Leadership Evanston names grads

Evanston Community Foundation’s Leadership Evanston program celebrates the graduation this month of its 18th signature Leadership Evanston class and its 5th Encore Senior Leadership Evanston class.

With these graduations, Leadership Evanston programs boast 470 alumni, an ever-expanding network of citizen leaders.

“Leadership Evanston empowered me to be an informed and engaged Evanston citizen,” said recent graduate Vidette Bullock Mixon.

“Although I have lived and worked in Evanston for over 25 years, it wasn’t until my active participation in the program that I gained intimate knowledge about the opportunities and challenges facing our community – particularly in housing, education, the arts, and city government.”

Leadership Evanston seeks to cultivate citizen leaders who will use their skills and knowledge to steward the community and build a network of engaged citizens.

A major expression of their commitment is that three out of five newly elected aldermen are alumni of Leadership Evanston, along with the president of the District 202 School Board and two members of the District 65 School Board.

Evanston residents and those who work in Evanston who are interested in participating in the Leadership Evanston signature program are encouraged to apply for the next class, which will run from September through next June.

The application deadline has been extended to July 15. Please contact Marybeth Schroeder, Senior Program Officer, 847-492-0992, leadership@evanstonforever.org.

New graduates of the signature program include:
Lisa Altenbernd, Hagerty Consulting
Laura Antolin, Children’s Librarian, Evanston Public Library
Birch Burghardt, community volunteer
Coleen Burrus, Director, Corporate Relations, Northwestern University
Sonja Coster, Vice President, Children and Family Services, McGaw YMCA
Diane Davis, Sergeant, Evanston Police Department
Suzette Eggleston, Superintendent, Streets and Sanitation, City of Evanston
Wilfred Gadsden, Executive Director, Citizens Lighthouse Community Land Trust
Kevin Heckman, Managing Director, Next Theatre
Betsy Jenkins, Manager, Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center
Mary Johns, Director, Evanston Public Library
Angie Lobo, Chief of Staff, Representative Julie Hamos
Michael Low, Business Consultant
Timothy Mah, Campus Coordinator, Music Institute of Chicago
Rebeca Mendoza, Elementary & Family Program Manager, McGaw YMCA
Aspasia Apostolakis Miller, Director, Career Services, Students & Young Alumni, Northwestern University
Vidette Bullock Mixon, Director, Corporate Relations, General Board of Pension and Health Benefits
Todd Murphy, Associate Director, Undergraduate Leadership Program
David Pelzer, Senior Vice President, Industry Relations, Dairy Management, Inc.
Barb Rakley, Adjunct Faculty, DeVry University
Gina Sineni, Site Coordinator, Y.O.U.
Pam Sloan, Chair, Fine Arts Department, Evanston Township High School
Terre Tuzzolino, President, Pathfinder Coaching and Consulting, Inc.
Tedd Vanadilok, Director, Asian/Asian American Student Affairs, Northwestern University

The senior program, sponsored by Three Crowns Park, seeks to help retired community members and those transitioning to retirement find the right fit for their civic and volunteer engagement. New graduates include Nancy Bashook, John Darrow, Elizabeth Hayford, Rami Henrich, Martha Hill, Jim Iberg, John Keenan, Bob Kurz, Bob Loweth, Joan Taylor and Jane Wickenkamp.

The impact of Leadership Evanston is real. Besides serving as aldermen and on Evanston’s school boards, graduates have been instrumental in creating significant local initiatives and organizations.

The Westside Farmers Market, the Evanston Community Development Association, and Citizens Lighthouse Community Land Trust are just a few of these endeavors.

Many Evanston non-profit and civic boards and organizations, such as the Center for Independent Futures, Evanston Defender, Seniors Action Service of Evanston, the Evanston Environment Board, Evanston/North Shore YWCA, Evanston History Center, and the Youth Job Center, benefit from the infusion of skills and perspective from Leadership Evanston graduates.

The Foundation was established in 1986 as a publicly supported philanthropic organization dedicated to enriching Evanston and the lives of its people, now and in the future.

The Foundation builds community endowments, addresses Evanston’s changing needs through innovative grant-making, and provides leadership in bringing people together around issues of community concern. Through its competitive grants program, the Foundation has made more than $2.7M in grants to nearly 200 organizations.

For more information on the Evanston Community Foundation, contact Sara Schastok, President and CEO, at 847/492-0990 or info@evanstonforever.org