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10th Edgars Fellows class meets in Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The 10th class of the Edgars Fellows Program is meeting this week in Champaign.

The Edgar Fellows program, designed by and named for former Illinois governor Jim Edgar, is an initiative to inspire respectful and collaborative leadership to address the state’s major challenges.

40 emerging public policy leaders were chosen as this year’s class, reflecting Illinois’ political, racial, ethnic and geographic diversity. They include elected and appointed officials from all levels of government, leaders of nonprofit organizations and people making a 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,” Edgar said. “They share and learn from those different life experiences, but they also find out that they have more in common than they have differences.”

“People who were strangers on Sunday become good friends by Thursday,” Edgar continued. “It has been gratifying to watch that happen with the members of the nine classes who have already been through this program. It’s what the Edgar Fellows program is all about, finding common ground and respect, so our fellows can work together throughout their careers to help shape a better Illinois.”

The program’s activities in Champaign this week include an extensive training program Edgar and his staff designed and will host. The fellows will engage with more than two dozen policy experts and experienced practitioners, but will also learn from each other in discussions of issues.

This year’s fellows are: