator of the USEPA (1984-1988), and Commissioner of the NJDEP (1988-1989). In addition, for six years he was a managing director of William E. Simon & Sons, a private investment firm and, since 1996, has operated a brownfields development company, acquiring, remediating and redeveloping environmentally impaired real estate. He will come to the Dodge Foundation from his current position as a Principal with JM Sorge, Inc. (JMS), an environmental consulting and management firm providing assessment, investigation and remediation services to the public and private sectors.

Chris holds an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in Basking Ridge with his wife Bea. They have two grown children, Alexandra and Justine.

We look forward to introducing our grantees and friends to Chris and continuing to work with our partners across the state to foster more creative lives and sustainable communities in New Jersey.