Wheaton City Councilwoman Suzanne Fitch has been selected to be part of the eighth annual Edgar Fellows Program, which will take place in Champaign, Ill., Aug. 4 through 8, 2019. The Edgar Fellows Program is an initiative designed by former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar to inspire respectful and collaborative leadership to address the state's major challenges.
The 41 participants selected this year reflect Illinois' political, racial, ethnic and geographic diversity. They include elected and appointed officials from all levels of government, leaders of nonprofit organizations and individuals who are making their mark in the business world.
"Each year, the Edgar Fellows Program brings together a group of leaders, with different backgrounds and different politics, from all over Illinois. They share and learn from those different life experiences, but they also find out that they have more in common than they have differences," said Edgar, who launched the program in 2012.
The Edgar Fellows week includes an intense executive training program designed and hosted by Edgar and the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs. The fellows will engage with more than two dozen policy experts and experienced practitioners. But most importantly, they will learn from each other in discussions of issues such as economic development, health care, education and intergovernmental cooperation.