Community Initiatives Council

Members

• Ryan Snyder, Director
• Mary Guldenschuh, Deputy Director

Private Sector Representatives

• Deborah Bump
• Susan George
• Sydney Sullivan Underwood

Public Sector Representatives

• Stephanie Schroeder
• Merilee Walker
• Phyllis Wickerham

Low-Income Sector Representatives

• Timothy Cornell
• Lindsay Quintilone
• Wendy Howell

About the Community Initiatives Council

The purpose of the Community Initiatives Council (CIC) is to set policy for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program, and to oversee the implementation and administration of the program. The goal of the program is to enable persons living in poverty to attain the skills, knowledge, and resources to help them secure the opportunities needed for economic stability.

Community Action Agencies

Community Action Agencies (CAAs) are nonprofit private and public organizations established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America's war on poverty. Community Action Agencies help people to help themselves in achieving self-sufficiency. Today there are approximately 1,000 Community Action Agencies serving the poor in every state, as well as Puerto Rico and the Trust Territories. In New York State, the Department of State (DOS) manages the federal funds and contracts with agencies at the county level to reach the populations in need.

Functions

In Livingston County, the county Board of Supervisors has contracted with Department of State as the community action program for over 25 years. The Community Initiatives Council (CIC) consists of representatives of three sectors of the population: private, public, and low-income. The CIC oversees the policy and administration of funding that is allocated to diverse social agencies around the county. In 2010, the program administration was moved from the Planning Department to the Office of Workforce Development and Youth Bureau.