Leadership Snohomish County: Helping Community Leaders Grow
Last year, I was accepted to the Leadership Snohomish County Signature Program. At that time, I could not have guessed what this program would do for me, but I had a sneaking suspicion it would help me develop my voice as a leader. During the last 9 months, I had the opportunity to share my opinions, learn from experts in our community, and discuss how to resolve real issues found in Snohomish County with leaders pulling from diverse lived experiences.
Who is Leadership Snohomish County?
Leadership Snohomish County (LSC) is a non-profit organization committed to helping leaders develop their skills to better support their community. Working through the lenses of service and equity, LSC aims to give leaders space to explore our current systems, understand their history, and collaborate to imagine new systems.
Angela’s 2021 graduation ceremony // Courtesy of LSC
What do they do?
LSC has 3 programs - the Signature Program, the Young Professionals Program, and the Leadership for Racial Equity Program.
The Signature Program is for professionals who have some experience in leadership roles and are wanting to grow in this capacity while applying leadership strategies to local issues.
The Young Professionals Program is for young people who haven’t had opportunities to develop themselves as leaders and are interested in getting involved in civic matters.
The Leadership for Racial Equity Program is for leaders who are inspired to work together to address systemic and institutional racism in their organizations while creating sustainable change to ensure racial equity.
In addition to these programs, LSC also:
Helps with community stewardship, such as with the 2020 Census
Provide the Women in Leadership award to women in Snohomish County
Sponsor the Step Up Conference where leaders can develop new perspectives and a greater understanding of how racial equity and social justice impact our society and workplaces
Completed 261 community projects and over 31,000 hours of volunteer work in Snohomish County
Writes blog posts and shares resources for Snohomish County residents
How can you get involved?
If reading this you thought “I want to get involved” or “I know someone who would love to participate in a program like that” - I’ve got good news! You can apply to participate in LSC’s programs and/or conferences, as well as nominate someone from the community. This opportunity comes around every year so if it doesn’t work out this year, you can always keep it in mind for the future!
While costs for the programs are significantly offset by alumni and the Snohomish County community, donations are also accepted (and appreciated).
While writing this, I’ve been trying to figure out what words fully encompass how meaningful this experience was for me and, I’m sorry to say that I don’t have them. I feel the difference in myself and how I embrace the speed bumps that come with, not just leadership but our world, but I can’t put that feeling into text. I just know there is a difference between the “second-guessing-appears-confident-but-doesn’t-quite-believe-in-herself” me last year, and me right now - and I have LSC to thank for that.
Angela Di Filippo currently works in State Social Services and recently earned her Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with extensive training in evidence-based leadership coaching. Angela moved from North Carolina to Washington 6 years ago and has proudly called Everett her home for 5 of those years. When not helping others solve problems in creative and strength-driven ways, Angela enjoys her time painting, hiking with her terrier-mix, Indy, and eating waffles.
