LT Newsletter - What's Happening at LT!

From the Director: Sue Bennett, LT'94

Dear LT Family:

As 2022 ends, I am filled with gratitude for you. I see you working with courage, curiosity, and humility for the greater good, toward a shared vision of a community where everyone thrives. Thank you for the role you play in serving your community, workplace, family, and neighborhood.

How do I know alumni are making a difference? Our recent alumni survey is filled with data that we will reveal in the new year. Right now, a few fun facts:

We had responses from every single class in LT’s 39-year history!
LT alumni volunteer an average of 20 hours per month!
77 percent of respondents agreed that LT helped them recognize power and privilege in their communities and themselves.
76 percent said LT enabled them to better consider multiple points of view and advocate for others.

It is time to start recruiting for next year’s class. The class of LT’24 will be our 40^th class! Please help us identify candidates from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. To nominate yourself or others, click here.

As the year ends, please consider making a gift in support of Leadership Tomorrow’s work to educate, inspire, connect, and catalyze community leaders. We are in this together, and we are better together!

My best wishes for happy and restful holidays!

In community,

Sue Bennett, LT'94

Executive Director

Mollie Price, LT'17, Renton School District

Tell us what you do and why it matters.

I'm a teacher at Hazen High School in Renton. I teach US History, Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Advancement Via Individual Determination (a national program for first-generation college-going students). I also have various other teacherly roles, including helping to launch Renton's inaugural Youth Court. Being a public high school social studies teacher for the last few years has been... a trip. The balm, however, is working with relentlessly inspiring students, and having the gift of collaborating with social studies colleagues who believe that advancing racial justice in schools is nonnegotiable.

You recently piloted a new leadership program at your school. Can you tell us more about this program and how your LT experience impacted this project?

My time in LT had an enormous impact on my approach to teaching, starting with my decision to become a teacher. I took a different route into teaching and, truthfully, I don't know if I would have had the courage to make a career change without my LT cohort. Last year, as part of my Jackson Leadership Fellows Program (another opportunity that the LT universe helped me find!), I took several aspects of my LT experience and turned them into a service leadership curriculum for my students. Sue was generous enough to share LT's service leadership resources with me, which I wove together with the Jackson Foundation's leadership framework and adapted for my students. Throughout the class, students developed service leadership skills of their choice and then put them into practice to benefit their chosen communities.

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

Community Stewardship: Serving for the greater good, leading and acting from any position, with joy and love. As someone committed to bettering public education, I strive to live this value daily.

Sandra Madrid, LT'89, Community Leader

Tell us what you do and why it matters.

I retired in 2013 from the University of Washington Law School as Assistant Dean of Admission and Community Development. Currently, I am focused on spending time with my son and his family, especially my seven-year-old grandson. I serve on the Board of Directors of United Way of King County and the YWCA of King and Snohomish Counties. Additionally, I serve on the Seattle Community Colleges Chancellor’s Advisory Board, Equity Can’t-Wait Advisory Council, and the Foundation Board. I am no longer on the Seattle Art Museum board, but I serve on their Education and Community Engagement Committee and the newly created Equity Committee. I believe it’s important to be involved in my community and give back for all the gifts I received over my professional career.

You were recently recognized with the Puget Sound Business Journal's Director of the Year award. Can you tell us how LT impacted your leadership and commitment to volunteering?

I went through LT in 1989. At that time, I was just beginning my interest and desire to get involved with the community. I also went through the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) in 1992. These two leadership development opportunities provided the guidance, mentoring, and confidence-boost to catalyze my community involvement. They made me realize that every voice counts and, as a woman of color, I have a unique perspective to bring to discussions. My commitment, passion, and lessons learned through LT have brought me to where I am now – I really don’t feel retired! The network-building that comes with LT is incredible.

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

It’s hard to pick one! I think the values overlap, and I believe in all of them, but the antiracism and social justice value at this time in our history is very important. I serve on two major nonprofit boards (United Way of King County and YWCA). These organizations are focused on social justice and racial equity, and they are both led by dedicated individuals who are folks of color, Gordon McHenry (UWKC) and Maria Chavez Wilcox, LT’84 (YWCA). I applaud their courage and passion. I feel fortunate to be on their boards. I believe in the mission of both and strive to assist to move their missions forward.

Stay connected with the LT community at our alumni events and programs:

Lunch with LT Leaders: Fred Rivera, LT'06, Seattle Mariners

January 19, 2023, 12:00-1:00 p.m. | Zoom

Learn more and register here.

LT Alumni Conversation: LT's 10-Month Flagship Program Update

January 23, 2023, 12:00-1:00 p.m. | Zoom

Learn more and register here.

LT Alumni Workshop: Unpacking Gender Identity

February 2, 2023, 6:00-8:00 p.m. | In-Person at LT's Office

Learn more and register here.

LT Alumni Second Annual Racial Equity Retreat & Workshop

March 3, 2023, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | In-Person at El Centro de la Raza

Registration will open early 2023. In the meantime, save the date!

Conversations with Leaders: Michael Brown, LT'98, and Ted Schneider, LT'12

March 13, 2023, 12:00-1:00 p.m. | Zoom

Learn more and register here.

In Case You Missed It...

LT's Annual Report

Make sure to check out our 2021-2022 Annual Report, which showcases how our 2,500 alumni are working together to make our region a place where people from all identities and communities thrive.

LT's New Mission, Vision, and Values

At the beginning of the year, we announced our new mission, vision, and values. Check them out here.

Interested in Board Service?

Read our October Leaders on Board Newsletter, which features 30+ nonprofits looking for leaders to join their boards of directors. Make sure your information in the LT Alumni Database is up-to-date so we can match you with future opportunities. (We recently placed two LT alumni on the Refugee Women's Alliance by using our LT Alumni Database!)

LT Alumni Nominations for Speakers and Celebration of Civic Impact

Help us identify inspiring alumni to feature in our upcoming alumni events and communications by nominating yourself or other alumni using this form. We review nominations regularly to find speakers and facilitators for our alumni programming, as well as alumni to feature in our newsletters, website, and social media.

Alumni Community Updates: Grapevine

Read the updates below to see how folks in our community are growing in their careers and fostering changes to make our region a place where people from all communities and identities thrive. If you have an update you would like to share with the LT community, email Megan.

LT'93: Eric Pettigrew was selected to join the Casey Family Programs’ Board of Trustees.

LT'09: Ana Pinto da Silva started new roles as Director for the University of Washington, Master of Human-Computer Interaction + Design program and Associate Teaching Professor.

LT'09: Rebecca Zanatta received the Washington State Foundation's Outstanding Service Award. Learn more here.

LT'11: Veronica Smith was a guest on the Moving Beyond YouTube channel, sharing ways organizations can ally with LGBTQIA+ employees.

LT'11: Tina Vlasaty was promoted to Deputy Director at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).

LT'14: Maria McDaniel was named City of Seattle's August Star Award winner. "She brings organization and clarity to her work and centers equity and inclusion in all she does. Maria has been instrumental in helping create our Racial Equity Toolkit through her work on the Race and Social Justice Change Team committee."

LT'16: Erin Hobson is serving as ArtsFund's Board Chair.

LT'17: Sophie Brougham started a new position as Director, Grants Management at Breakthrough Energy.

LT'17: Krystal Brun was promoted to Principal Product Manager - Volunteering Lead, Amazon in the Community Europe.

LT'17: Svea Stromme started a new position as a Foreign Service Officer at the United States Agency for International Development.

LT'18: Maha Jahshan is King County Metro's permanent Partnerships & Engagement Manager after serving in the interim capacity for over a year.

LT'19: Ann Marie Summerhill was promoted to Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness at BECU.

LT'21: Gavin Bartlett was promoted to Managing Director at KPMG.

LT'22: Saunjah Brantley was promoted to Director, MCB Communities, Office of the EVP & Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft.

LT'22: Representing the Northwest Seaport Alliance and Port of Seattle, Sam Cho announced at the COP 27 - UN Climate Change Conference a study to implement a Green Container Shipping Corridor between our gateway and the Port of Busan, South Korea.

LT'22: Isabelle Heyward started a new role as Director of Exhibits at Pacific Science Center.

LT'22: Cassidy Inden started a new role with Aston Carter as a Program Manager/Improvement Specialist with Nintendo.

LT'22: Kimberly Miyazawa Frank started a new role as Global Head of ESG, DEI & Philanthropy at AppLovin.

LT'22: Leo Novsky started a new role as a Tenure—track Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship at Shoreline Community College.

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