On Tuesday, June 7, Brienne Gahan, Regional Director of Information Security and Privacy at Skagit Regional Health graduated from the Leadership Skagit program. A group of participants representing the private, public and nonprofit sectors of our community is selected each year for a nine-month civic leadership development program called Leadership Skagit.

The mission of Leadership Skagit is to strengthen and transform our communities by developing individual, business and community leadership that is informed, inclusive and connected through shared learning experiences. Ultimately, they hope to create a network of leaders whose increased awareness and commitment to serve will energize Skagitonians to shape the county’s future.

As part of the program, Brienne teamed up with a few other Leadership Skagit participants to complete a project in partnership with the Sedro-Woolley School District and the Sedro-Woolley Alumni and Schools Foundation.

Read her reflection on her involvement in the program and project description below:

"Leadership Skagit has challenged me to have a deeper understanding of the community I have been serving for the last 10 years. I have learned so much about the resources, programs and amazing people who are dedicated to helping the Skagit Valley community. My team, Generation Skagit, partnered with State Street High School (SSHS) in Sedro-Woolley for a land improvement project. SSHS provides students with diverse academic and vocational skills, empowering their success in a changing world. It is a personalized learning environment where students are valued as individuals and academically prepared for the future.

At SSHS, there is limited outdoor space that has been developed for student use. COVID-19 has placed a premium on access to outdoor space, where the risk for spread and infection is greatly reduced. With the input of the principal and current student body, it was made clear that improved outdoor space was needed – space where students could do the simplest of tasks, such as eating lunch, socializing and experiencing nature.

Our biggest mission is to add a safe shelter covering for the outdoor space to make it usable all year long. In total, our team was able to raise $36,076 to support this mission. Our partners at SSHS have decided to continue the fund-raising efforts to achieve our ultimate goal."

Visit www.generationskagit.com to learn more about the work Brienne’s team did, the benefit to SSHS and the work that will continue.

Congratulations Brienne on this accomplishment and thank you for investing in our community!

To learn more about the Leadership Skagit program, visit Leadership Skagit.