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 Leadership Eastside (LE) community leader development program.

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, program officials say.

Over the past three years Leadership Eastside has graduated 96 Eastside community leaders. 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.

More information on the program and organization is available at www.leadershipeastside.com.