This letter provides a strong recommendation for Carina Cristiano for a position with the Department of Human Resources. The letter writer has known Ms. Cristiano for 5 years through their work on the Board of Trustees of the Long Beach Community Foundation and the Grants Committee for the James L. and John S. Knight Foundation. The letter details Ms. Cristiano's successful management of the Connected Corridor Project which brought together various community sectors. It describes her as intelligent, hard-working, knowledgeable, and creative with excellent research, documentation and writing skills. The letter gives her the highest recommendation and states her background uniquely suits her for the position.

1. Alex
J.
Norman,
D.S.W.
Organization
Development
Consultant
Phone:
562-­‐433-­‐6192,
E-­‐mail
ajnorman@ucla.edu
September
10,
2012
Department
of
Human
Resources
Re:
Ms
Carina
Cristiano
Dear
Sir
or
Madam:
I
am
pleased
to
write
this
letter
of
recommendation
for
Ms
Cristiano
who
has
applied
for
a
position
of
employment
with
your
organization.
I
have
known
and
worked
closely
with
Ms
Cristiano
over
the
past
five
years
in
my
capacity
as
a
Member
of
the
Board
of
Trustees
of
the
Long
Beach
Community
Foundation,
and
as
a
Member
of
the
Grants
Committee
for
the
James
L.
and
John
S.
Knight
Foundation,
the
funders
of
the
Connected
Corridor,
which
Ms
Cristiano
Managed
over
a
four-­‐year
period.
Since
that
time,
I
have
had
the
opportunity
to
collaborate
with
her
on
a
major
proposal
to
improve
governmental-­‐community
relations
through
civic
cooperation
and
collaboration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90Bsijl54Xo&feature=related
The
success
of
the
Connected
Corridor
Project,
which
essentially
molded
four
communities
into
one,
was
due
to
the
management
and
creative
abilities
of
Ms
Cristiano
and
her
capability
to
bring
together
various
persons
from
the
sectors
of
business,
workforce
development,
education,
human
services
and
community
to
collaborate,
develop
and
share
resources.
She
was
able
to
work
successfully
across
the
sectors,
disciplines
and
ethnic
communities
that
yielded
continuing
results,
including
social
enterprises
and
new
service
deliveries.
She
represented
the
project
to
Foundation
and
Business
executives,
Education
and
Non-­‐profit
executives
and
to
community
leaders
from
which
developed
continuing
education
courses
in
communication
and
digital
media
and
arts.
Her
authorship
of
the

2. Blueprint
for
Transformational
Change
demonstrated
her
excellent
research,
documentation
and
writing
skills.
Ms
Cristiano
is
an
intelligent,
hard-­‐working,
knowledgeable
and
skilled
professional
with
unlimited
creative
ability.
She
has
a
demonstrated
ability
to
engage
individuals
at
all
levels
of
society
and
individual
pursuits.
She
is
visionary
in
her
thinking,
yet
she
is
able
to
be
realistic
in
the
application
of
truly
complex
concepts.
She
is
among
the
brightest
and
most
competent
professionals
with
whom
I
have
had
contact
during
my
educational
and
professional
careers.
Her
background,
education
and
experience
uniquely
suit
her
for
the
position
of
which
you
are
advertising.
Her
management
and
supervision
skills
are
of
record
in
community
and
educational
institutions
as
are
her
abilities
to
manage
budgetary
and
program
items.
The
enormity
of
differences
along
the
Atlantic
Avenue
Corridor
tested
her
expertise
to
coordinate
divergent
(and
often
oppositional)
viewpoints.
In
the
latter
situation
she
successfully
negotiated
a
productive
working
relationship
between
to
historically
opposing
factions,
ending
in
their
collaborating
instead
of
a
competing
for
resources.
Based
on
my
knowledge
and
experience
as
an
educator
and
consultant
to
educational
institutions,
it
is
my
considered
opinion
that
she
will
do
an
outstanding
job
in
the
position
for
which
she
is
applying.
I
give
her
my
unqualified
recommendation
knowing
that,
based
on
past
experiences;
she
strives
to
exceed
all
expectations
of
her.
Should
you
have
further
questions,
please
do
not
hesitate
to
contact
me.
Sincerely,
Alex
J.
Norman,
D.S.W.
Professor
Emeritus
UCLA
School
of
Public
Affairs