Julia Carboni serves as the executive director of The William D. Ruckelshaus Center — a partnership of Washington State University and the University of Washington that supports civic health and collaborative policy making in Washington state — and is a core partner in the Project for Civic Health.
She recently wrote this guest opinion piece in The Spokesman-Review highlighting the Washington Collaborative Elected Leaders Institute (WA-CELI). A joint program developed by the Evans School and the Ruckelshaus Center, WA-CELI equips elected officials with leadership skills to address the complex challenges facing Washington State’s communities.
Through this training, elected officials are learning new ways of governing and practicing working together to benefit their constituents. As they gain experience, they can be role models for Washingtonians as we strive to uphold the Project for Civic Health’s three principles — to engage with respect, seek common ground, and disagree constructively.