Sage Leaders' Quarterly: Winter 2023
Applications for the next Community Leadership Institute Fellowship (King and Pierce County) are now open!
Open to all applicants in King and Pierce Counties or can attend in person in Seattle, WA
Sage Leaders’ Community Leadership Institute (CLI) is a fellowship program that resources, educates, and places emerging leaders from communities of color and low-income communities to serve on strategic municipal boards and commissions.
Launched in 2015, the six-month fellowship trains emerging leaders in issues such as housing, land use, transit, climate, and economic development. Graduates learn the nuts and bolts of local government processes, such as municipal budgeting, parliamentary procedures, and lawmaking, as well as advocacy, storytelling, and communication skills.
After graduation, the fellows apply for and are placed on strategic boards, commissions, and task forces at the city and county level. Through participation, CLI alums have the opportunity to move forward a racial equity agenda at a government level by asking critical questions about who benefits and who is burdened by policy decisions and offering solutions that integrate community participation and perspectives as part of the decision-making process.
Join our team
Green New Deal Coalition Organizer
Our 501c3, Puget Sound Sage, seeks an experienced Coalition Organizer to support the overall success of Sage’s power-building programs and campaigns. The Organizer will help Sage reach ambitious goals for climate justice, community control of land and development, and BIPOC worker rights through building strong coalitions; educating and mobilizing partners; and moving campaigns for policy change. Read more and apply here.
Staff Updates
Alisa Lee (she/her) is Sage Leaders’ Electoral Programs Manager
Alisa’s work will support Sage Leaders' Political Leadership Council, BIPOC candidate cohort and candidate trainings as she works to uplift community representation in government. She brings many years of experience to this role from being a campaign and program manager as well as an organizer.
Before coming to Sage Leaders Alisa worked at Asian and Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment, (APACE) and has also been involved with the Washington Voting Justice Coalition. She has a background in campaign management and has experience facilitating and building out candidate trainings, as well as organizing in-language voter outreach programs.
What are you passionate about?
“As cheesy as it may sound, I genuinely want to make the world a better place. I believe that work can be done through both large projects and small every day actions. I spent a few years after college working as legal assistant on criminal defense cases and it really opened my eyes to the injustices that are still a part of our society. It’s important to me to work to address these things in the hopes that we will leave behind a better world for future generations.”
What are you most excited to work on at Sage Leaders?
“I am really excited to assist with candidate trainings and leadership development! Running for office is a lot of work and I want to help make it a more accessible process by breaking down important steps candidates can take to pace themselves and plan for success . There’s things you can do as early as 2 years before you run that can increase your chances of success. It’s not knowledge that’s well known and sharing this information is key if you want to make politics a process that’s opened to everyone.”
What are your hobbies outside of work?
“In my free time I enjoy getting creative with different mediums like resin, acrylic and watercolor. I am part of a BIPOC centered market in Tacoma that vends outside during the summer. It’s a really lovely way to meet community members and add some more beauty to the world.”
Francis Abugbilla (he/him) is Sage's Community Leadership Institute Program Manager
Francis’ work will involve managing the Community Leadership Institute Program in order to build the capacity of leaders, deepen democracy, and economically empower marginalized communities in Washington State. He has many years of experience in community organizing, human rights advocacy, and teaching across continents.
Prior to this position, Francis worked as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator for the University of Washington Sustainability Office and the Campus Sustainability Fund and served on the University of Washington Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies’ Diversity Committee where he made significant contributions to diversity and equity initiatives.
What was your first impression of Sage?
“I was invited to the CLI fellows’ graduation ceremony in 2019 and listening to the transformative impact that the program had on the lives of the fellows, I saw myself being of the Sage team and contributing to this important work in advancing social justice and equitable development.”
What are you most excited for during your time with Sage?
“It is a great opportunity to be part of an amazing team of change-driven individuals who are committed to undoing systemic structures that have excluded the voices of many people in the decision-making processes in Washington State and beyond. I am truly excited to lead the program planning and execution, program strategy, and the expansion of the CLI program across the state.”
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
“I was born and raised in a rural farming community in Ghana, that to this day, does not have access to electricity. In 2018 and 2019, I received a grant, fundraised, and provided solar electricity to the community basic schools. Children in Ghana start school at the age of six, but I started after age eleven because I had to take care of the family cattle and eventually becoming the first in my family and third in the community to obtain a college degree. My experience has taught me to be a voice for the voiceless and an agent of positive change in society.”