To keep you connected to current issues and topics discussed in the Flagship Program, LT shares reflections and resources from our Possibility Days. Last year, we changed the name from Challenge Days to Possibility Days to reflect our focus on how leaders can work collectively toward solutions and possibilities. We hope these reflections from three LT'24 class members help bring the program and conversations to life for you. To get a feel for the day and resources, read the agenda. Special thanks to BECU, Community Attributes, and Port of Seattle for sponsoring this day and for their leadership in our community.

Our Economy Possibility Day was designed to support these Flagship Program goals:

Community and Belonging: Build a diverse multi-sector learning community in which participants can find belonging, inspiration, and support for action during and after the program year.
Regional Challenges and Opportunities: Introduce a range of regional challenges and opportunities through the lenses of equity and antiracism; envision and explore examples of policies, institutions, and systems that promote equity.
Leadership: Build a toolkit of leadership skills for individual and collective action so that organizations, communities, and the region may thrive.

Kathryn's Reflections

Kathryn Pursch Cornforth, LT'24, University of Washington

Economics has always been a little intimidating for me. I’m not joking when I say that I chose my graduate program based on avoiding economics classes! The Economy Possibility Day helped me put what I do know into context and gave me perspective on regional challenges and opportunities from an angle that I might otherwise avoid.

I appreciated starting the day by sharing our own economic story. As luck would have it, my conversation partner and I shared a lot of common background and current circumstances. It was good to remember that I’m not the only working-class kid in the room or the only person in our cross-sector cohort with a tiny house!

Chris Medford's slides and activities made me think that economics maybe isn’t that scary...and provided a few mind worms! I moved to Seattle the year that Boeing moved their corporate headquarters to another city, so I was stunned to realize that aerospace production contributes so much to the local economy. That was certainly a “sticky” example of how some basic facts about our city just don’t register as part of my experience.

I’ve also been talking incessantly about the airport tour and some of the factoids that Mark Leutwiler shared in his introduction. I had more patience with security lines during holiday travel when I remembered that SEA (Sea-Tac Airport) is managing TWICE the number of passengers each year than it was built for!

I’m thinking a lot about curiosity, accountability, and community stewardship in the wake of our time together. All the social issues we’re exploring are so deeply intertwined with one another. Those economic trade-off scenarios will rattle through my brain when we talk about homelessness and housing next month, and I hope I am still thinking about airport water management when we dive into conversations about the environment in the spring.

Tamaka's Reflections

Tamaka Thornton, LT'24, Turner Construction

First, I want to say how grateful I am for the opportunity to write my reflection for the Economy Possibility Day. I love the topic of economics because I find value in learning diverse insights on why people allocate their resources as they do. The recurring theme during Economy Possibility Day was the word “transaction,” which was emphasized by all speakers including Chris Medford, LT’08, Amelia Ransom, Honorary LT, and Laura Clise, as well as my classmates.

For example, I knew I would leave Alabama, because it did not have the infrastructure for the career I desired. Its economy was what the community wanted (healthcare and auto manufacturing). I benefitted from the local and regional economy of Alabama until I moved away as a young adult. But when I reflect on my career path that led me to Seattle, the word “transaction” resonates.

The Port of Seattle’s mission is to create economic opportunities and improve the quality of life in the region. I’ve lived in different communities since moving to Seattle, and the Port of Seattle embodies the essence of all these communities. The communities I’ve lived/currently live in are diverse and vibrant; they prioritize community stewardship, creating economic opportunities, holding leaders accountable, and implementing measures to combat racism.

The Port’s operations (aviation, maritime, and environment/sustainability) highlight the positive aspects of transactions in building an economy and demonstrate optimism about the region's ability to meet demands through infrastructure and community growth. However, are we willing to allow the potential impact of transactional relationships to cost us the very fabric of our purpose: To build communities through economic enterprise and ensure a better quality of life for all.

I leave you with this, as Chris Medford, LT’08, said, “you can have the economy you want.” My conversations with my classmates made me think that, yes, Chris, we can have the economy we want. So, consider your individual role in contributing to an economy that is thriving for all members of our communities.

Stephen's Reflections

Stephen Song, LT'24, City of Seattle

At our recent Possibility Day, we assessed the economic health of our region and explored some of the key levers that drive our region’s economic viability. We heard from Commissioner Sam Cho, LT’21, about the impact of the Port of Seattle, and from Chris Mefford, LT’08, on the state of growth, debt, GDP, “market failures,” the migration of workers, and the impact of higher salaries on the housing market.

A special treat was taking a guided bus tour through the airfield and experiencing firsthand the incredible capital projects and innovations that are helping SEA meet the needs of the region.

We also had the opportunity to reflect on our own economic story. At one point, we were asked to raise a hand if we had flown out of SEA. Every hand in the room went up. I couldn’t help but wonder what the response would be if we asked the bag handlers who were scurrying to keep up with the neck-breaking pace of capitalism? Or the folks checking the tickets or serving food and concessions at the gates?

When I worked for a youth mentoring program in Seattle, most of our students had never been on a ferry, let alone a plane. I was thinking of those young people who had to neglect their studies to work during the pandemic to help their families survive while we examined slides about wage stagnation, housing market impacts, and debt to income ratios. Throughout the day, I felt waves of incongruence as we discussed economic successes without highlighting the human cost resulting from the "market failures" in our regional economy.

Our afternoon panel of speakers made me further reflect on my own journey and what my role in this work is. I carry the weight of poverty in my body, in my teeth and bones, and in my spirit. I have seen a world of care and resources from the outside, and I internalized my lack of worth as I watched others “fly by” because they had the economic power to do so. My path has been anything but linear, but I have been able to gain economic access beyond my familial upbringing. While my ability to escape poverty was not easy, it was most certainly abetted by my positionality as an able-bodied white man.

One of our colleagues shared a last reflection of the day: “I realize that it starts with me.” The access we collectively hold puts us all in a privileged position where we must act for those who may never get a chance to shape policy, develop programs, build housing, direct resources, or tell stories to decision makers like our LT cohort will. Yet their lives will be impacted.

As we progress in our careers and share in the prosperity within the Pacific Northwest, how are we working to identify barriers that we can actively dismantle? How is our work serving as a ladder and a lifeline to folks on outside? How can we ensure that those who are not in the room are centered in the work? The work in front of us is huge, but there is much we can and are called to do. Collectively, we are stewards of change, and with the leadership in this community, there is possibility.

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