Who speaks for us now? 6 next-generation Tri-City leaders to talk about guiding our future
Soon after well-known Tri-City leader Bob Ferguson died in 2022, the Tri- City Herald’s then-opinion page editor Cecilia Rexus wondered “who speaks for us now?”
As she put it, “They weren’t elected officials. They were the folks who made things happen from the bottom up.”
Many of those whose vision and hard work guided our area’s growth and development through the Cold War and into the 21st Century are no longer with us.
People like Sam Volpentest, Glenn C. Lee, Mary Gallant, Gary Crutchfield, Neil and Billie Jane Lampson, Mike Lawrence and Gary Petersen, just to name a few.
Their voices helped define post-production Hanford, saved the B Reactor Museum, built the cable bridge, extended Interstate 82 to the Tri-Cities, built one hospital and moved another out of its Hanford barracks home.
They lobbied for Washington State University’s branch campus and pushed PNNL toward even greater stature. And they set the stage for those who followed.
They didn’t hold public office, but they encouraged, cajoled and occasionally bullied elected officials and others to push our community forward.
On Thursday, Jan. 16, the Columbia Basin Badger Club will offer a forum talking with six next-generation Tri-City leaders who will help guide our future.
The online forum will begin at noon and conclude at 1:15 PM. A half-hour, open-mic “Table Talk” conversation will follow for those who attend.
Our speakers will be:
- Paul Casey will lead the conversation. He is certified as a leadership coach by the International Coaching Federation and a master trainer and member of the National Speakers Association. A graduate of Leadership Tri-Cities, he was honored as a Tri-City entrepreneur of the year in 2021.
- Mike Schwenk, a longtime Tri-Citian, is retired after 40 years of technical and management experience in government, nonprofits, small business and corporate settings. He currently serves as a strategic advisor, board member and coach to leaders.
- Liz McLaughlin has more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, philanthropy and event planning. She is the chief development officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties, chair of the Leadership Tri-Cities Board and a board member of the Washington Festivals and Events Association.
- Matt Watkins was a Pasco City Council member for 16 years and served as the city’s mayor. He’s a Tri-City native with a 30-year career in information technology. Inspired by snippets of history and stories of the larger world, he decided a decade ago to save his money and quit his day job to travel the world starting in 2020. He now leads the effort to build an aquatic center in Pasco.
- David Reeploeg serves as vice president for federal programs for the Tri- City Development Council (TRIDEC) and executive director of Hanford Communities. He spent more than 12 years working for members of the state congressional delegation, primarily for U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray.
- Michelle Holt is executive director of the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments since February 2021. She has more than 20 years in executive leadership experience in economic, community and workforce development.
To register for this event, visit www.columbiabasinbadgers.com. There is no charge for Badger Club members. Nonmembers pay $5.