From the Director: Sue Bennett, LT'94 |
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Dear LT Family:
Fall represents the start of a new year for Leadership Tomorrow (our fiscal year runs from September 1 through August 31). Each fall we begin with a new class, new board and committee members, new budget, and new aspirations for catalyzing impact. I hope you will read about the LT’22 class and the breadth of organizations they represent.
LT’s staff is a remarkable group of servant leaders working to support you and our region. I am happy to announce that Megan Rudolph has been promoted to Senior Communications and Development Manager in recognition of her more than six years of service to LT where her responsibilities have grown tremendously. Please join me in congratulating Megan!
I am so grateful to be in community with you as we work together, in and with communities, to impact the big challenges we face.
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Reflections From Committee Chairs |
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Wendy, Law, PhD, LT'11, Chair, Alumni Engagement Leadership Committee (AELC)
The goal of alumni programing is to increase LT alumni’s positive impact in our region by increasing their capacity to be effective change makers.
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Why are you chairing the AELC?
I love that LT has the capacity now to focus on alumni and to further them along their journeys as both learners and teachers. The committee is made of super creative and capable people, exactly what you would expect of LT grads, and we are putting their minds to work on what would be the next meaningful extension of their LT experience. I’m excited to see how we can support LT alumni, and we welcome feedback and new ideas!
What are the goals of the AELC in alumni engagement and impact?
Our goals are to increase LT alumni’s positive impact on our region by increasing their capacity to be effective change makers. We are expanding alumni’s skills, knowledge, and networking through our programing. We are building a community of alumni who are engaging one another and working in their organizations and communities to steward change.
What is the AELC hoping to work on this year in particular?
We want to better understand alumni needs through connecting with them. We are supporting alumni impact through enabling community action. We are also hoping to better engage Class Reps as catalysts to activate their respective classes.
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Julie Pham, PhD, LT'16, Chair, Curriculum Committee
LT's Curriculum Committee develops and implements the curriculum for the Flagship Program. By planning Challenge Days and retreats, overseeing leadership labs, and facilitating racial caucusing, this group ensures we provide opportunities throughout the year to explore this year’s core questions and achieve our learning objectives.
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How did LT impact you?
LT introduced me to a big network of people who became lasting friends. There are still people from my class with whom I have a regular call every month.
Why are you chairing the Curriculum Committee?
I head the Curriculum Committee because it helps me stay on my learning edge and continue to develop my own leadership skills. Through helping to develop the curriculum, I get to learn alongside others.
What is the Curriculum Committee hoping to work on this year in particular?
The committee is leaning into our antiracist community leadership principles. Personally, I hope to encourage a curiosity-based approach to reflect on racism and community leadership. I find that in uncomfortable conversations, it's easy to make assumptions about what people know and don't know and what their intentions are.
Julie recently wrote a piece for the Puget Sound Business Journal titled "Want to really foster inclusion? Speak plainly." Read Julie's article HERE.
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Alumni Spotlight:
Sumana Ramadurgam, LT’21, B-Yond, Inc.
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Sumana is a recent graduate of Leadership Tomorrow and is now a coach for the Class of 2022. See how she’s leveraging what she learned in LT to ask difficult questions, build relationships with her colleagues while working fully remote, and get more engaged in the community.
How have the events this past year and your LT experience influenced your leadership?
My Leadership Tomorrow experience gave me a voice to ask bold questions and to question the status quo. This year at my company's All-Hands (Town Hall style) meeting, I asked our CEO to elaborate on Leadership’s plans to help employees adjust to our new remote work lifestyles. This conversation helped me get noticed by our Leadership Team. As a result, when they created an Advisory Council, I was selected as a member. This council advises on company culture and works on initiatives to foster collaboration between employees while adapting to a fully remote work lifestyle.
I’ve also applied strategies I learned in LT to build connections with my team. I recently hired two new engineers for my team. One engineer is based in Argentina and the other is based in Mexico. Initially, it was tough to make these new hires feel part of the team since they had never met anyone in the company. This inspired me to try a few strategies from LT that helped me build connections with my classmates (e.g., Open Space Technology, Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, and LT’s Lab Team norm of putting relationships first).
Using Open Space to build connections has been especially successful. My team has enjoyed the conversations that are a mix of technical and non-technical topics. Since it’s a new topic every session, I’ve noticed an increase in the number of engineers attending the meeting.
Is there anything you’re going to do (or are currently doing) differently because of LT? How do you envision carrying equity, social and environmental justice, and belonging forward so the most vulnerable can thrive?
Leadership Tomorrow has helped me be more active in the community by providing the knowledge and tools needed to participate in initiatives that contribute to increasing representation and belonging for underrepresented groups. I am now involved with Pacific Community Ventures (PCV). I collaborate with a small group of WOC (Women of Color), particularly those whose jobs have been affected by the pandemic. I support them with setting up small businesses to help them gain financial independence during these challenging times.
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LT Alumni Civic Impact: "Post-Graduate" Community Projects
Monthly meetings from December 2021-May 2022
Class projects are one of the most memorable aspects of the LT experience. That’s why we are thrilled to now offer LT "Post-Graduate" Community Projects. This new initiative brings alumni together to take action on a regional issue. Similar to class projects, proposals will be solicited from organizations and groups will meet from December–May.
We have several other upcoming alumni events and programs scheduled for this fall, including:
LT Alumni Conversation: Reparations Presentation and Discussion
October 21, 2021, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Lunch with LT Leaders: Marsha Botzer, LT'98
October 28, 2021, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
LT Alumni Conversation: The Compact for Belonging, Frank Nam, LT'13
November 4, 2021, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
LT Alumni Coffee Break: Choose Your Own Conversation
November 16, 2021, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Lunch with LT Leaders: Becky Witmer, LT'16
December 2, 2021, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
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Stay Connected Online:
LT Alumni Database and LinkedIn
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LinkedIn: Follow Leadership Tomorrow and Update Your Profile
To get real-time information about what's happening at LT and to connect with other alumni, make sure to follow us on LinkedIn.
LT Alumni Database: Access Leaders, Be Recruited, and More!
Have you logged into the LT Alumni Database yet? Is your profile complete and up to date? 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 have questions about the LT Alumni Database or need help setting up your profile, email Rebeca.
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Alumni Community Updates: Grapevine |
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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 and resilient. If you have an update (career changes, appointments, new family arrivals, etc.) you would like to share with the LT community, email Megan.
1996: The Washington Secretary of State's Legacy Project writers and designers released a biography of current Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven González. Read it HERE.
1997: Marjorie Hillson recently passed away. From her obituary: "When Marjorie wrote her wedding ceremony in 1974 it began with a vow, 'I promise to think of you before I think of myself'. Ambitious and passionately written by a young artist and ideologue, that phrase seemed on the surface to encompass such utter naivety, and yet, as always, Marjorie had chosen the words deliberately and with great care and forethought for even at such a young age, Marjorie knew that that gospel, that creed, was destined to remain as the inspiration for what she wanted her life to be about." Read her full obituary HERE.
2004: Mian Rice received the Aki Kurose Public Servant Award.
2008 and Honorary LT: Natalie Vega O'Neil, LT'08, and Jenefeness Tucker, Honorary LT, recently spoke on a Seattle CityClub Civic Boot Camp Panel together, discussing how schools and empowerment programs can help youth navigate the pandemic (from meeting basic needs to coping with mental health issues) and prepare for an uncertain future. Watch the recording HERE.
2009: Rebecca Zanatta was selected to Chair the WSU Foundation Advocates and Advocates Emeriti.
2010: Josh Gaul was promoted to Managing Director, Corporate Counsel, Corporate & Securities at Starbucks.
2012: Shelly Woodruff has accepted a new position as Director of General Motors.
2012: Charles Wright has accepted a new position as Vice President of Strategy, Finance, and Operation at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
2013: Kyla Lackie has accepted a new position as Deputy Director at Get Schooled.
2013 and 2015: Kyla Lackie, LT'13, and Mercy Daramola, LT'15, secured initial funding to launch King County Promise, a bold, public-private partnership to increase equity in college access and success for historically underserved students in King County.
2014: Jonathan Bahe has joined the Pike Place Market Foundation Board of Directors.
2014: Dave Cullen has accepted a new position as Director of People and Culture at New Engen, Inc.
2014: Shukri Olow was featured in a New York Post article titled "Two decades after 9/11, Muslim Americans still fighting bias." Read the article HERE.
2015: Sarai Childs was recognized by the Walt Disney Company as a Disney Magic Maker for her community service efforts during the pandemic and her support of a backpacks program for school children. Learn about her work and this award HERE.
2015: Mercy Daramola was promoted to Director of Postsecondary at Puget Sound ESD.
2015: Aaron Robertson has started a new position as Director of Political Voice at Advancement Project California.
2016: Rosalinda Mendoza has launched a new business of artisanal small batch mezcal from Michoacan, Mexico: Mocel Mezcal.
2017: Nicole Bascomb was appointed to the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.
2017: Krystal Brun was promoted to Senior Product Manager, Employee Engagement -- Amazon in the Community, Europe.
2017: David Chen has started a new position as General Counsel at Central City Concern.
2017: Edward Gay was interviewed for Seattle Medium News, discussing hurdles for Black-owned business and JPMorgan Chase's commitment to small business. Read the article HERE.
2017: Rodrigo Sanchez has accepted a new position as a U.S. Diplomat for the U.S. Department of State and is stationed in Hanoi, Vietnam.
2017: Todd Wilson has joined the Board of Directors for the Service Board.
2017: Janice Zahn was appointed to the Board of Governors of Construction Manager Certification Institute.
2018: Nadia Gandara was promoted to Director of Racial Equity Strategies at United Way of King County.
2018: Rob Saka was recently recognized by Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners organization as part of their “Salute to Those Who Serve” program. The award, presented by T-Mobile, recognized distinguished military veterans for their service to our country and our shared community across the Pacific Northwest region.
2018: Jen Yoshimura has founded a new company, MI-VR, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) innovative tech company that seeks to partner with DEI consultants, facilitators, companies, and community leaders to complement their training and curriculum.
2019: Aarti Khanna has started a new position as Development Director at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
2019: Kaila Nsimbi was promoted to Associate Executive Director at Rainier Scholars.
2019: Johannes Schonberg is running for Bremerton City Council.
2020: Kate Corcoran has accepted a new position as Director of Operations for WA at Quilted Health.
2020: Hao Duong has accepted a new position as Healthcare Sector Leader | Principal at Ankrom Moisan.
2020: Erin Gagnon has accepted a new position as General Manager at Ridwell.
2021: Jessica Bhuiyan wrote an essay for the South Seattle Emerald titled "Opinion: A September 11 Survivor's Call for us all." Read the article HERE.
2021: Katie Weiss has accepted a new position as Philanthropy Officer at KEXP.
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