Will County Board Member Selected to Join 2015 Edgar Fellows

Submitted by Mack Communications

Will County Board member Ragan Freitag, R-Wilmington, will join an elite group of emerging leaders next week to participate in a forward-thinking public policy program led by former Gov. Jim Edgar. In its fourth year, the Edgar Fellows initiative seeks to inspire bipartisan, inter-regional cooperation in addressing major challenges for the state in the years and decades ahead.

“It’s an honor to join the 2015 Edgar Fellows class that features a broad range of leaders from throughout Illinois,” said Freitag. “I look forward to meeting and engaging with them next week and in the months and years to come. By forming these relationships, working together and finding common ground, I believe strongly we can help solve our state’s problems and move it forward.”

The women and men, chosen from more than 140 nominees, reflect the regional, political, racial and ethnic diversity of Illinois. They include elected and appointed officials from all levels of government as well as individuals who have made their mark in the business world and civic engagement.

“Since we launched this initiative in 2012, we have seen Democrats, Republicans and independents, from the neighborhoods in Chicago to the rural areas of deep southern Illinois, discover they have much in common even as they develop an appreciation for other viewpoints,” former Gov. Jim Edgar said. “I am confident this class of fellows also will form bonds that will serve them and our state well as they climb the leadership ladder.”

The fellows will first meet from Aug. 2-6 in Urbana-Champaign with Edgar and the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA). Subsequently, they will join the Edgar Fellows classes of 2012, 2013, 2014 and future years in meetings designed to continue and grow collaborative efforts.