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AMERICAN LEADERSHIP FORUM
HISTORY AND PURPOSE
The American Leadership Forum (ALF) was founded in 1980 by Joseph Jaworski, author of the acclaimed Synchronicity, who left his Houston law practice to address a serious national problem – the country’s leadership crisis. After a year of meeting with leaders from across the United States, he had a clear vision of what he wanted to create: a national organization dedicated to bringing together leaders from various sectors – developing their leadership skills and capacity – and strengthening their commitment to work together on public issues.
Among the prominent citizens who founded ALF are many who continue to serve on the national board or as advisors:
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John Gardner, former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
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James MacGregor Burns, Professor Emeritus of Williams College and noted author
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Warren Bennis, respected organizational consultant and author
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Tom Bradley, former mayor of Los Angeles
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Harlan Cleveland, former Ambassador to NATO, and President, the World Academy of Art & Science
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Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School
The words of Joe Jaworski, written in 1981, still hold true:
“The ALF program is specifically designed to …prepare key leaders across all sectors to collaborate and to develop a national network of leaders who accept responsibility for our communities’ and our nation’s shared concerns. These ‘responsibility networks’ are effective and flourish because they are different from the old exclusionary established networks. Their hallmarks are access, openness, and a spirit of trust.”
From the first chapter established in Houston, Texas, the ALF network has grown to include chapters in Hartford, Conn., Silicon Valley, CA, the state of Oregon, Tacoma, WA, Sacramento, CA, and the Rocky Mountain region, CO. The Charlotte Region is the newest chapter. The national ALF network now includes over 1,200 Senior Fellows, who continue to be active in their own communities, as well as in an annual national Senior Fellow meeting.
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