Executive Director Reflections

Dear LT Community:

Last weekend, a friend hosted a group of 16 people to discuss timely issues, including the L.A. fires, human rights, and immigration. She set ground rules to guide our interactions and created a thoughtful container for our conversation, reminding me of Priya Parker’s work on the Art of Gathering.

Her skilled facilitation created a space where people could ask genuine questions and feel heard. Through this conversation, I discovered insightful podcasters and writers, learned how leadership of national and local political parties are determined, and explored new ideas for engaging locally.

This experience was a powerful reminder of the impact of gathering in community—to connect, learn, and inspire action.

As we move into 2025, Leadership Tomorrow will continue to connect, educate, inspire, and catalyze collective action. How will you gather, learn, and take action this year? We'd love to hear from you! Join the LT community in conversation here on LinkedIn and share your thoughts to inspire others.

In community,

Bindiya Patel

Applications for the LT Class of 2026 open in February! Help us recruit another inspiring group of leaders from the nonprofit, private, and public sectors by nominating candidates in our very easy-to-use form here. LT will follow up with nominees and encourage them to apply.

Starbucks Gift Card Drawing: By nominating candidates, you'll be entered into a monthly drawing to win a $100 Starbucks gift card. Winners will be announced at the end of each month, starting January 31 and continuing through March 31.

Nominate Candidates

We are thrilled to share Leadership Tomorrow’s Annual Report for the fiscal year September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024. This year was especially meaningful as we celebrated 40 years of cultivating a network of engaged leaders.

Explore the Annual Report for stories of the difference we’re making together. From distributing more than 4 million books to support children's literacy, to revitalizing downtown Seattle, to countless alumni running for public office and serving on nonprofit boards and commissions—your leadership is creating ripples of positive change that will be felt for generations.

Thank you for being a valued member of the LT community. We can’t do this important work without you!

Read Annual Report

Did you know that tuition and fees cover only half of our operating expenses? Our work would not be possible without the generosity of our incredible corporate partners and donors who help us bridge the gap.

Microsoft 50 for 50 Grantee

We are excited to share that LT received a $50,000 grant from Microsoft! In celebration of their 50th anniversary, Microsoft is awarding $50,000 grants to 50 Puget Sound organizations. We are grateful for our partnership with Microsoft and look forward to continuing to work together to help our communities thrive.

Class Fundraisers

Special thanks to the 14 alumni who led successful class fundraisers to support our year-end campaign! Their dedication to inspire and catalyze classmates is deeply appreciated. Please join us in thanking:

Class of 2024: Allison Krehbiel
Class of 2023: C. Marie Taylor
Class of 2021: Laura Kate Zaichkin
Class of 2018: Evan Bennett
Class of 2017: Ben Johns
Class of 2016: Nicey Hilton, Leilani Lewis, and Julie Pham

Class of 2015: Vanessa Laughlin and Christine Lessard
Class of 2014: Maria McDaniel and Carl Bailey
Class of 2011: Wendy Law
Class of 2004: Sara Levin
Class of 2002: Tracy Patterson

Alumni Community Updates: Grapevine

Discover how LT alumni are advancing in their careers and partnering to build a more resilient Puget Sound region. If you have an update to share, email Megan.

Honorary LT: Amelia Ransom's TEDx talk "DEI and the problem of the white dipped doll" is now live. Watch it here.

LT'98: Lolo Arevalo was nominated for the DSHS MLK Employee of the Year Award by the Behavioral Health Administration.

LT'09: In July, Ana Pinto da Silva will join Carnegie Mellon University as Head of the School of Design.

LT'15: Cindy Hamra passed the Board of Governors Exam and is now a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

LT'15: Chris Thompson started a new position as Senior Director, GTM Finance at Airtable.

LT'16: Travis Harth was promoted to Vice President, Sr. Director of Sellen Special Projects at Sellen Construction.

LT'16: Nicey Hilton started a new position as Strategic Partnerships Account Manager at SonderMind, a leader in mental health telehealth.

LT'17: Aaron Parker was promoted to Director at King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention - Community Corrections Division.

LT'17: Janice Zahn was appointed by King County Council to serve as state representative for Legislative District 41. Learn more here.

LT'18: Sindhu Knotz is now a certified leadership coach through the Hudson Institute of Coaching.

LT'18: Adam Rohde joined the Ocean Board of Directors.

LT'19: Nicki McClung started a new position as Senior Account Manager at Circular Action Alliance.

LT'19: Sielen Namdar started a new position as Industry Executive | Head of Digital Water Segment for US at Schneider Electric.

LT'21: Angela Compton started a two-year contract as a Program Project Manager with King County Transit.

LT'21: Liz Ryan was selected to participate in the highly coveted Extended Faculty Team, Virtual Facilitation Program at T-Mobile.

LT'22: Leo Novsky started a new role as a co-anchor of the Defying the Odds Podcast.

LT'23: Angela Wallis joined the WestSide Baby Board of Directors.

LT'24: Megan Stanley started a new role as Senior Research Associate at MEF Associates.

LT'25: Ric Cochrane started a new role as Strategic Projects & Programs – Built Environment | Nature & Biodiversity | Waste at Amazon.

LT'25: Rachel Marshall started a new role as Corporate Counsel at T-Mobile.

LT'25: Dorothy Miller started a new role as Associate Vice President, Government Relations & Public Policy at Seattle Children's.

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