Community has always been important in the Snohomish area and throughout the pandemic, many of us have found ourselves focusing more on our local community and what it has to offer. Anyone who lives in the Snohomish area is aware of all the great things here. It’s a community that continues to expand and grow, bringing with it new opportunities—and that positive growth comes through great leadership.

One person can make a difference: but working together makes lasting change

For Rochelle Lubbers, leadership is something she takes seriously—she knows that what she does now will have a lasting impact on the future. As the Chief Administrative Officer for the Tulalip Tribes, Rochelle works tirelessly to help her community become healthy and empowered within the greater Snohomish community.

Rochelle is a person driven to make change for the betterment of all—she has an impressive list of educational credentials—but she credits the Leadership Snohomish County Signature Program with opening her eyes to the potential to be found in joining forces with other parts of the community by creating connections and working together.

A wider lens brings a tighter community focus

All communities face challenges that are unique, but finding the depth in the local Snohomish community means finding solutions within rather than looking to outside sources. A community is truly the sum of its parts and gaining insight into the perspectives and needs of others brings new understanding and new ways of tackling the challenges we face together.

Rochelle notes that “through the Signature Program my lens on the community widened. By the end of the nine-month program I was a different person with a new passion for community connections.”

It was a life-changing opportunity for Rochelle, one that allowed attendees to break down barriers and celebrate the different knowledge, races, and classes that go into the Snohomish community through the program’s aims to use a FIO (figure it out approach to challenges while strengthening the tri-sector of business, government and non-profit, through communication and collaboration—all with the goal of creating sustainable community.

Community connections create positive change

Change begins with small steps from within communities. Everyone brings something to the table, and it’s by forging strong community connections and creating a platform for respectful, honest discussion that thriving communities that include everyone are built—and that is what Leadership Snohomish County’s Signature Program strives to do.

To find out more about Leadership Snohomish County’s programs, including the Signature Program, and how to apply here. Find them on Facebook here. For more information on Leadership Snohomish County and the many things they do, or to donate, check out the webpage here.