After 18 years, the Center for Political Education recently took a moment to assess its role as a political education organization in service of movement building in the Bay Area, and to imagine what its next steps forward should be. During this period of assessment, a group of advisors made up of former CPE staffers, collective members, and from the Board of Directors of the Kendra Alexander Foundation (KAF), CPE’s fiscal sponsor, came together to help facilitate the Center moving toward the next phase of its development.
The CPE advisory group brought Isaac Ontiveros on as a short-term consultant to conduct an assessment based on feedback from the Center’s former staffers, members, funders and allies. Isaac worked with the advisory group to set up interviews and conversations with former CPE collective members and staff persons, along with CPE allies and partners from over the last 18 years. He then distilled their reflections and analysis into an understanding of the main strengths, weaknesses, and impacts of the Center’s work, and helped the advisory group to develop recommendations for the CPE’s work moving forward.