Leadership Eastside’s Adaptive Leadership Program CLASS OF 2025 Graduates May 8
- Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce
- Apr 21
- 3 min read
Pickering Barn in Issaquah, 6pm, tickets available

Each year, Leadership Eastside convenes a group of Eastside business, public, nonprofit and community leaders, for a 2-year Adaptive Leadership program. Leaders learn about approaching adaptive issues (those without a direct solution, ex: homelessness) with a systems-thinking approach that brings everyone affected by an issue to the table to be part of the solution. The Class of 2025 presented their team adaptive campaign projects on March 13, which were on the topics of:
Youth mental health, partner KTUB
Re-entry barriers for individuals leaving incarceration without a valid ID, partner WELD
Supporting minority small business owners, partner Bellden Ventures
The impacts of AI on public safety, partner Chief Lowe, Redmond Police Department
Meet the Leadership Eastside Class of 2025 Graduates
The Leadership Eastside Class of 2025 Adaptive Leadership cohort members ARE the movers and shakers of the Eastside. Many have started a nonprofit organization to fill a gap in community needs; some have immigrated here from another country and have vast wisdom to share with others; some are advocates for our LGBTQIA+ community; and others serve us through public service and community building every day: (city = lives in)
Hend Alhinnawi - Humanitarian Tracker, Kirkland
Seraphie Allen – City of Redmond, Seattle
Axton Burton – Pride Across the Bridge, Redmond
Bonnie DeCaro-Monahan – Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank, Issaquah
Jesus Diaz – Seattle Children’s Hospital, Lake Stevens
Adam Dibba – Africans on the Eastside, Bellevue
Cole Eckerman – Eckerhaus Consulting, Maple Valley
Liz Glick – City of Bellevue, Woodinville
Nicaise Ishimwe – Amazon, Redmond
Cham Kao – University of Washington, Mill Creek
Mariely Lemagne – MoPOP, Seattle
S. Scarleth Lever Ortiz – King County, Bothell,
Gabriela Lopez Vazquez – King County Promotores Network, Kirkland
Carl Lunak – City of Bellevue, Kenmore
Monik Martinez – 4Tomorrow, Bellevue
Berlin Maza – Eastside Fire & Rescue, Maple Valley
Katie McPhail Coltrain – Northwest Marine Trade Assoc., Issaquah
Anjali Myer – City of Sammamish, Sammamish
Kristen Raftis – City of Redmond, Seattle
Kelli Refer – Move Redmond, Seattle
Jackie Siochi – Acres of Diamonds, Redmond
Samantha St. John – Port of Seattle, Kirkland
Blake Trask – King County – Claudia Balducci, Seattle
Mallory Van Abbema – City of Shoreline, Shoreline
Rajesh Venkatesh – Abhyas Consulting LLC, Bellevue
Sara Waltemire – Meydenbauer Center, Seattle
Tami Welch – Village Parent Support & Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Redmond
Jim Whitney – Redmond Fire Department Medic One, Vashon Island
Yukari Zednick – Cascadia College, Woodinville
NEW Leadership Eastside 10-Month CORE Experience Program
Leadership Eastside’s two-year Adaptive Leadership program will transition to a 10-month class called CORE Experience. It will still be based on The Practice of Adaptive Leadership by Heifetz, Grashow & Linsky, out of the Harvard Center for Public Leadership, Gracious Space, and understanding inequitable, multicultural systems. For the new CORE Experience program we have added the Inner Development Goals Framework, based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Leadership Eastside is currently accepting applications for the CORE Experience program. You can find out more information about the program, nominate a leader and apply at LeadershipEastside.com.
Join us for graduation, tickets: https://leadershipeastside.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/Classof2025Graduation/tabid/1527987/Default.aspx
Leadership Eastside convenes and educates leaders to focus on the greater good in East King County. We inform, equip, and connect our community’s greatest assets – its leaders – to meet our community’s greatest needs. Our mission is to build leadership capacity to address complex challenges. Leadership Eastside envisions a thriving and equitable community where complex issues are addressed through collaboration and shared responsibility. Leadership Eastside serves the entire East King County region and beyond with its CORE Experience program and 4-day Executive Insight program. More info at www.leadershipeastside.com.
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