09/21/2009: "Leadership SJI Class VI"

(Back row left to right: Louise Carnachan, Steve Gresham, Barbara LaBrash; row 3: Barbara Merritt, Lou Pray, Bettye Hendricksen, Marta Nielsen, Learner Limbach, Suzi Marean, Brian Windrope; row 2: Ethna Flanagan, Claire Nollman, Katie Loring, Kiara McLaughlin, and Owen Cheevers. Front row: Cheryl Harlan, Angie Atwell, Kristy Ayers, Margie Doyle, and Tracey Roberson.)

Leadership San Juan Islands announces that preparation for Class VI is will underway as the application period has officially opened. Applications and information can be found on the web at www.leadershipsanjuanislands.org
The deadline to submit applications is November 13.

Leadership San Juan Islands is a county-wide program which fosters leadership skills such as facilitation, collaborative problem solving, and public speaking as well as the analysis of local systems related to governance, economics, social services, history and culture, education and the environment.

Participants are selected in the fall and spend five months together, January through May, with LSJI staff, alumni, and many regional leaders.

LSJI Coordinating Council Chair Bill Watson says, “We are pleased to announce our sixth year of offering this proven model of leadership experiences to San Juan County residences. We are especially excited to have LSJI Alumnus Amy Windrope, as this year’s Program Coordinator. Her expertise and talents will contribute highly to the growth and success of this year’s program.”

Windrope will work closely with the Curriculum Development Committee led by former Chair and Program Coordinator, Liz Illg. “Now that we have five years under our belts, we can really see the tremendous give back of many of the alumni.

Each system challenge day, and the three retreats reflect the collaborative design and planning of committed folks. They know how LSJI changed their lives and they want to see the same happen for other community members! Last year’s class was full with 20 participants, so we encourage interested applicants to meet the November 13 deadline.

Businesses and agencies across the County have played a part in the success of Leadership San Juan Islands: Last year’s program appreciated significant donations by Smuggler’s Villa and Heartwood House on Orcas, Lopez Islander Bay Resort on Lopez, and Harrison Suites/Tucker House on San Juan Island. Many Class V participants were sponsored in part or wholly by their employer or by a local nonprofit.

The 2009 program was generously supported by the following sponsors: San Juan County Community Network, San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, San Juan Island Prevention Coalition, Friends of the San Juans, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Lopez Island Family Resource Center, MindPlace, Orcas Island Prevention Partnership, Orcas Family Connections, Skagit Valley College, Skinner and Saar, P.S, Port of Friday Harbor and the San Juan Preservation Trust. Institutional co-sponsors were Skagit Valley College by providing space for the program and staff time, and the San Juan County Economic Development Council provided administrative support.

If you are interested in participating, sponsoring, or getting more information about this dynamic Leadership program please contact Amy Windrope at 378-9683 (w) or 370-5470 (h), or go to LSJI website at http://www.leadershipsanjuanislands.org