Donna J Carney

“Right now, I’m wondering how we can make a virtual environment for learning feel as meaningful, interconnected and transformative as live classes.” 

Donna J Carney is Director of the Citizens Planning Institute (CPI), the educational and outreach arm of  the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. She is inspired by all the 600+ Citizen Planner graduates of CPI, who are passionate leaders and life-long learners in over 125 neighborhoods across the city. Donna has undergraduate degrees in interior design and theater arts. She also became a licensed architect after working in the field of historic preservation, and then focused on sustainable green design. Her work in organizational management explores how our environment impacts our behavior. Donna lives in West Mt Airy and is committed to her own neighborhood by serving on the Board of Mt Airy Learning Tree.

what does leadership mean to you?

“True leadership means encouraging emergent leadership to flourish. A leader has the ability to lead AND to follow. A leader helps others discover their own potential by providing guidance but getting out of the way so others can follow their own path to discovery. A leader is curious, adaptable, committed to learning and to excellence! A leader appreciates “beginner’s mind” and works to create an environment that rewards innovation, despite risks. A leader recognizes what strengths they have and don’t have, and accepts recognition with humility.”

Who would be your Everyday Genius nominee?

“That’s easy. The 600+ Citizen Planner graduates of CPI, who are passionate leaders in over 125 neighborhoods across the city, making a difference every day through actions large and small. And as we all know, there is no action too small to make a difference!”

Biography:

I am first a life-long learner and live to see those “light-bulb moments” when someone else sees something in a new way. I love to bring people together in ways that are mutually beneficial. I am most proud of my role as Director of the Citizens Planning Institute (CPI), the educational and outreach arm of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. I am inspired by all the life-long learners who love where they live all across Philadelphia, and come through the CPI program to learn from each other, grow and improve the quality of their neighborhoods.

My undergraduate degrees in interior design and theater arts led me to a broader interest in the build environment. I became a licensed architect after working in the field of historic preservation, and then focused on sustainable green design. I finally found my tribe in the field of organizational management, exploring how our environment impacts our behavior. Right now, I’m wondering how we can make a virtual environment for learning feel as meaningful, interconnected and transformative as live classes? Oh, and I live in beautiful West Mt Airy and am on the Board of MALT- Mt Airy Learning Tree!