Awards Announcement: Brower Center Executive Director Receives Gerbode Fellowship
Berkeley, CA – June 18, 2012 – The David Brower Center’s Executive Director Amy Tobin was chosen as one of five individuals who received the 2012 Gerbode Professional Development Fellowship. The $10,000 fellowship is meant to recognize Tobin’s dedication to the nonprofit field, including building the Brower Center into the thriving community it is today.
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Berkeley, CA – June 18, 2012 – The David Brower Center’s Executive Director Amy Tobin was chosen as one of five individuals who received the 2012 Gerbode Professional Development Fellowship. The $10,000 fellowship is meant to recognize Tobin’s dedication to the nonprofit field, including building the Brower Center into the thriving community it is today.
As the first Executive Director of the David Brower Center, Tobin has guided the establishment of an award-winning destination for environmental and social action. The Center, a LEED Platinum rated building in downtown Berkeley, includes a gallery and exhibition program, three floors of progressive office space, and a thriving conference center that has hosted over 1,000 events in just three years.
Conceived as a vibrant collective of like-minded individuals and organizations committed to a just and ecologically sustainable society, what is now the David Brower Center began as founder Peter Buckley’s vision in 2001. By the time Tobin joined as the Center’s first staff person in 2007, an old city parking lot near the UC Berkeley campus had been identified as the development site and architect Dan Solomon’s design was underway.
Along with a growing group of dedicated investors, Tobin began to transform plans for a cutting-edge building into a place full of life. Since it opened in 2009, the Brower Center has become a premiere place for the nonprofit community’s educational events, film screenings, benefits, and conferences. Leaders in the field of sustainability and artists from around the world – from Amory Lovins to Sebastião Salgado – have participated in public programs. And the local community has a permanent gathering place to make personal and professional connections, something that is critical in an increasingly remote society.
With a successful background in nonprofit management and community building, it was Tobin’s goal to take an inspiring concept and help move it into reality. For over 17 years, she has worked with the nonprofit community, arts, and activist organizations. Her work has centered around fostering communities and social change through collaborative programs and arts events, generally doing anything possible to bring people together in physical proximity.
“I’m humbled and honored by the Gerbode Foundation’s award,” Tobin said. “There is truly no place quite like the Brower Center. So we have a great adventure as we invent ourselves at every step of the way. And it couldn’t have been done without a fantastic group of people—our staff, the funders who sustain the Center with annual gifts, and a dedicated founding board.”
About the David Brower Center
The nonprofit David Brower Center is a vibrant place that inspires, sustains, and brings together individuals committed to environmental and social action. The Center offers educational and arts programs, stunning conference and event facilities, and high-quality office space for nonprofits — all in the greenest building in Berkeley.
Gallery hours for the David Brower Center are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
About the Gerbode Foundation
The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation is interested in programs and projects offering potential for significant impact. The primary focus is on the San Francisco Bay Area (counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo) and Hawaii.