For information:

Ann M. Johnson
Program Director
(585) 341-4361


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2010

ACT Rochester Establishes Steering Committee
to Support Community Indicators Program

Rochester Area Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Rochester have appointed a steering committee to guide and oversee the ACT Rochester community indicators program.

This program, which is designed to help our region respond to its most critical issues, debuted in June with the launch of www.ACTRochester.org. The 170-page website provides up-to-date data on 12 quality-of-life categories and on Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

The Steering Committee is chaired by Dev Garg, who was a member of the task force that developed and launched the program. Garg is a retired Xerox Corporation executive.

Other members of the Steering Committee are:

Hanif Abdul-Wahid, community liaison for Neighborhood Initiatives for Monroe County Department of Planning & Development.
Carol Adams, dean of Interdisciplinary Programs at Monroe Community College.
Tom Argust, retired commissioner of community development, city of Rochester.
Jim Brush, CEO of Sentry Group.
Melisza Campos, vice president of operations and instruction at Dale Carnegie Training and member of the Rochester Board of Education.
Tom Gillett, regional staff director of New York State United Teachers.
Dr. Tomicka Green, coordinator of peer mentoring and North Star Academy programs for Rochester Institute of Technology.
Bill McCullough, retired senior executive from United Way of Greater Rochester.
Margaret Sánchez, principal of Sánchez & Associates.
Sharon Stiller, Esq., lawyer with Boylan, Brown, Code, Vidgor & Wilson LLP.
Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of Rochester Downtown Development Corporation.

The Steering Committee will work with ACT Rochester Program Director Ann M. Johnson to:

• Guide the development, effective implementation, and ongoing enhancement of
ACT Rochester.
• Target opportunities for community meetings and outreach.
• Guide the ongoing United Way-Community Foundation collaboration.
• Ensure the program's effectiveness.


"The website is well on its way to being the source of information on the 12 key categories and is regularly refreshed with new data and critical community reports," Garg says. "Our next step is to prioritize the critical issues, stimulate community discussion on problem-solving and promote action."

About ACT Rochester
ACT Rochester will use the latest and most credible data, rather than anecdotal evidence, to identify the most pressing problems and determine how to solve them working with agencies and government officials.

The website showcases 12 quality-of-life categories. These include: Arts, Culture & Leisure; Children & Youth; Community Engagement; the Economy; Education; Financial Self-Sufficiency; Health; Housing; Public Safety; Technology; and Transportation. Each category has five to 13 community indicators. Community indicators measure the overall well-being of a community when they are viewed together.

ACT Rochester will help individuals and organizations "learn" about the issues, "connect" with others who are passionate about our community, and "act" to make changes. Become part of the solution at www.ACTRochester.org