MACHIAS – Since 1997, more than 164 people from Washington County have participated in a unique leadership seminar, finding ways to network and bring a new economic outlook to the Down East region.

“If you go to any meeting in Washington County and ask who has participated in the Washington County Leadership Institute, the hands go up,” program manager Jennifer Peters said Friday. “These are the people who are making a difference.”

The list of alumni is virtually a who’s who of the area: bank presidents, city managers, business leaders, educators, lawyers, artists and doctors.

They all shared one desire, Peters said – to make Washington County a better place to live and work.

“Before WCLI, I just lived in Washington County; now I am a part of this amazing place,” said Elaine Alley of Marshall Healthcare.

“I gained an in-depth understanding and appreciation of Washington County businesses, large and small, its organizations, from childhood development to cultural heritage, and its communities, including the institutions and people that knit the whole fabric together,” said Judy East of the Washington County Council of Governments.

The institute runs from January to April, in nine daylong sessions scattered throughout the county. It is sponsored by the Sunrise County Economic Council and the University of Maine at Machias. Funding is provided by business sponsorships and tuition.

Peters said each session is a skill training workshop led by professional facilitators and WCLI alumni.

Former UMM President Paul Norsdtrom founded the institute, she said. “It is based on what people need to know to be effective. The woods, the water, the land and the people – our real natural resources,” Peters said.

From evaluations of program graduates, networking is the biggest benefit. “They are always surprised at what they discover about the county, but they are most benefited by the networking,” she said.

In the end, the work the 164 graduates are doing throughout the county is the true benefit. The individual workshops on team building, understanding community and economic development, planning and organizing, communicating, networking, problem solving and entrepreneurial thinking all strengthen the county as a whole, Peters said.

“If we are not willing to invest in ourselves [in Washington County], we can’t expect anyone else to,” Peters said.

The next WCLI session begins on Jan. 12 and Peters said a few opening are left. For more information, contact the SCEC at 255-0983.