Dear LT Community:

It’s spring! You can see it in the trees and smell it in the flowers. And in the air, there’s a palpable sense of renewal. At LT, this mirrors our reinvigorated and renewed vision, mission, and values statements, which we announced earlier this year. Our work now is to align all our efforts, committees, and plans with these guiding statements. We will also begin to highlight how these statements, especially the values, manifest themselves in the alumni stories, which you can read below. While the stories focus on one value at a time, I believe it is the combination and intersection of these six principles that make LT unique and essential in our community. 

LT is holding our first-ever all-day retreat for alumni! You don’t want to miss this opportunity to be in community with alumni and deepen your ability to make real change toward racial equity. Space is limited! Don’t wait to register.

As the Executive Director of Children’s Alliance, I lead a team of staff, board, volunteers and more than 6,000 members from every corner of Washington to persuade the state legislature to enact policies in the best interests of children. Because we have an explicit racial equity stance, we focus on the needs of BIPOC children and their families and communities, believing that they are often furthest away from their potential because of racism and societal neglect. The racial reckoning that has happened in our state and around the country since the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery has made our work more salient, and we can point to the recent investments of more than $1 Billion in issues affecting children and their families as proof of our impact.

I also do direct service or volunteer on the boards of several local and national organizations involved in children’s issues and was elected and served a 4-year term on the Seattle School Board (and what a piece of work that was)!

My participation in LT was an inflection point for my leadership, as I undertook my first nonprofit role during my LT year, inspired by the nonprofit leaders I met and the impact that I saw that they were having in our community. I gained an understanding of the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate issues and how a concise and potent problem analysis and theory of action could be a difference maker in whatever arena one chose to apply their talents. I was prompted by my time in LT to go back to graduate school to enhance my leadership skills and upon graduation immediately applied those learnings once elected to the Seattle School Board. While in LT, I also met many soon-to-become leaders, passionately committed to progressive change in their fields of interest – and their examples and friendships continue to inspire my work.

Truly, each of these opportunities would not have been possible without the learnings, connections and inspiration gained through my Leadership Tomorrow year. And, given that I met my wife-to-be during the LT retreat in Silverdale and we’ve been together for 26 years now, I’m pretty sure that I squeezed more juice out of LT experience than anybody, before or since!

Which of LT's values resonates most with you? Why?

Each of these values is essential in the work that we do, but as we grapple with this country’s racial reckoning and the aftermath of the pandemic, the values of antiracism and social justice must be the foundation of any significant societal change. And I don’t mean the performative antiracism that is fashionable today (like planting a “Black Lives Matter” sign in your front yard and thinking that you’ve done all that you must do to catalyze change). I mean the personal work that helps to detoxify one from the racism that is infused in our narratives, media, educations and daily interactions. And then a close examination of the systems and institutions that we lead and participate in to uproot racist policies and practices. The real work of antiracism and social justice! The recently departed Archbishop Desmond Tutu puts it simply: "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

For more information about advocating for children, contact Stephan at stephan.blanford@childrensalliance.org.

One cohort member framed learning in a way that resonated for me with different altitudes - personal, interpersonal and structural. Personally, I’ve learned the power of deep self-interrogation (not just reflection) to challenge assumptions, reframe narratives based on our upbringing and be more intentional about how I show up. Interpersonally, I have really enjoyed the different modes of group interaction – my quad, lab team and now book club have all been great. I’ve also had so many rich 1:1 conversations with people I’ve only met once, which left me thinking for weeks afterward. And structurally, I have learned more deeply that the major institutional challenges we face are clearly daunting but are also highly interconnected and often stemming from the same root causes which gives hope for more systemic solutions.

My biggest aha has been around the power of storytelling and framing, with a focus on impact over intent. One speaker described the job of a leader as “storytelling and connecting your community”. Another cohort member organized an open space session during which each person told their individual story and how it related to a sense of belonging – this was one of the most emotional and powerful sessions I’ve experienced in the program. And we’ve seen firsthand in Challenge Days the power that framing an issue has, then just as importantly the ability to reframe the issue when the initial framing clearly misses the mark or excludes the voices of those with lived experience. Storytelling is a valuable growth opportunity for me personally.

Not a “fresh take” here, but the limit of in-person activities does inhibit deeper and broader relationship development which is so important to building a leadership community. A lot of that happens “in between the sessions” – grabbing coffee during break, etc. I have appreciated various efforts by LT to make the remote sessions as engaging as possible.

Which of LT’s values resonates most with you and your experience in the Flagship Program? Why? 

The value resonating most strongly for me is collective leadership. Coming from a “formal” leadership position with a large hierarchical team of direct reports, I have really valued learning through experiences like leaderless groups, sharing power, Open Space collaboration and awareness of whose voices have been centered.

Leadership Tomorrow is an immersive learning environment like no other. While there is much to be gleaned from each of the guest speakers, cohort members and LT team members, I’m finding a lot of the learning is individual and perhaps based on what lessons each of us need or are ready for in this moment of time.

The “aha” moment for me was during a Challenge Day early on in the program when we were presented with a panel of speakers with different viewpoints. I saw many of the Leadership Tomorrow norms being manifested in real-time that day making them more real and tangible rather than just words on a paper/screen. I was being ‘challenged’ to create space for multiple truths and perspectives that were often vastly different from my own. Many of us were experiencing discomfort and I saw my peers being kind and brave in their courage to speak up and ‘challenge’ the narrative. I saw the LT team seeking to learn (in public) and share power with the cohort in offering open spaces for opportunities to build bridges and redesign the curriculum to meet the needs and expectations of the collective. I find many of the LT norms now being embedded into who I am and how I show up in my personal and professional life – even beyond the LT experience.

Which of LT’s values resonates most with you and your experience in the Flagship Program? Why?

Curiosity and Humility is the LT value that most closely aligns with my experience in the program this year. In fact, Mele Miller (guest speaker for the Economy Challenge Day) phrased it as “humble curiosity.” One of LT’s core elements has been bringing together leaders from different sectors in an environment where we can learn from each other and work together towards common vision collectively. We’ve been encouraged to stay curious and open-minded about the issues we explore together, be curious about each other as we build non-transactional relationships, and be curious to explore ways that we can make our collective learning in LT better – not just for us but for future LT generations.

We are excited to host LT’s first alumni retreat on racial equity on May 20, 2022. The retreat will support your work in moving us toward an antiracist society. This retreat is for everyone, no matter their experience in racial equity work. This retreat will allow those who are deep in equity work a place to meet and learn from those doing cutting edge work, make connections with other alumni doing this work, and get inspired! For those new to racial equity work, we will have sessions designed to better understand the context for this work, mechanisms for change, and opportunities to apply what you learn to action outcomes. If you are BIPOC, there will be sessions focused exclusively on your needs as changemakers in your organizations and the community.

When: May 20, 2022, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Where: Bethaday Community Learning Center

Who: LT Alumni & Honorary Alumni

Tickets: $100-$500 (scholarships available for alumni)

We are so grateful for the leadership of our Screening & Selection Committee, a group of 42 dedicated volunteers who will collectively donate 300+ hours interviewing and reading applications to determine who will be in the LT'23 cohort. Special thanks to this year's Screening & Selection Committee. We appreciate you!

West Sound Workforce

City of Seattle

Erin Gagnon, LT'20

To get real-time information about what's happening at LT and connect with other alumni, make sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We also encourage you to add your LT experience to your LinkedIn profile. It takes less than five minutes to update your LinkedIn profile, and it's a great way to help alumni connect with each other and spread the word about LT! Instructions for adding LT to your LinkedIn profile can be found HERE.

The LT Alumni Database is a powerful resource that lets you access our community of nearly 2,400 leaders, be recruited for volunteer and professional opportunities, and foster connections with alumni who have shared interests. If you already created a login and password for the Alumni Database, you can log in HERE. If you need to set up your profile, find instructions to create your login and set up your profile HERE.

If you have questions about the LT Alumni Database or need help setting up your profile, email Rebeca.

Read the updates below to see how folks in our community are growing in their careers and fostering changes needed to make our region more equitable, resilient, and just. If you have an update (career changes, appointments, new family arrivals, etc.) you would like to share with the LT community, email Megan.

1985: Millie Russell recently passed away. Read her obituary HERE.

1987: Jan Levy was selected to be inducted into the Garfield Golden Grads Hall of Fame for the year 2022. 

1987: Yvonne Tate recently passed away. Read her obituary HERE.

1993: Suzanne Thomas recently passed away. Read her obituary HERE.

2004: Carey Crutcher Smith has joined the Seattle Sports Commission (SSC) as a Sports Commissioner.

2007: Brian Surratt was appointed President and CEO of Greater Seattle Partners.

2008: Jennifer Price was invited to participate in Chief, a private network built to drive more women into positions of power and keep them there. 

2009: Kelly McKee has joined the leadership team of University of Washington Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences as the Administrator, to lead strategic planning, sustainable resource management, and academic human resources. 

2012: Marlene Chen was promoted to Principal/Owner at Olson Kundig.

2012: Jason Johnson started a new position as Executive Director of Vashon HouseHold.

2014: Jonathan Bahe was promoted to a Principal at NBBJ Design.

2014: Justin Clark was promoted to Seattle Office Lead at WSP USA.

2014: Gabriela Frank published a new book, "Pity She Didn't Stay 'Til the End." It’s a mix of short fiction and essays linked by women who disappear in some way: in escape, in pursuit, or to discover themselves. Learn more HERE.

2014: Maria McDaniel was in the news promoting Black & Tan Hall's new walking tour from "Green Book," an 86-year-old book that once helped Black travelers find safe spaces in Seattle. Watch the news clip HERE.

2015: Eddie Lincoln started a new role as Chief Executive Officer of Equal Opportunity Schools.

2016: Ryan Calkins started a new role as Executive Director of the newly created EDGE Innovation Cluster.

2016: Anna Reynolds started a new role as Project Administration Senior at Moss Adams.

2016: Xiao Wang was a finalist for CEO of the year by GeekWire. Learn more HERE.

2017: Markham McIntyre has accepted an offer from Mayor Bruce Harrell to become the Interim Director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development. 

2017: Leslie O'Brien started a new position as Principal Account Manager at Amazon Care.

2017: Laurie Tempest and her husband welcomed their son Rhys in March.

2018: Gary Cooper was promoted to Senior DEI Learning and Engagement Manager at Amazon.

2018: Chris Franco started a new position as Chapter Director at Truman National Security Project.

2018: Patrick Lee started a new position as Treasury Manager at Grammarly.

2018: Jennifer O'Rear was awarded PEAK, T-Mobile's highest honor.

2019: Renae Culala started a new position as Technical Program Manager for Amazon Web Services WorldWide Specialist Organization for Go To Market.

2019: Derrick De Vera started a new position as Policy Counsel at Washington State House of Representatives.

2019: Nicki McClung was profiled by Reconsidered for their "5 Questions" series with global changemakers. Read the full interview HERE.

2020: Andrea Anderson started a new role as Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Western Washington.

2020: Geni Venable started a new role as Communications Manager at Nordstrom.

2020: Sara Waltemire was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Meydenbauer Center. 

2021: Shannon Benya was promoted to Director of Operations at Construction for Change.

2021: Shana Bestock started a new position at ACT Theatre as Artistic Associate for Education. 

2021: World Without Hate (which is led by Rais and Jessica Bhuiyan, LT'21) was the winner of the Human Rights Organization Award from the City of Seattle Human Rights Commission.

2021: Sam Cho received the Rising Star Award from American University. Learn about this award HERE.

2021: Laura Kate Zaichkin started a new role as Senior Policy Advisor at Washington Health Benefit Exchange.

2022: Katherine Leggett started a new role as Communications & Development Director at Spark Northwest.

2022: Julia Marquiss started a new role as Business Value Manager at Samsara.

2022: Liz Miller started a new role as Director of Partnership Success at Upstream.

2022: Archana Verma was promoted to Director of Marketing at United Way of King County.

2022: Allison Wood started a new role as National School Operations Leader at Bezos Academy.

2022: Stephen Yamada-Heidner started a new role as Executive Director of Architects Without Borders Seattle.

206-389-7279 • www.leadershiptomorrowseattle.org