About Hank

"...how to recognize and develop collaborative skills, develop a shared vision, build community partnerships, and pool agendas … Rubin wrote the book on this stuff."

Library Journal [Volume 124 no. 10, June 1, 1999]

When the American Library Association says someone wrote the book on something … believe them!!!

Hank Rubin

About Hank Rubin, ICL founder

Hank is a bestselling author and award-winning speaker on public-sector collaborations and collaborative leadership. Drawing upon decades as a leading scholar and distinguished public sector leader, Hank's work with nonprofit, education, community and government leaders unlocks their capacity to make change happen.

  • Distinguished Visiting Scholar (George Mason University), Dean in Residence (American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education), Dean and Professor of Education and Human Services, Education Leadership, Public and Nonprofit Leadership, How To Be An Antiracist Leader, Sociology
  • Author of over 70 books, chapters, articles and editorials including:

    Collaborative Leadership (Corwin Press)

  • Executive Director: Institute for Voluntary Organizations, Citizens Schools Committee

  • Associate State Superintendent for Students Families and Communities (State of Ohio)
  • Commissioner, Public Housing Authority (Rochester NY)
  • Board Member: multiple School Boards and Nonprofit Boards of Directors
  • Founder: Ohio Learning First Alliance, Chicago Panel on Public School Policy and Finance, and Rochester Center for Collaborative Leadership (RocLeads)
  • Member, US Commission on Civil Rights, Illinois Committee; Chair, Chicago School Desegregation Committee
  • Member, Racial Equity and Leadership (REAL) Commission (Rochester NY) and Reparations and Universal Basic Income (RUBI) Commission (Rochester NY)
  • PhD & MA (Northwestern University and University of Chicago): Public & Education Leadership,
  • Sociology BA (University of Chicago and SUNY @ Geneseo): Multidisciplinary Study of Social Ethics of Racism, Psychology, Political Science.
  • Coined the term “pracademic” in 1989.

Here’s what a few great leaders have said about Hank’s work since 1992:

“. . . (Hank’s) right on target for the thoughtful nonprofit leader . . . he’ll make you think and help you succeed!”

Dr. Carl C. Bell, formerly Univ. of Illinois and President & CEO, Community Mental Health Council

“. . . reminds me of my good pal Dr. Earnest Boyer . . . (with) that special forward-looking thinking of a great collaborative leader.”

Robert J. Danzig, author of The Leader Within You and former Senior Executive of Hearst Newspapers

“. . . outstanding, comprehensive, insightful, clear and brief . . . ”

Sandy Boyd, former president of the University of Iowa and the Field Museum of Natural History

“. . . Hank is, once again, at the portal of a new area of (leadership development) . . . Lord knows, we need to understand, learn, and teach young and aspiring public leaders how to build and manage their relationships with other public leaders.”

US Congressman Danny K. Davis, US House of Representatives, 7th District, Illinois