THE ARCH

The arch supplies a potent metaphor for human creativity and understanding. A singular innovation in architecture, the arch allows for a dramatic increase in size and complexity of dwellings, and opens numerous doors, passages and windows while preserving structural integrity. With its concessions to weight and gravity, the arch comprehends and submits to the laws of nature while pursuing the human purposes of entry, exit and perception. An effective arch mediates nature in pursuit of human vision. The arch finds the ground and distributes crushing weight safely into the earth, yet vaults upward toward the heavens. It suggests the earthly as well as the sublime. Shared by the lowliest bridges and the most inspiring cathedrals, the arch unites the practical and the ideal.

Arches abound in communities across all nations and cultures. For this reason, many cities and villages have an Arch Street christened by local inhabitants to signify a byway featuring a particularly impressive arch. That Arch streets may be found across the globe reminds us that human creative expression knows no particular geography or convention. Wherever there are men and women, so we also find creative genius.

Philadelphia's Arch Street also has special significance for the founders of Arch Street Press, a group of social pioneers and nonprofit entrepreneurs who began their creative work many years ago in Arch Street offices near City Hall. The mission of the Press is to promote the creativity of such leaders committed to the meticulous work of expanding human potential. The Press is nonprofit, meaning that 100% of its expanding capital will always be devoted to its larger mission and vision. The Press envisions changing the landscape of human creativity through the development of new ideas advancing evolution in the broadest sense. We see human nature as forever in progress, subject to action and responsibility. As George Bernard Shaw wrote, “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”

The arch provides a place through which to see, a pathway through and over, a gateway to the future.

Welcome.

ADVISORY BOARD

Lynne Abraham is a partner in the law firm of Archer & Greiner, focusing on government relations, mediation, litigation, trial strategy and tactics, and appellate advocacy. Ms. Abraham joined Archer & Greiner following a distinguished career in public service that began shortly after she graduated from Temple Law School in 1965. Starting in 1991, Ms. Abraham served as Philadelphia District Attorney, the first woman to hold that position. Originally appointed by Philadelphia judges in May 1991, she won election in November 1991 to an unexpired term and was re-elected to four 4-year terms before announcing she would not seek re-election. Her 18-year tenure as district attorney is the longest in modern city history. As leader of the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the nation—employing approximately 600 and handling more than 75,000 cases a year—Ms. Abraham forged a reputation as a tough and effective yet compassionate protector of public safety for more than 1.5 million citizens of the City and County of Philadelphia. Among her myriad accomplishments, Ms. Abraham was one of the first district attorneys in the country to form a nonprofit foundation operating in a district attorney’s office when she founded Urban Genesis Inc. to promote community leadership and provide grants to fund projects to improve neighborhoods and help the needy. Ms. Abraham is also the cofounder and Board Chair of the Institute for Leadership Education, Advancement and Development.

Darlyne Bailey is a professor and dean of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research—and special assistant to the president for community partnerships—at Bryn Mawr College. Ms. Bailey was the first dean of the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development, and previously served as the dean of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. She received her bachelor of arts in psychology and her secondary-education certification at Lafayette College, a master’s degree in psychiatric social work from Columbia University (where she would later serve as vice president for academic affairs and the dean of Columbia University’s Teachers College) and her Ph.D. in organizational behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western. As a college and university administrator, Ms. Bailey has been a trailblazer and the first female, tenured African-American Ph.D to hold each one of her posts.

Martha Lee is the executive director of the Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance. She describes the Alliance as a team that provides space—for Kellogg Fellows and collaborating partners—to work on projects that have the potential to change systems. Within these safe spaces, dreams emerge. KFLA supports Fellows coming together to work on issues that impact more than their immediate sphere of influence. Before her involvement with KFLA, Ms. Lee was President and Founder of the Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute, an organization that enhances and enriches the leadership skills of Asian-American and Pacific-Islander women through education, networking and mentoring. She has also worked as a program officer for the Denver Foundation, the National Hispanic Leadership Institute and Mile High United Way; served as Executive Director of the Asian American Foundation of Colorado; is on the Board of Directors of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation; and served on the Board of Girl Scouts USA. She was awarded a Kellogg Fellowship in 1995. In her own words, “I try to go through life with my hands outstretched so that I can grab hold and pull someone up. I was lucky to be born where I was born and to have the gifts that I was given. It’s important to pass that along."

Nicholas Torres, cofounder of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal, consults to organizations on projects that have the potential for high social impact. He is on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government and is President of Education-Plus, Inc., which scales higher-education models for low-income students and school-based health centers, while providing cyber education for specialized populations. From 2000-2010, Mr. Torres served as President of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc., one of the nations’ premier multi-service organizations. As President of Congreso, he launched a K-College continuum of educational services; instituted mental-health and primary-care services as part of its integrative approach; and standardized a model of case management across child welfare, welfare to work, health, behavioral health, workforce and education services. He also launched a nonprofit venture-philanthropy firm that leverages and invests financial resources to improve the quality of education across Philadelphia’s school system. Mr. Torres plays a leadership role in Pennsylvania and beyond. In 2008, he was one of 10 Americans to receive the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship, which honors emerging leaders from around the world, and was recognized by Leadership Philadelphia as one of the 101 Philadelphia Connectors. Mr. Torres has served on the boards of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Children’s Scholarship Fund, Pan American Academy Charter School and as a Human Relations Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia.

Dr. Bruce Weinstein believes that the key to success is having not just emotional intelligence, but ethical intelligence as well. He shows business executives and other leaders how to improve their ethics IQ and leadership skills, which strengthen the relationships they have with clients, colleagues, family, friends and folks in the community. He is a contributor to The Huffington Post and Bloomberg Businessweek’s Management Blog. His latest book, Ethical Intelligence: Five Principles for Untangling Your Toughest Problems at Work and Beyond, is a Silver winner from ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year awards. An experienced speaker known as the "ethics guy," Dr. Weinstein has worked with clients including the National Football League, the Investment Management Consultants Association, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries, Northrop Grumman, the National Business Aviation Association, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the colleges of business of Eastern Michigan University and the University of North Dakota, and over three hundred other leading groups. His work has been featured in USA Today, The New York Times and American Airlines’ in-flight magazine. He received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Swarthmore College, a PhD in philosophy and bioethics from Georgetown University, and a National Fellowship in Leadership Development from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan.

PARTNERSHIPS

Based in London, the Social Innovation Exchange is among the world’s primary networks focusing on social innovation. Since SIX was established in 2008, their vision has been that people can become better innovators by more easily connecting to their peers, sharing methods and exchanging solutions globally. As a community, SIX works with governments, businesses, academics, funders, practitioners and leading social-innovation intermediaries to accelerate the field internationally. Simultaneously, they also seek to learn from people innovating in their own communities. By linking all of these actors across sectors, fields and geographies, SIX can spread the most effective models more quickly.

SIX has developed a unique approach of connecting innovators, designing experiences, curating knowledge and insights, and disseminating practical examples of social innovation, which enable the global community to learn from each other and builds the capacities of their members. Since March of 2013, SIX has been governed by an executive board of leading social-innovation experts from around the world. Their Global Council of organizations provides core financial support, as well as directing the work of SIX.

The values that guide SIX's work every day are: