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A Selma native participated in the Harvard University Young American Leaders Program.

Staci Brown Brooks was among 130 leaders across the nation learning more about successful public-private partnership collaborations.

Brooks, a 1995 graduate of Selma High, said she was thrilled to compete in the program.

“I learned so much from the other participants and the Harvard professors that I am looking forward to implementing in my career and in my civic contributions,” Brooks said.   

“Participating in the Young American Leaders Program helped clarify – after an especially trying year – what still remains possible through big thinking, collaboration and empathy.”

Jan Rivkin, professor and co-chair of Harvard Business School’s U.S. Competitiveness Project. said Birmingham is a hotspot for picking people for the program.

Birmingham leaders have participated for a third straight year.

“The Young American Leaders Program grows out of a deep concern and a great hope uncovered by our research on U.S. competitiveness,” Rivkin said.

“We’ve found that the most promising innovations for competitiveness are local, they span sectors, and they require long-term commitment. The young leaders nominated from Birmingham over the last few years have a remarkable track record of coming together across sectors to transform their hometown. This year’s Birmingham cohort had so much to share with — and to learn from — other regions.”

Brooks, who lives in Birmingham, Brooks is a member of the Vulcan Park and Museum Board of Directors, the Birmingham Times Media Group Board of Managers, the Lawson State Community College Foundation Board of Directors, the Four Little Girls Memorial Fund Board of Trustees and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.