April took the Leadership Snohomish County class to the Denney Juvenile Justice Center for a Law and Justice Day. For many, the highlight of the class was a presentation by Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick.
“The sheriff explained that how you treat people is truly the heart of any leadership equation,” said executive director of Leadership Snohomish Sarri Gilman. “You don’t have to be in a leadership job to be a true leader in how you treat people.”
Class members appreciated learning more about Lovick”s background and what inspired him to take on a series of leadership roles. He did not have the benefit of a privileged childhood as he grew up in the poor rural south.
Kinuko Noborikawa, chair of the Communities of Color Coalition, found his talk particularly meaningful. She had a chance to speak with Lovick after the presentation.
“As the first sheriff in the county who is a person of color, it was interesting to hear what motivated him to become a law enforcement officer,” Noborikawa said. “His style of leadership is also very interesting.”
Class impressed with nonprofit boards of directors
Equally interesting were the findings of the class members themselves as they shared information on community boards. This has been an ongoing project and a feature of each meeting. Some truths about boards in general are now clear to class members.
“The board presentations were an eye-opening experience for me,” said Stephanie Arnoldin, employee development specialist for Boeing Company. “Boards play an important role and if we want to continue to recruit exceptional members, we have to ensure each experience our perspective members have with the current board is as positive as possible.”
Leslie Moore, managing librarian for the Stanwood library added, “If I have learned anything from Leadership Snohomish County, it is how many areas of need there are.”
Moore and others agreed that there is definitely a need for the community as a whole to recognize areas of need and become more involved with community boards to try and fill those needs.
After the morning presentations, class members were invited on a tour of the Denney Juvenile Justice Center. They learned that a variety of resources and programs are having a positive impact on youth crime prevention. They also had an opportunity to see the classrooms where incarcerated youth continue their education.
The afternoon session offered class members a chance to hear from Snohomish County prosecutor Janice Ellis about the criminal justice system. This was followed by a thought provoking panel on domestic violence.
“The domestic violence panel was very informative,” Arnoldin said. “It really hit a nerve with me to hear them refer to themselves as Homicide Prevention.”
Noborikawa felt that an important point made by the panel was that domestic violence cannot be ignored. Ongoing public education is needed to dispel myths that victims invite domestic violence.
“Dixie the drug dog” offers amazing performance
After such serious topics, the class enjoyed a remarkable demonstration by “Dixie the drug dog” and handler Sgt. Jeff Shelton. Dixie amazed her audience all the more when they were told she was a mixed breed rescue dog and not an animal specifically bred for police purposes such as drug detection.
The afternoon finished with a visit to the drug court. Eric Werttemberger, pharmacy director of Everett’s Providence Regional Medical Center found this segment of the program most inspiring.
“The low recidivism rate achieved by the program and the positive effects it has on the ex-user who graduates from the program is a great example of a different way to tackle crime and punishment,” he said.
Overall, the class expressed great satisfaction with the April program. Lori Cummings, assistant director for Everett Parks and Recreation, felt the day very well spent.
“I found so much of the information to be interesting and valuable,” she said. “If I had to find one particular part of one class that stands out in my mind it is probably the Law and Justice Day.”
Next month: A report on the class’ May 7 graduation dinner.
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