DEEP Service Magazine Spring/Summer 2014 | Page 30

ALUMNISPOTLIGHT

Former Siena College AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader Accepts
Position with the Corporation for National & Community
Service as State Program Specialist
We caught up with former Siena VISTA Leader, Patrick Gruber, to learn more about his new
job as well as the developmental opportunities that paved the path to his successful career.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Q: What years were you a part of
the Office of ACE?
I served as a VISTA member with
the Siena College Research
Institute (SRI) from 2009-2010.
As a VISTA Member with SRI, I
helped pilot the National
Assessment of Service and Civic
Engagement, worked with local
nonprofits to develop community
feedback mechanisms, and
worked with other VISTA
members on assessment measures.
After my year as a VISTA, I
joined the ACE office as VISTA
Leader. During my Leader term,
my primary role was member
support and training; however, I
did connect with new community
partners and other VISTA
members serving in the region.
Q: What were your next steps
after your engagement with ACE?
After working with ACE, I joined
the Bonner Center at CarsonNewman University as Bonner
Scholars Coordinator. For three
years, I worked with CarsonNewman students to develop
long-term sustainable
partnerships with local
community organizations. During

DEEP Service Magazine | Page 30

my time there, I also partnered
with the Corporation for National
and Community Service to
develop the Carson-Newman
VISTA Fellows program, modeled
on the Siena College VISTA
Program.
Q: We heard you recently landed
a new job! What will your new
position be?
I have recently accepted a position
with the Corporation for National
and Community Service (CNCS)
as State Program Specialist in
Reno, Nevada. I will be working
with AmeriCorps*VISTA and
Senior Corps programs, simply on
the other side. Primarily, I will be
working with organizations in
program development and grant
compliance monitoring
throughout the State of Nevada.
Q: How did your experience with
ACE impact your career and life?
I came to ACE after a bohemian
holiday in Europe. While I had
volunteered and worked with
grassroots organizers throughout
high school and college, I was
woefully out of practice. ACE
offered me the opportunity to

connect with individual
organizations and the field at large
again. Those connections
reminded me of the urgency and
joy in fighting poverty and
working to make our world more
just, peaceable, and humane. It
was clear after my time at Siena
and with ACE that this is no
longe