Washington Collaborative Elected Leaders Institute

Enhance your skills in collaborative leadership—learn how to build trust and govern across differences.

The AWC Center for Quality Communities and our partners are excited to announce the inaugural cohort of the Washington Collaborative Elected Leaders Institute (WA-CELI).

This four-month, immersive training program will provide small teams of city elected officials with the collaborative leadership skills to tackle real-world challenges facing our cities and towns. Under the guidance of expert facilitators, teams will learn and practice a broad range of strategies to embrace differing viewpoints and build consensus to maximize success.

In addition to receiving valuable training, participants will have the opportunity to learn about challenges facing communities in other parts of the state and build meaningful connections with peers invested in improving the civic health of Washington state.

The WA-CELI pilot program is offered by the AWC Center for Quality Communities and the Association of Washington Cities (AWC), in partnership with the William D. Ruckelshaus Center (a joint effort of Washington State University and the University of Washington) and the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance.

2024 WA-CELI inaugural cohort

Team 1: Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone

Team 2: Arlington Mayor Don Vanney, Arlington Councilmember Michele Blythe, Arlington Councilmember Leisha Nobach, Darrington Mayor Dan Rankin

Team 3: East Wenatchee Mayor Jerrilea Crawford, Wenatchee Councilmember Chelsea Ewer

Team 4: Port Townsend Deputy Mayor Amy Howard, Port Townsend Councilmember Monica MickHager, Port Townsend Councilmember Owen Rowe

Team 5: Pullman Mayor Francis Benjamin, Pullman Councilmember Trymaine Gaither, Pullman Councilmember Ann Parks

Team 6: Grandview Mayor Ashley Lara, Selah Mayor Roger Bell, Selah Councilmember Michael Costello, Union Gap Councilmember Julie Schilling

Team 7: Bonney Lake Mayor Terry Carter, Bonney Lake Councilmember Gwendolyn Fullerton, Orting Mayor Josh Penner, Orting Councilmember Jeff Sproul

Team 8: Bainbridge Island Councilmembers Kirsten Hytopoulos, Ashley Mathews, and Leslie Schneider

Team 9: Cashmere Mayor James Fletcher, Chelan Mayor Erin McCardle, Entiat Mayor Renee Swearingen

Team 10: Duvall Mayor Pro Tempore Amy McHenry, Duvall Councilmember Ronn Mercer

Team 11: Port Angeles Councilmember Drew Schwab, Sequim Councilmember Harmony Rutter

Team 12: Sammamish Councilmembers Roisin O'Farrell, Pam Stuart, and Sid Gupta

Team 13: Tacoma Deputy Mayor John Hines, Tacoma Councilmember Sarah Rumbaugh

Team 14: Liberty Lake Mayor Cris Kaminskas, Liberty Lake Councilmember Annie Kurtz, Medical Lake Mayor Terri Cooper, Airway Heights Councilmember Jennifer Morton

Team 15: Burien Councilmembers Sarah Moore, Alex Andrade, and Linda Akey

Session dates and locations

WA-CELI will host five sessions and one post-session capstone. The sessions are a combination of in-person and virtual.

Note: Each team member must commit to attending all sessions, including the three in-person sessions at locations around the state.

Cost

Our goal is to ensure that no one is unable to participate due to financial need.

• There is no cost to participate in the program for those teams selected.
• Limited scholarship funds are available to help cover the cost of travel and lodging for the in-person sessions for participants whose cities are unable to cover these costs.

How to apply

• Note: The 2024 WA-CELI application period has closed. Watch for information in Spring 2025 on how to apply to the next cohort.
• Elected officials from Washington cities and towns are eligible to apply to the program.
• Apply as a team of two to four elected officials, either from the same city or from neighboring cities.
• Teams selected for the program were announced in June.

Questions?

Contact Deanna Dawson, AWC Chief Executive Officer

More information

Learning outcomes

Under the guidance of expert facilitators, teams will learn and practice a broad range of collaborative leadership skills:

• Examine how to move from hierarchical to collaborative leadership
• Understand how to manage collaborative dynamics and embrace conflict as a tool for change
• Practice framing discussions around interests instead of positions
• Explore ways to engage the public and communicate compromise to your constituents
• Discover strategies for evaluating collaborative process and outcomes
• Learn how to maintain collaborative relationships over time

About the facilitators

Dr. Julia Carboni

Julia is Director of the William D Ruckelshaus Center, a joint effort between Washington State University and the University of Washington that assists stakeholders with developing collaborative, durable, and effective solutions for complex policy challenges. She is also a full professor in the Washington State University School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs and a distinguished scholar at the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. Dr. Carboni is an award-winning community engaged scholar and leader with expertise in using collaboration and asset-based community development to improve the lives and wellbeing of communities. She serves or has served on the Board of Directors for international, national, and local organizations, has extensive community-based volunteer experience, and also regularly mentors fellow BIPOC and female scholars and community leaders.

 

Jed Chalupa

Jed is a lead facilitator at the Ruckelshaus Center. He focuses on collaborative capacity-building efforts throughout Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Jed brings over eight years of experience in facilitation, engagement, conflict management, and training/teaching. He holds certifications in both Mediation and Women and Gender Studies. His work has regularly focused on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion within public engagement efforts. Jed completed his bachelor’s degree in communication studies with a minor in peace and reconciliation, and his master’s in communication studies with a specialization in deliberative processes from Colorado State University in 2015 and 2018, respectively. He is currently completing the final stages of his Ph.D. in Communication Studies with focuses on engagement and conflict management from Texas A&M University.

 

Becky Corriell

Becky is the director of Professional Learning Programs for the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. Becky's work focuses on the creation of professional learning opportunities that are intentionally co-designed to advance personal, organizational, and collective learning. She has more than fifteen years of experience in teaching and training, program design and implementation, and organizational development. Becky also brings a deep commitment towards anti-racism, equity, and inclusion to all facets of her work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership & Policy from the University of Washington. She is currently finalizing her doctoral dissertation in Education Policy, Organizations, & Leadership, also at UW.

 

AK Sterling

AK is an innovation & engagement manager within the Evans Policy Innovation Collaborative, a policy lab embedded at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. His work focuses on providing project management and internal & external engagement support. He has eight years of experience working in communications, community engagement, partnership development, and project management in higher education, focusing on building deep relationships with stakeholders, students, and community members to advance access to higher education and close opportunity gaps. AK holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Washington State University and a Master of Communication in Communities & Networks from the University of Washington.

 

About the partners

AWC Center for Quality Communities

The WA-CELI pilot program will be administered by the AWC Center for Quality Communities (CQC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization associated with the Association of Washington Cities. The CQC promotes municipal leadership development and civic engagement in pursuit of building healthy, resilient, quality communities.

Association of Washington Cities

The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) was founded in 1933 and is the nonprofit corporation that represents the 281 cities and towns in Washington. AWC’s mission is to build connections between Washington state’s diverse cities and towns, while providing their members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling programs, and nonpartisan advocacy.

William D. Ruckelshaus Center

The Ruckelshaus Center is a joint effort of Washington State University and the University of Washington, created to foster collaborative public policy in Washington state and the Pacific Northwest. The Center is hosted and administered at WSU by the Office of the Provost and hosted at UW by the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. The Center’s Advisory Board includes prominent local, state, and regional leaders representing a broad range of constituencies across Washington state. The core faculty and staff consist of experienced facilitators and project managers, along with communication, development, and operations professionals.

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington

For more than 60 years, the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has built a reputation as one of the top public policy schools in the nation. The school is defined by its shared purpose: to inspire public service and to democratize public policy. Curricular and hosting support for WA-CELI will be provided by the Evans School’s Professional Learning Programs staff and the Evans Policy Innovation Center, a policy lab that applies insights from science and human-centered design methodology to policy and management challenges, helping organizations adapt to the needs of the communities they serve and embrace change.