Introducing PEAK Class II

CLALLAM AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES, WASHINGTON — The PEAK Leadership Program announced today its new class of PEAK Leaders for 2009-2010:

Pictured, back left, standing, Sandra Lawrence, Sequim, IT Project Specialist & Desktop Support, Olympic Medical Center; seated, from left, Cammy Brown, Port Hadlock, Paralegal and Chimacum School District Board Director; Max Mania, Port Angeles, Grocery Clerk and Writer, Country Aire Natural Foods, and Candidate for Port Angeles City Council; Wendie Dyson, Port Townsend, Business Manager, Third Ear Project; Daniel Collins, Port Townsend, Olympic Region Coordinator, Pacific Northwest Trail Association; Chris Riffle, Port Angeles, Attorney, Platt Irwin Law Firm; Jack Slowriver, Port Angeles, Executive Director, Family Planning of Clallam County. Pictured from front left is Shari Morrison, Port Townsend - Small Business Owner, Master Cleaners; Jill Dole, Port Angeles - Prevention Specialist, Clallam County Health & Human Services; and Whitney Meissner, Port Ludlow, Principal, Chimacum Middle School and High School.

“The PEAK Program is very excited to be able to introduce this new class of PEAK Leaders,” according to executive director Danille Turissini. “They are everything and more than we could have imagined recruiting for this second class; then again, that’s what we thought about the first class too! Seriously, it would be disingenuous for us to take credit for their participation. The truth is, these leaders submit to the rigors of the program in order to increase their personal leadership capacity, so they will have more of themselves to reinvest on behalf of their communities and the region.

“Even so,” Turissini explains, “The PEAK Leadership Program is very selective about who it will accept into the program. In order to qualify, a candidate must complete a detailed application and questionnaire and undergo an interview. All applicants are required to make a 100-percent commitment to participate in the 10-month program, with very few exceptions. This is where it gets a little tough for some applicants; it seems, even more so than the cost of tuition.”

The class convened its first in a series of 10 sessions on September 24-26, in Port Angeles. The opening session, themed “The Starting Point of Leadership”, was sponsored by Brooke Nelson, Coldwell-Banker Uptown Realty, and Don Perry, Port Angeles Heritage Underground Tours. The two-and-a-half day session included a “Welcome to Port Angeles” by Jamie Valadez, Elwha Klallam Tribe, who addressed the PEAK Leaders in her native Kallam language; a tour of the Port Angeles Heritage Underground, provided by Dusty Rhodes; and a four hour team building experience on the Peninsula College Challenge Course, among other activities.

The mission of the PEAK Program is to foster leaders who are purposeful, effective, authentic, and who exemplify the keystone of quality leadership. It is geared toward those who want to increase their personal and professional development, as well as gain a deeper appreciation of the skills and dynamics of collaborative leadership.

The program provides emerging and existing leaders with the unique opportunity to gain first-hand information and a deeper understanding of the complexities and interconnectivity of our communities on the North Olympic Peninsula. The program accomplishes this through a series of ten, once-a-month community- or topic- perspective learning sessions held on site, at different locations throughout the two-county region. The enhanced leadership skills acquired through participation in the PEAK Leadership Program benefits employers, businesses, governments, organizations, local communities, the region, and beyond.

The PEAK Leadership Program is a state and federally recognized 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. For more information, please visit http://peakleadershipnw.net or email info@peakleadershipnw.net.