The California Forward Leadership Council has elected Lenny Mendonca as its co-chair. Mendonca, a senior partner at McKinsey and Company in San Francisco, joins Thomas McKernan, Chairman of AAA Southern California, in leading the bipartisan government reform organization.
Mendonca is well known in California and nationally for helping private organizations and governments solve difficult problems and achieve their goals. His client work at McKinsey, where he has served on the global firm’s board of directors, includes service to corporate, nonprofit and public sector organizations. In addition to serving on California Forward’s Board, Mendonca serves on the boards for the New America Foundation, Common Cause and Children Now among others.
“I’m pleased to accept this position and am excited about helping California Forward and its partners renew the California dream,” said Mendonca. “All of us who care about California realize that changes need to be made, and we also know that California is the best place to transform how democracy works and public goals are achieved.
“In recent years, California Forward has helped to develop the ideas and the networks that can lead to more and better jobs for Californians, cost-effective public services, and open and accountable government,” he said. “In the near term, we expect that effort to yield meaningful results.”
Mendonca succeeds former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg as co-chair, who succeeded founding co-chair Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
“California Forward is greatly appreciative of Bob’s efforts over the last four years,” said Thomas McKernan. “He is passionate and tireless in the pursuit to make California a better place.”
California Forward has been involved in many of the recent successful efforts that have helped change the way California is governed, including citizens redistricting, the top two primary and term limits. The organization also backed the fiscal reform measure, Proposition 31, which was defeated in November.
In 2011, California Forward partnered with the California Stewardship Network to launch and advance the CA Economic Summit, an ongoing regions-based project to develop and promote action items that will lead to the goals of a prosperous economy, sustainable environment and community equity.
California Forward also is the convener of the Partnership for Community Excellence, a collaborative effort to improve the ability of local governments to deliver cost-effective public services, beginning with the public safety responsibilities recently shifted from the state to county government.
“We are in an era of governmental reform in California,” said Mendonca. “At California Forward, we will continue our work to give Californians what they say they want: a government they can trust.”
