AMERICAN LEADERSHIP FORUM OF TACOMA PIERCE COUNTY CHAPTER

The objective of seating a class of 20-25 influential leaders is to build a web of servant leadership capacity and collaboration in Pierce County which directly benefits the 805,000 citizens of the county and adds to the growing network of Senior Fellows (graduates of the program), now 525 in total. Participants learn how they can genuinely connect across their differences to impact community transformation and they now know the power of self-reflection as a tool for driving community change. These leaders are trained in consensus building, and are committed to civic engagement and servant leadership through an increased awareness of the community and a commitment to affect positive change.

Leaders tend to have networks of their own, which extend ALF’s impact well beyond its Fellows and Senior Fellows and into the corners of Tacoma/Pierce County. ALF graduates are using the skills and connections gained from the program to greatly improve both their own work and their community involvement. They have important roles in many of the civic projects and organizations that are shaping Tacoma/Pierce County’s economic and social development.
Great effort is put into the task of recruiting, vetting and selecting nominees for consideration to become ALF Fellows. A year-long selection process begins with nominations from Senior Fellows. An ALF Board- appointed Selection Committee then takes on the challenge of reviewing each nomination and balancing each class for broad community representation.
Individuals are selected who will stimulate, challenge and inspire each other. They are chosen because they have demonstrated a commitment to community engagement and service. They are recognized and influential leaders within their respective spheres. From the pool of nominees, submitted by Senior Fellows, each class is created to reflect and represent the diversity within our community: religious, philosophical, cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, sexual minority status, gender identity, political, age, and economic diversity. These leaders are active in the following 15 sectors in the community; arts, corporate, education, community activist, environmental, military/veteran, healthcare, criminal justice, entrepreneur, labor, media, non-profit, politics/government, professional, and religion.

With 23 classes successfully graduated, Class XXIV in progress, and Class XXV set to begin, ALF continues to listen for and respond to the voice and changing landscape of leadership in our community.

The Fellows program, for which we are seeking funds, is anchored in the ALF Cornerstones designed to provide the framework of leadership themes for the program year:

• Motivating leaders to be catalysts for positive community change.
• Strengthening collaborative leadership skills such as active listening, creative conflict, mediation, negotiation, political imagination, public dialogue, public judgment, celebration and appreciation.
• Exploring the interconnectedness of communities within a region.
• Enriching and renewing personal values while fostering a balance between being and doing.
• Understanding and empowering self and others.
• Exploring, understanding, and valuing diversity.
• Inspiring leaders to a lifetime of active public engagement.