Forty Eastside community leaders make a three-year commitment to serve their community today by enrolling in Leadership Eastside's Class of 2011.

Bellevue, WA - (August 21, 2008) -- Carol Taylor, Group Health Cooperative Medical Center Administrator and a member of the 2011 class sums up the expectations and dreams of many class members, stating "With every opportunity to grow and develop competencies and understanding of key community issues, I will take that knowledge and the relationships that are developed into the work that we do to improve the health and vitality of this community".

Forty emerging Eastside community leaders have been accepted in the prestigious Leadership Eastside (LE) community leader development program. LE grooms high impact individuals in taking the next step to grow their communities to a healthier future. Class members chose to take responsibility for their Eastside communities today to subrogate their responsibility to the assumption that someone else will step up as a community leader.

LE's class members live and work in Eastside communities, they come from private, public and non-profit sectors and they all share a desire to use their leadership experience to help improve the quality of life for the Eastside region. Class members dedicate a full day each month from September through May by focusing on six community leader capabilities including sustaining stewardship, thinking holistically, valuing dialogue, envisioning possibilities, influencing outcomes, and building community - with emphasis on becoming a catalyst for change.

Based on what they learn from the community and LE course materials, class members will identify similar interests, form teams, and develop a community project that addresses one particular regional issue facing the Eastside community. This practical application helps prepare future community leaders for challenges they may experience while creating positive change. The LE experience gives individuals deeper personal, professional and community connections as well as a broader knowledge of our Eastside community.

The Class of 2011 joins a distinguished group of LE community servants: LE's alumni (Class of 2008) and members of the 2009 and 2010 classes are serving their communities as elected officials (Mayor, City Council, Commissioners), as non-profit Board of Directors, and all as community volunteers. The three previous classes delivered 17 regional community service projects impacting Eastside basic needs, education, neighborhoods and communities, and the environment.

Support for LE comes from a broad base of public, private and not-for-profit organizations committed to healthy Eastside communities. These include Symetra Financial; The Boeing Company; City of Redmond; King County; Evergreen Healthcare; The Seattle Foundation; Overlake Hospital Medical Center; City of Bellevue; Cascadia Community College; First Mutual Bank; Group Health Cooperative; GLY Construction; Lake Washington Technical College; Microsoft; Puget Sound Energy; Sound Transit; Lake Street Catering; CH2M Hill; Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center; City of Issaquah; Rowley Properties; United Way of King County; Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce; City of Duvall; King County Library System.

For more information on the program and organization, visit Leadership Eastside's website at www.leadershipeastside.com.

The Leadership Eastside 2011 class participants and their sponsoring organizations:

Bainbridge Island

Monroe

TJ Hall, Symetra Financial Bill Falcon, Emerald Falcon Marketing
Evan Griffiths, CH2M Hill

Bellevue

Tresa Berg, City of Bellevue

Newcastle

Kim Estes, P.E.A.C.E. of Mind Mario Trevino, City of Bellevue
Monty Kilcup, GLY Construction
Sebastian Koellner, Hopelink

Redmond

Lynne Langseth, Laird Norton Tyee Ramona Clifton, IDD Aerospace
Ticson Mach, Port of Seattle Karin Duval, Community Leader
Arun Nisargand, The Boeing Company Tom Flynn, University of Washington, Bothell
Susan Vandament, Consultant Tracy Hoien, Lake Washington Schools Foundation
Hank Margeson, Safeco Insurance Company

Bothell

Tim Sayers, The Boeing Company
Patrick Bannon, Bellevue Downtown Association
Lisa Brouelette, City of Kirkland

Renton

Joan Robinson, Lane Powell

Federal Way

Cenita Williamson, Symetra Financial
Bob Gooderl, Symetra Financial

Sammamish

Issaquah

Will Parkinson, Hilton Garden Inn
India Nishi, The Boeing Company Carol Taylor, Group Health Cooperative

Kirkland

Seattle

Amy Arquilla, Hopelink Anne Ellett, BarclayDean
Kate Batson Butcher, Happy as Larry Erin George, Friends of Youth
Pam Gill, Evergreen Healthcare Andrea Millikan, YMCA
Bill Goggins, The Boeing Company Andy Swayne, Puget Sound Energy
Anne Hamilton, Microsoft Corporation
Paul Jensen, King County Library System

Woodinville

Claudia Malone, Triad Associates
Shirley Metcalf, Lake Washington Technical College
Laurel Fortin, First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue
Brian Spring, The Boeing Company

CONTACT:

Stephanie D. Mapelli, President
Leadership Eastside
425.736.2800
smapelli@leadershipeastside.com

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