General Wesley Clark group announces inaugural class for Civility Leadership Institute

General Wesley Clark, the Little Rock native and former Presidential candidate, is the founder of Renew America Together, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging political divides.

Renew America Together announced Wednesday (July 14) its first class of participants for its Civility Leadership Institute. The institute aims to engage a diverse set of political thinkers over a six-month program.

During the experience, 30 participants will gain insights about themselves and others and build leadership skills that will enable them to better communicate with those they influence and those who try to influence them, according to a news release. Participants will also apply what they learn to real-life situations where the consequences of their leadership matter.

Participants will meet once a month virtually for six months and participate in 12 months of follow-up. Each month, they will work through a curriculum of national speakers and look for ways to foster more civil discourse.

“We are excited to announce the members of our inaugural class. These diverse individuals from across the country represent different backgrounds, beliefs, and demographic profiles. We are encouraged that they recognize we need to work towards a more civil future and that they are hoping to help in this process by using the tools they will learn from our program,” said General Wesley K. Clark (ret), founder of Renew America Together.

The 2021 Civility Leadership participants include seven Arkansans. They are:

Elizabeth Koldyke Boolbol- Partnership to End Human Trafficking- Greenwich, CT
Rahul Bhandari- Force Multiplier Capital- Washington, DC
Dellashon Di Cresce- World Affairs Council of Detroit- Grosse Pointe, MI
Blake Davis- United States House of Representatives- Arlington, VA
Mark Evans, The Church at Rock Creek- Little Rock, AR
Mike Galloucis- Department of Veterans Affairs- Jacksonville, FL
Charles Gillis- Gray Robinson- Winter Garden, FL
Suzi Guardia- Blue Star Families- Washington, DC
Hakki G. Gurkan- Chicago Police Department- Chicago, IL
Hana Mariah Hatta- Opera in the Rock- Little Rock, AR
Michael John Gray- Democratic Party of Arkansas- Augusta, AR
Chris Halter- St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School- Gallup, NM
Austin Harrison- Squire Patton Boggs- Atlanta, GA
Chris Hyslop- Montana World Affairs Council- Missoula, MT
Paul Johnson- Redirect Health- Phoenix, AZ
Leigh Keener- Episcopal Collegiate School- Little Rock, AR
Kathy Kladopoulos- KKI Media Trade LLC- New Canaan, CT
Ryan Korn- SBA Insight- Washington, DC
Sara Lake- Sustainability Program Manager- Spotsylvania, VA
Joni Lee- the University of Arkansas at Little Rock- Little Rock, AR
Carla Marie McPherson-Rushing- Rushing Aviation- Marks, MS
Carlandra Moss- Blue Star Families- Riverview, FL
Susan Odum- University of Illinois- Vienna, IL
Krishna Patel- KnDo Advisors- West Port, CT
Eric O. Reece- Human Rights Campaign, Arkansas-Little Rock, AR
Michael A. Sanders-City of Little Rock- Little Rock, AR
Dan Shuff- CarBeau Capital- Dallas, TX
Carol Stump- Graduate Student- San Francisco, CA
A.J. Walts- LinkedIn- Papillion, NE
Luke Watson- Third Way- Washington, DC

Renew America Together is a 501 (c)(3) organization designed to promote and achieve greater common ground in America by reducing partisan division and gridlock. Its mission is to revitalize public and political discourse by teaching and promoting civics, citizenship, and civility.