King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn chosen by Aspen Institute for Rodel Fellowship

August 3, 2009

Summary

Only 24 political leaders nationwide receive this honor

Story

The prestigious Aspen Institute based in Washington DC, Aspen Colorado, and on the Wye River in Maryland has selected Reagan Dunn to be one of 24 American political leaders for its Rodel Fellowship program. Each of the members of the class was selected on their reputation for intellect, thoughtfulness, and a bipartisan approach to governing. The class is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats and represents Fellows from 22 states, serving at both local and state levels of government. The Rodel Fellowship’s Director is former Congressman Mickey Edwards.

“This is a tremendous honor,” said Dunn. “The Institute is held in high regard worldwide for its work on national and international issues. I look forward to serious discussions on King County’s budget issues, law enforcement issues, health and social service and other issues of regional importance with my fellow classmates.”

Attorney General Rob McKenna along with other members of Congress, Lt Governors, and other significant elected officials have participated in this fellowship. No taxpayer money will be used to supplement Dunn’s Rodel Fellowship.

Dunn’s Rodel Fellowship is part of a larger program, The Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN). This is a growing, worldwide community of entrepreneurial leaders from business, government and the nonprofit sector -- currently, 950 "Fellows" from 43 countries -- who share a commitment to enlightened leadership and to using their extraordinary creativity, energy and resources to tackle the foremost societal challenges of our times. The Network’s mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, engage individuals to reflect on the ideas that define a good society and provide neutral ground for discussing and acting on critical issues of the day.

Members of the new class are:
Kirk Adams, speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives; New Hampshire Attorney General
Kelly Ayotte; Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown; Jennifer Carroll, the majority whip of
the Florida House of Representatives; North Carolina State Treasurer Janet Cowell; California State Assemblyman Kevin DeLeon; and Kevin Elsenheimer, minority leader of the Michigan House of Representatives. Also, Mike Flood, speaker of the Nebraska Senate; Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster; Fiona Ma, the majority whip of the California State Assembly; Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller; Vermont State Representative Sue Minter, and Josh Penry, minority leader of the Colorado Senate. And Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, president of the Baltimore City Council; Steve Simon, the assistant majority leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives; Missouri state representative Rachel Storch; Joe Straus, the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives; David Tandy, president of the Louisville (Kentucky) City Council; West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, and Jim Tucker, speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Also, Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen; Ohio state senator Mark Wagoner, and Jamie Woodson, speaker pro-tem of the Tennessee Senate.