LANSING--- Senator Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) has been chosen as one of only 50 legislators to participate in the 2010 Program for Emerging Political Leaders. The event is sponsored by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and will be from July 12 through July 15.

“This is a tremendous honor to be selected for this conference, and I look forward to working with experienced instructors and my legislative counterparts from around the nation to hone my leadership skills and generate ideas to help Michigan,” said Sen. Whitmer. “During the legislative break, I will be working to grow my skills so I can better serve the people of Michigan.”

The annual Program for Emerging Political Leaders is a prestigious event held on the University of Virginia’s campus for a select group of legislators who have been nominated by their leadership in their State House of Representatives or Senate. Some of the criteria for nominees are strong leadership qualities such as vision, integrity, intelligence, passion and common sense.

“These legislators represent the best and the brightest, and are destined for future leadership roles in their state,” said Stephen G. Lakis, President of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation. “After being with these people for several days, you can’t help but feel proud and more confident about our unique system of representative democracy. They are just that good!”

This program is intended to inspire these elected officials to continue their careers in public service. Class discussions examine qualities and characteristics of leadership, including: the art of compromise and coalition building, ethical leadership, and philosophical underpinnings of representative democracy.

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