Message from the Executive Director

On behalf of the hundreds of concerned and committed Black faculty, staff, students, practitioners, and others who have invested time and intellect into the Think Tank I welcome you to this site. This site is intended to encourage you to participate in a process for developing solutions to challenges in your community. We acknowledge that this is a new paradigm for engaging in scholar-activism considering many of us were not formally trained to apply our disciplines to Black communities. However the Think Tank has a historical reference point especially for Black scholars.

We have taken the time, under guidance from senior scholars, to create and evolve in a process of community and scholar engagement for the purpose of developing, implementing, and disseminating solutions. We focus on four broad areas: (1) Health; (2) Education and Youth Development; (3) Technology (S.T.E.M.) and (4) Community and Economic Development.

There are three phases to the Think Tank: Phases 1 (Solutions Roundtables) - First we develop a call for solutions which is disseminated nationally requiring scholars to submit a brief outline of solutions that have rigorous conceptual or empirical foundations. Scholars are selected and invited to participate in a Solutions Roundtable for the appropriate area. During this phase Scholars present their solutions and engage in a moderated discussion with community Stakeholders. Stakeholders contribute by asking questions and connecting the solutions to community resources. A consensus is reached regarding what solutions are most appropriate for community's resources and interest.

Phase 2 - (Strategic Planning for Implementation) - during this phase community members and stakeholders collaborate to develop strategies to implement the solutions developed during Phase 1. Strategic plans may include coalition building, grant seeking, or more research to fully understand a challenge. At this point action items and timelines are developed.

Phase 3 - (Dissemination) - during this phase Think Tank Planners execute a plan to disseminate solutions to practitioners, policy makers, and key stakeholders. At this point the impact of the Think Tank becomes measurable as the Planners are able to observe which solutions have been implemented and which are having the desired outcomes.

We think this process of informed and deliberate action can yield sustainable change for communities under chronic challenges. Our model of engagement is built on the value that communities can self correct when all their resources, including intellectual, are fully employed.

It is with this energy that Black scholars from various backgrounds continue to answer the call for solutions. We acknowledge that despite where we may reside many of us are products of chronically stressed communities thus our obligation to build a progressive model of community engagement that is built on scholar-activism.

Welcome to the Think Tank Family.

Peace and Progress,
Dr. Leon D. Caldwell
Chariman