By Thom Little, Ph.D.
As some of you may know (and most may not), I am a big fan of the 1960s anthology series “The Twilight Zone,” hosted by Rod Serling. One of my favorite episodes is titled “To Serve Man,” in which aliens from the planet Kanamit come to earth offering solutions to many of the world’s problems along with a book written in their native language. Eventually, the title of the book is deciphered to read “To Serve Man.” I will not spoil the ending but suffice it to say that it is classic Twilight Zone. As I read that title, I am reminded of our mission at SLLF: To serve state legislative leaders, regardless of party, politics or ideology.
We strive to do that in a variety of ways. First and foremost, we host educational informational programs for leaders, dedicated to helping them be the best leaders they can be. Most of our menu of programs this year focus on leadership skills like the one coming up on April 24 in Washington, DC, “Federalism: Restoring the Balance and Strengthening the Legislative Branch.” Further, “Leading Through Turbulent Times” which is slated for August 20-22 in San Francisco, will focus on strategies for addressing the many challenges facing our states and their leaders. In a similar manner, we offer legislative leaders the opportunity to recognize their up-and-coming legislative stars by nominating them for the Melissa Hortman Emerging Leaders Program each summer at the University of Virginia where these members learn from and are inspired by expert faculty and from each other.
In recent years, we have added an additional approach to serving the leaders of our state legislatures: state-specific programs on civility, ethics and coalition building. A few years ago, SLLF formed a partnership with the National Institute for Civil Discourse to develop programs and workshops we could offer to state legislative leaders across the country to help them make their legislatures more civil, ethical and effective. Sessions range from an hour to a full day with everything in between, and include workshops on civil engagement, training sessions for new members, conversations about ethical behavior and an exercise that helps members hone their coalition building skills. As you begin to think about 2027 and your new member orientations, if any of these topics would be of interest, email me at tlittle@sllf.org.
While we have formed no formal relationships, recently we have been in conversation with a few other organizations that offer some interesting programs that might be of value to the state legislature you serve. First, the Center for Effective Lawmaking, co-sponsored by Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia Batten School, offers interactive sessions on strategies and tools for being an effective legislator, including defining your agenda, building coalitions and engaging partners within and beyond the legislative institution. This session would be particularly beneficial for newly elected legislators, and more effective legislators make leaders look good! You can find more information about the CEL on their website at thelawmakers.org.
Second, SLLF recently received outreach from Suzi LeVine, former U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein and Professor of Practice, who is currently offering the course “Harnessing the Power of the States” at both the University of Washington and Brown University. She mentioned two items that I thought state legislative leaders might find interesting. First, for her class, Ambassador LeVine is looking for legislative leaders who might be willing to share their stories of why they chose to serve and to enumerate some of their legislative successes and failures to incorporate into her class. Also, wearing her ambassadorial hat, she told me about the American Swiss Foundation’s annual “Young Leaders Conference” in which they bring together 50 rising star Americans and Swiss aged 28-40 for a week in Switzerland of intensive discussion and exchange on a broad range of current issues of importance to U.S.-Swiss relations. Over the week, they meet with high-level diplomatic, government, business, media, and cultural leaders and visit Switzerland’s beautiful mountains and historic landmarks. The American Swiss Foundation seeks young leaders from all walks of life and strives for representation from across the political, geographic, and demographic spectrum. This might be something in which young legislative leaders would be interested or for which they could nominate some of their up-and-coming stars.
As you continue to lead, we will continue to find ways to help you be even more effective at your job because SLLF is here to serve you, your legislature and the people of your state. If you are interested in any of the programs noted above do not hesitate to reach out at tlittle@sllf.org! We are, and will always be, here to serve!
