Downtown Academy Application Period Ends Sunday

Jun 26, 2013 No Comments by

FRESNO – The deadline for applications for the next Downtown Academy, a collaboration between Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals (FLYP), the City of Fresno and the Downtown Fresno Partnership, is this Sunday.

Kate Borders

30 students will go through the 11-month course, which will connect them with business and community leaders interested in further solidifying a thriving downtown area.  Class members meet on the first Tuesday of each month, beginning on August 6, at a different downtown restaurant, where dinner will be provided.  Students will take private tours of downtown landmarks, including Chukchansi Park, Historic Chinatown, and downtown living spaces.

Sarah Moffat, chair of the board of directors of FLYP, said Tuesday that 25 people are currently signed up.  She is also a graduate of the Downtown Academy.

Craig Scharton

“I feel like I have a lot better understanding of what really downtown is,” Moffat said.  “I saw pretty much all of the different inner workings, from city government and finance, to understanding more about the lofts and downtown living, to different opportunities with our theaters.”

Course instructors are Craig Scharton, director of the City of Fresno’s Downtown and Community Revitalization Department, and Kate Borders, president and CEO of the Downtown Fresno Partnership.  Both have had a hand in creating successful, vibrant downtowns, Borders in the Midwest and Scharton in Hanford.  They and the students will take class field trips to downtowns in Burbank, Pasadena and Long Beach, as well as come up with a class project to be completed.  The experience allows participants to form new friendships, as well as make professional contacts.

“You really see what the future of Fresno is going to be, and be a part of the solution in creating what downtown is going to be for our next generation,” Moffat said.

Tuition fees for each person are $275, which goes to maintain the program.  To apply for the program, visit http://flypinfo.com/downtown-academy/apply-now#.  Members of the next Downtown Academy will be announced July 8.

FreshBooks

Education, Headlines, Non Profit

About the author

James Olinger is a native of the San Joaquin Valley. He graduated from West Hills College in Coalinga, California in 2000 with an associate's degree in liberal arts. He joined Business Street in 2004 as a staff writer, and became the associate editor in 2007. He maintains that position today, writing for Business Street Online in a variety of topics.
No Responses to “Downtown Academy Application Period Ends Sunday”

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.