Anthony Silard, an associate professor of public administration at Cal State San Bernardino, has been named the recipient of the Office of Community Engagement’s 2020 Outstanding Community Engagement Award.

Silard, who joined the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration at CSUSB in 2016, was recognized for his deeply innovative and engaged academic work; his history of community collaboration and change, especially in the development of youth leaders; and his role in raising CSUSB as an institution committed to the development of a stronger and more engaged civic society through the nonprofit management education program.

“The committee selected Dr. Silard as this year’s award recipient for his dedication and enthusiasm for enhancing the leadership skills of young people and our local nonprofit leaders,” said Diane Podolske, director of the CSUSB Office of Community Engagement. “His outstanding service equips community members with the skills they need to collaborate on addressing issues to promote greater equity and opportunity.”

“I’ve been very happy with my decision to come to CSUSB to develop these nonprofit programs serving our local Inland Empire community,” Silard said. “The needs are tremendous and, in addition to the unswerving support of Diane Podolske and the Office of Community Engagement, there have been so many students, faculty and staff at CSUSB who have been very passionate and committed in helping me to develop these programs. I am so grateful to be a part of these collective efforts. As we have been reminded in no uncertain times recently, the time for social change is now.”

Silard is a committed partner with the community having facilitated trainings for over 200 Inland Empire nonprofit organizations; he has worked with more than 200 low-income families who have lost a child affiliated with the Unforgettables Foundation; more than 150 low-income youth affiliated with the Community Foundation and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of San Bernardino; and over 100 agricultural leaders who participated in the California Agricultural Leadership Program (CALP).

In addition, Silard has partnered with community organizations in Washington D.C. to provide the “Young Leaders” summer program for high school students on developing leadership skills to pursue their goals and to secure meaningful careers. The Young Leaders program has served over 550 students in the Washington D.C. area. Silard has also developed a long-term partnership with CASA of San Bernardino, and has offered a similar leadership program for Inland Empire students.

In the classroom, Silard has developed a service learning component for the Public Administration 514: Management of Nonprofit Organizations course, and he conducted a community-based research project on the “work-life” balance of local nonprofit leaders. 

He is the creator of the CSUSB Certificate of Nonprofit Leadership, which offers sessions on developing leadership skills, strategic planning, donor development, and building an effective board of directors.  These important skills will help CSUSB students and local nonprofit leaders build stronger organizations, which will enhance their ability to work on addressing key community issues. Silard has now received funding to further this work by creating an online Certificate of Nonprofit Leadership to expand the reach of the program.

Marc Fudge, a CSUSB professor of public administration, who nominated Silard for the award, said, “This level of service is highly unusual for a fourth-year faculty member – an external level of service only attained by a small percentage of professors at CSUSB who actively engage regularly with community-based organizations throughout the Inland Empire.”

Silard’s contributions to youth and CSUSB student development, and the enhancement of capacity-building and workforce development for nonprofits has positively impacted the Inland Empire and beyond.

Prior to joining CSUSB, Silard taught at the IESE Business School, Barcelona; the ESADE Business School, Barcelona; and the Universidad Internacional de Cataluña, Barcelona. He is also a visiting professor of leadership in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Claremont McKenna College.

Silard was awarded a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and development studies from the University of California, Berkeley; a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; and a doctorate master of research in Organizational Behavior from the IESE Business School in Barcelona.

Visit the CSUSB Office of Community Engagement website for more information regarding the Outstanding Community Engagement Award.