The Evanston Community Foundation’s Leadership Evanston program celebrated the graduation of its 19th Signature Leadership Evanston class this month.
With these 31 graduates, Leadership Evanston programs boast over 500 alumni, an ever-expanding network of citizen leaders.
“The best part of Leadership Evanston was meeting all the wonderful people in my class and in the community,” said class member Cass Wolfe, executive director of the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston. “Not just meeting them, but getting to work with them, to hear their perspectives and learn about their work. Evanston has so much more going for it than I knew.”
In addition to Wolfe, the graduates include:
- Lee Austin, ETHS Security Department
- Patty Barbato, Foundation 65 Board
- Linda Beck, community volunteer
- Julie Captain, Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Evanston Community Foundation Board
- Lonnie Dunlap, University Career Services, Northwestern University
- Tracy Francis, Pharmacy student and Shorefront Legacy Intern
- Dale Greenwell, WMS Gaming, Inc.
- Paul Hletko, Few Spirits
- Jessica Jolly, community volunteer
- Christine Kenny, Literacy Works
- Ellen King, Evanston Environment Board
- Rob Larson, Center for Independent Futures
- Dawn Lehman, Mather Lifeways
- Maiya Lueptow, Hillside Free Methodist & Hillside Food Pantry
- Patricia McPherson, Evanston Police Department chaplain, Positive Presence coordinator
- Gary Millman, Rotary Foundation of Rotary International
- Michael Miro, Ridgeville Park District, Mudlark Theatre
- Diep Nguyen, ETHS Curriculum & Instruction
- Tanya Noble, Evanston Police Department
- Todd Paul, Alan Mitchell and Associates
- Anna Renee Ross, Preferred Investors Real Estate
- Steven Rogin, The Benamy Group
- Monica Jimenez Sarinana, St. Nick’s Church
- Brooke Saucier, Evanston Chamber of Commerce, Few Spirits
- Evangeline Semark-Lemoine, ETHS Communications Department
- Kathy Slaughter, YWCA Evanston/North Shore
- Jan Smith, Cognitive Arts, NIIT USA Ltd., Rotary Club of Evanston
- Warren Smith, Fisher Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church
- Carol Teske, School for Little Children
- Catherine Weidner, Lake Forest College
Recruitment is beginning for the 20th class of the Signature program, which will run from September 2011 through June 2012. The application deadline is July 15. For more information go to www.evanstonforever.org or e-mail leadership@evanstonforever.org.
Leadership Evanston programs encourage meaningful community engagement by building participants’ understanding of Evanston and leadership skills.
Besides serving as aldermen and on Evanston’s school boards, graduates have been instrumental in creating significant local initiatives and organizations, such as Downtown Evanston’s gift card and the West End Farmers Market .
This year class project teams focused on environmental sustainability, keeping Evanston economically strong, furthering our diversity and inclusivity and promoting equity in quality education.