Leadership San Juan Islands announces graduation for Class IV from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday May 30 at Skagit Valley College in Friday Harbor. Graduates David Bentley, Carrie Burke, Georgeana Cook, Anna Maria deFreitas, Grisha Krivchenia, Christine Miller, Gail Leschine-Seitz, Kyle Loring, Paul King, Tracie Red Elk, Anji Ringzin and Amy Windrope will present their proposed service projects and receive certificates of completion.

Commencement speaker will be Merle Lefkoff, PhD, internationally known educator, mediator and political scientist focusing on the transformation of international conflicts and co-founder of the Madrona Institute. A special review will be presented by graphic recorder Cynthia-Stark Wickman who captured both process and content of the program through original artwork. Refreshments will be provided and friends, family and the public are invited to attend.

Businesses and agencies across the County played a part in the success of the program. This year the class appreciated significant donations by Smuggler’s Villa and Heartwood House on Orcas, and Lopez Islander Bay Resort. Each participant was also sponsored in part or wholly by their employer or a local nonprofit. This year the following sponsors provided support: Hospice of San Juan, St. David’s Episcopal Church, San Juan Prevention Coalition, Spring Street International School, San Juan County Community Network, San Juan Island School District, San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, San Juan County Fair Board, Friends of the San Juans, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Lopez Island Family Resource Center and the San Juan Initiative. Institutional co-sponsors were Skagit Valley College by providing space for the program and staff time, and the San Juan County Economic Development Council which provided administrative support.

Leadership San Juan Islands is a county-wide program which fosters leadership skills such as facilitation, collaborative problem solving, and public speaking as well as the analysis of local systems related to governance, economics, social services, history and culture, education and the environment. Participants are selected in the fall and spend five months together, January through May, with a staff of four and many regional leaders. For more information see: http://www.leadershipsanjuanislands.org