Program points to bright future

Simply Sleight, by Kari Sleight

Late last October I had an e-mail pop into my inbox that, at first glance, appeared to be another donation or sponsorship request. The opening paragraph described a program of the Alaska Humanities Forum, Leadership Anchorage, which had recently opened to statewide participation. According to a press release, Leadership Anchorage is a program "designed to expose the 'emerging leaders' of nonprofit, neighborhood, and ethnic organizations to the larger power brokers of Anchorage and Alaska." And, according to Kim-Marie Walker, the author of the e-mail, a component of the nine-month program was to seek out a mentor to work with throughout the course of the program, an invitation she was extending to me.

I had seen Kim-Marie's name in our newspaper due to her work in organizing the first Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in the Mat-Su, but had not had the opportunity to meet her. I was flattered by her offer, but felt we needed to further discuss the requirements and expectations of this relationship before making this long-term commitment -- she agreed.

Our schedules didn't allow for a face-to-face meeting until Dec. 1, but our visit proved to be worth the wait. I found Ms. Walker to be bright, articulate and willing to devote her time and energy to successfully completing the program. At the end of the meeting, we solidified our partnership for the duration of the program.

Over the course of the program, we met frequently and found the conversation to flow easily; what started as a "business commitment" quickly developed into a friendship. As we shared life experiences, I was fascinated by her broad range of experiences that included more than two years living in Africa. I feel that I learned as much, if not more, from her than she did from me. And, I hope she came away from the experience feeling as good as I do. The Mat-Su community will certainly benefit from Ms. Walker's experience, expertise and involvement.

On May 17, I was honored to attend the program graduation ceremonies for Class of 2004, which included the first graduates from Mat-Su. I was impressed by the dedication and enthusiasm of all 20 graduates of the program. As they stood in front of the audience, one by one, and read their individual commitment to the community, I couldn't help but feel a sense of hope and optimism for the future of Alaska. Pledges from the graduates ranged from ensuring equitable access to health care, advocating for the homeless and at-risk youth and creating more leadership training opportunities to diversity education and simply becoming involved in one's community.

Leadership in a community has many definitions, evidenced by the variety of commitments to the community made by this year's Leadership graduates. However you define leadership, the first step is to become involved in the process, a step each of these people has taken. I congratulate all the graduates, but would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Mat-Su graduates: Kim-Marie Walker, Hans Neidig and Mari Jo Parks. The Mat-Su Borough benefits each time someone steps into a leadership position to improve the quality of life of its residents, and I applaud those who accept the challenge and responsibility.

Kari Sleight is the publisher of the Frontiersman.