Today we’re launching a new podcast series as part of the Idealist.org podcasts. Called “The New Service” podcast, the show will highlight service corps programs, people, and career paths.  It will be included along with the Idealist.org Careers Podcast feed.

Today’s guest on The New Service podcast is Colonel Robert L. Gordon, III, Senior Vice President of Civic Leadership at City Year. City Year is a national service program that enables people aged 17-24 make a difference in the lives of children and their communities. Corps members serve in one of 19 cities within the United States and South Africa. City Year is a national partner of AmeriCorps. It also plays a leadership role in the Voices for National Service and Service Nation.

Colonel Rob Gordon oversees programs that recruit and prepare new corps members, support corps alumni, and engage kids and teens in the work of City Year. He’s a graduate of West Point, Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School, the National War College, and the Army Command and General Staff College. As a White House Fellow from 1992-93, Rob helped with the establishment of AmeriCorps.

I talked with Rob about how City Year develops its corps members as leaders; how the program is unique among AmeriCorps programs; and about its long-standing partnership with The Timberland Company. We also talk about Rob’s own career path, involving decades of service to his country.

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