Buscher selected for 2023 class of Edgar Fellows

Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher is among the state's public policy leaders selected to participate in this year's Edgar Fellows Program, designed by former Gov. Jim Edgar.

Forty elected and appointed officials from all levels of government, leaders of non-profit and labor organizations and business leaders make up the class which will meet for the first time at its Executive Leadership Training Program held Aug. 6-10.

The program, started in 2012, is housed at the University of Illinois System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs in Urbana-Champaign.

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Buscher, who was elected April 4, joins several other mayors from around the state in the class, including Julie Moore-Wolfe of Decatur.

Also representing Springfield are Jelani Saadiq, director of Government Relations at Advance Illinois, and Annie Thompson, deputy press secretary, for the Attorney General's office.

The initiative seeks to inspire "respectful and collaborative leadership to address the state’s significant challenges.”

Ward 9 Ald. and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Donelan was an Edgar Fellow in 2022 and filled in Buscher about the experience.

"It was an invaluable experience," Donelan said. "It's a leadership program, but you get to hear from people from all walks of life: elected officials, appointed officials, community officials. I can't say enough about it. I'm the (executive director of the Township Officials of Illinois Risk Management Association) and it's changed my approach with our members (in trying) to find ways to get them more involved in what we do. The benefits are just countless.

"The focus of the program is to provide individuals with more leadership skills on how to solve issues together rather than passively bickering and fighting."

With Buscher going through the program, "it's only going to benefit her and it's only to benefit the city of Springfield, absolutely," Donelan added.

This year's Edgar Fellows were chosen from a field of over 200 nominees and reflect the state's political, racial, ethnic and geographic diversity.

“Each year, the Edgar Fellows Program brings together a group of leaders, with different backgrounds and different politics, from across Illinois,” the former governor noted in a news release. “They share and learn from those different life experiences, but they also find out that they have more in common than they might realize.

“With each class, it has been gratifying to watch people who were strangers on Sunday become good friends by Thursday. It’s what the Edgar Fellows Program is all about, finding common ground and respect, so that our fellows can work together to help shape a better Illinois.”

Edgar served as governor from 1991 to 1999.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

Here is a full list of 2023 participants:

• Brian Burian, Homer Glen, Chief of Staff for Senate Republican leader John Curran and Illinois Senate Republican caucus

• Mayor Misty Buscher, Springfield

• State Sen. Javier Cervantes, D-Chicago

• Mary Coyle Sullivan, Darien City Council member

• Clint Drury, Executive Director, West Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council

• State Sen. Paul Faraci, D-Champaign

• State Rep. Bradley Fritts, R-Dixon

• State Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights

• Kristin T. Givens, Associate General Counsel, State Farm Insurance Companies

• Monica Gordon, Cook County Commissioner, District 5

• Carol Greenlee, Associate Director, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

• State Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, D-Chicago

• Thomas Haine, State’s Attorney, Madison County

• State Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon

• State Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park

• Ross Kwasneski, Assistant Director of state legislative and political affairs, Illinois State Medical Society

• State Sen. Seth Lewis, R-Bartlett

• Camile Lindsay, Oak Park, First Assistant Deputy Governor for public safety, infrastructure, environment and energy

• John Mitchell, Director of college savings, Office of Illinois Treasurer

• Mayor Julie Moore-Wolfe, Decatur

• Tiffany Moy, Chief of Staff for Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch

• Patrick O’Brian, Clerk and Recorder, Fulton County

• Anthony Quezada, Cook County Commissioner, District 8

• Aimee T. Ramirez, Manager of policy and advocacy, The Chicago Community Trust

• Erika Ramsey, Auditor, Vermilion County

• Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati, Moline

• Kristin Richards, Director of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

• Nora Cay Ryan, Chief of Staff at Chicago Federation of Labor

• Jelani Saadiq, Director of Government Relations at Advance Illinois

• State Rep. Jennifer Sanalitro, R-Hanover Park

• Carina E. Sanchez, Executive Director, Public Building Commission of Chicago

• Annie Thompson, Deputy Press Secretary, Office of Illinois Attorney General

• State Rep. Dennis Tipsword, Jr., R-Metamora

• State Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva

• Kiran Velpula, Peoria city councilman at-large

• Kimberly Walz, Regional Director, state and local government relations, Walgreens

• Mayor Scott Wehrli, Naperville

• Ryan Whitehouse, Associate Director of local government and political engagement, Illinois Farm Bureau

• Desmon Yancy, Chicago alderman, 5th ward

• State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield IL Mayor Misty Buscher is a 2023 Edgar Fellow