The Center for Leadership Development in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, will welcome Robert Long as the 2015 W. Norris Duvall Leader in Residence Feb. 23-27. Long is currently the visiting Distinguished Professor of the Nonprofit Leadership Studies Program at Murray State University and serves as senior fellow at Arizona State University’s Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation.

The Leader in Residence program is a five-day event that brings to the UK campus nationally- and world-renowned leaders known for their ethical style of decision-making and for their focus on youth leadership development. The program is sponsored by the W. Norris Duvall Endowment for Youth Leadership, Ethics and Service. The endowment’s mission is to support programs that reinforce the importance of integrity, ethical behavior and a sense of civic engagement through service-oriented leadership initiatives for Kentucky’s youth and college students.

“Dr. Long’s distinguished career in nonprofit leadership, community philanthropy and as a youth development specialist with the Cooperative Extension Service in Illinois and Nevada makes him a perfect fit for the Leader in Residence program,” said Tricia Dyk, the center’s director.

The Nonprofit Times has thrice named Long among the top 50 most influential people in the nonprofit sector, recognizing his contributions to the global emergence of nonprofit and philanthropy studies. Through his course, Strategic Philanthropy, Learning by Giving, Long encourages young people to find creative ways to address widespread problems such as hunger, poverty and conflict.

His distinguished career includes 15 years as vice president for programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and prior to that, as the endowed McElroy Professor of Youth Leadership Studies at the University of Northern Iowa.

Long will share his expertise with UK students, faculty and community members through various public appearances, which include the Puentes para la Familia (Bridging Families) event, Empowering Families and Youth by Connecting Them To the Community’s Resources, from 5 to 8 p.m. EST Monday, Feb. 23 at the Fayette County Extension office, 1140 Red Mile Road, and a Community Philanthropy Webinar from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26. The webinar can be joined from Room 245 Barnhart Building on the UK campus or Cooperative Extension offices around the state. Check with the local extension office to find out if they will be participating.

On Friday, Feb. 27 from 9 to 10:30 a.m., Long will hold a public forum titled More Money? Or More Impact? Increasing Community Philanthropy. The forum will take place at The Plantory, on the corner of Jefferson and West Sixth streets in Lexington.

Other forums will be held in London and Frankfort. Dates and times will be announced soon. This and more information can be found at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/cfld/duvall.php or by contacting assistant director Lissa Pohl at lissa.pohl@uky.edu.

“The University of Kentucky and the Center for Leadership Development are indebted to the generosity and foresight of the late Mr. W. Norris Duvall, of Todd County, who invested his resources in the development of future leaders,” Dyk said.