Herb Sturz: A Kind of Genius

March will see the release of "A Kind of Genius," a biography of Herb Sturz by Sam Roberts of the New York Times. I haven't read it, but given the author and the topic, I can almost guarantee that it will be a good read. For my money, Herb is the embodiment of social entrepreneurship. As founder of the Vera Institute of Justice, he was responsible for birthing an astonishing number of enduring non-profits, including agencies like Safe Horizon and CASES. Even more important (at least from my selfish perspective), Herb was one of the founders of the Midtown Community Court. And John Feinblatt and Michele Sviridoff both cut their teeth at Vera when Herb was the director there. In ways both conscious and unconscious, the Center for Court Innovation builds on a blueprint established by Herb a generation ago. I'm looking forward to reading the book.