2026 Emerging Leaders Kicks Off

The 2026 Kari Anderson' Emerging Leaders Program kicked off the yearlong program on January 22! This year's cohort is comprised of 17 diverse members representing different companies, positions, ages and experience levels. Each member was identified as a current and future leader that will be on the forefront of taking our industry to higher levels. This is the third year of the program and each year builds on the success of the previous one.

Each cohort member is assigned an industry veteran as a mentor. Over the next year of the program, the mentors and cohort will meet monthly to work on goals and the mentors will provide guidance and advice to help propel their mentee to the next level of their career.

Their first meeting started with a high energy mentor matching done draft style. They also heard from some members of last year cohort who created videos offering their support to this year. 

The first session was focused on Advocacy as the cohort prepares to attend WMFHA's Day on the Hill event on February 18. Alex Akins & Libby Patton are 2 Emerging Leader graduates and are a part of the National Apartment Association's Advocacy Academy. They gave a really informative presentation on communicating with legislators and other tips to prepare the group for DOH.

WMFHA's government affairs team comprised of Jake Mayson & William Schneider, gave a Civics 101 presentation so the cohort could better understand Washington State's system of government. They then led the entire group including the mentors through a mock committee hearing where different cohort members got to practice testifying. It was really eye-opening to see the government process in action. Everyone walked away with a better appreciation of what legislators go through to pass bills.

We wrapped up the day with goal setting meetings between the cohort members and their mentors. Those goals provide a roadmap for success in the program.

Congratulations to our 2026 cohort. Let's go lucky number 3!