Entrepreneurs matched with government leaders on grassroots projects

San Francisco-based Fuse Corps is enlisting entrepreneurial professionals for one-year fellowships with visionary governors, mayors or social entrepreneurs.

Just as non-profits can benefit from an infusion of outside professional skills, so too can government leaders. That is essentially the premise behind San Francisco-based Fuse Corps, who are attempting to tackle the most pressing problems in the US by enlisting entrepreneurial professionals for one-year fellowships with visionary governors, mayors or social entrepreneurs. In anticipation of its next March-to-March fellowship cycle, Fuse Corps is currently interviewing professionals from the private sector who have at least eight years of experience, demonstrated leadership skills and a commitment to public service. The 10 to 20 applicants who are selected will begin their fellowship with an intensive, two-week leadership course, equipping them with the core skills necessary to be successful in government and cross-sector environments. Fellows will then be assigned either to “cabinet-level” positions, working with leaders in state and local governments, or to community-based organizations, working on grassroots projects in education, health care, low income housing, economic development, workforce development and green initiatives, for example. Fellows can either be “on-loan” from their employers, receiving salary and benefits as usual, or they can receive a stipend in their Fuse Corps placement. The video below offers an overview featuring Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who will have two Fuse Corps fellows reporting to him in 2012 on energy reform and education. Entrepreneurs far and wide: time to bring your hard-won business skills to the public table?