Community Engagement Specialist (Achieve Brown County), RPC Fellow

Note: This is a full-time RPC AmeriCorps position with Achieve Brown County.

The Rural Partners Corps (RPC) is a new AmeriCorps service fellowship from Lead For America (LFA) that places locally rooted fellows with rural, place-based backbone organizations. Fellows already live in or near the communities they serve. They bring local knowledge, transferable skills, relationships, and a commitment to making their communities stronger. RPC Fellows will serve 40 hours per week from December through August, working alongside Host Site staff and community partners to build organizational and community capacity and advance cradle-to-career economic mobility for rural young people.

Our mission is to use data and rally our community to co-create equitable conditions so all young people can thrive. We are a backbone / collective impact partnership. We are part of the national StriveTogether network. We believe that no one organization can create better outcomes for young people alone so we focus on bringing people, data, and action together to help every young person in Brown County thrive. More information can be found on our website at https://achievebrowncounty.org/

Achieve Brown County's RPC fellow will support three high-priority community projects under the forWORDS literacy initiative and parent voice activation.

Under the forWORDS literacy initiative, the fellow will support two projects. They will advance the development of the Early Literacy Asset Map. This project focuses on building a comprehensive resource directory to help families, service providers, and community partners easily navigate early literacy opportunities across Brown County. In this capacity, the Member will gather and organize local program data (ranging from storytimes and tutoring services to book distribution efforts) to help identify community strengths, service gaps, and barriers to access, ultimately ensuring that local resources effectively support third-grade reading proficiency. The second project will be to expand pilots of Built Literacy Environments in rural communities in Brown County including Denmark, Wrightstown and Pulaski. In this capacity, the Member will build local relationships and work with local community members and businesses to design literacy environments where families already are with their children such as laundromats, food pantries, parks and other public spaces.

In addition to the literacy initiative, the Member will support the pilot and launch of a new Parent Advocates cohort (a 6-month initiative designed to bring together 10 local parents to learn, grow, and collaborate on a shared advocacy priority for youth in our community). To prepare for the upcoming launch, the fellow will conduct background research on model peer programs, assist in drafting curriculum materials, and help establish administrative infrastructure, including securing key community partnerships like childcare providers to support monthly gatherings.

• Program Infrastructure & Cohort Launch Support: Research model peer programs to gather best practices, draft curriculum materials, and assemble administrative infrastructure to support the launch of the 6-month Parent Advocates cohort.
• Parent & Community Stakeholder Engagement: Assist with outreach strategies to elevate parent voices and identify community partners (e.g., childcare providers) and local stakeholders to support monthly cohort gatherings.
• Cohort Logistics & Participant Support: Coordinate recruitment, registration, and meeting logistics for the Parent Advocates cohort, compiling participant feedback to track engagement and inform ongoing program improvements.
• Community Asset Mapping & Data Collection: Support the expansion of the Early Literacy Asset Map under the forWORDS initiative by gathering and organizing local resource data to highlight community strengths, gaps, and service barriers.
• Cross-Sector Alignment & Communications: Draft outreach materials to raise awareness of early literacy resources, promote third-grade reading proficiency, and strengthen collaborative partnerships across the forWORDS network.
• Built Literacy Environment Expansion: Support the expansion of the Built Literacy Environment pilot beyond Green Bay into rural communities, embedding early literacy resources into non-traditional community touchpoints (e.g., parks, auto service waiting rooms, health clinics, food pantries).

As an RPC fellow, you will receive structured training and support throughout your service year, including: 

• A week-long virtual orientation with the national cohort to kick off the service year.
• A week-long, in-person national Winter Institute convening with your Lead For America cohort — travel, lodging, and a per diem stipend are fully covered.
• Twice-monthly virtual training on skills for service, including project management, asset-based community development, grant writing, and serving vulnerable populations, plus self-paced curricula with opportunities to earn badges and credentials.
• A structured community listening tour at the start of service to understand local needs, assets, and opportunities.
• Dedicated 1:1 support from a Lead For America Program Coordinator and twice-monthly peer pod meetings for networking and professional development.
• Access to a national network of Lead For America fellows, alumni, and community partners.

The ideal RPC Fellow is a community-rooted, service-oriented, self-directed professional who lives in or near the rural community where they will serve.

• A meaningful connection to the community and understanding of its strengths, priorities, and relationships
• A commitment to serving the community where they live
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and collaboration skills
• Initiative and independence to organize work and move projects forward
• Transferable skills in areas such as project management, community engagement, youth development, workforce development, partnership development, communications, or organizational capacity building
• The ability to work across nonprofit, government, education, business, and community sectors
• Humility and curiosity—the ability to learn from community members and local leaders rather than arrive with predetermined solutions
• Alignment with the Host Site's mission, values, culture, and priorities
• Readiness to meet LFA, AmeriCorps, and service fellowship expectations

• Be a U.S. Citizen, National, or Lawful Permanent Resident.
• Hold a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
• Be 17 years of age or older by the start of service.
• Have not already served four (4) or more AmeriCorps State/National terms. 

We are currently recruiting fellows to serve from December 7th, 2026 - August 13th, 2027. Fellows will serve full-time (approximately 40 hours per week), completing 1200 hours of service over the course of the term.

1. Submit Your Application: Complete the application on the next page to join our general talent pool.
2. Host Site Review: Our host site organization will review your application, and invite those moving forward to interview.
3. Lead For America Interview: Finalist candidates will be invited to interview with the Lead For America team.