Rep. Edwards Picked for Prestigious Toll Fellowship Program

Rep. John Edwards (D-Dist. 70, Portsmouth, Tiverton) has been selected to attend the prestigious Council of State Government’s fall class of 2014 as a Henry Toll Fellow.

The CSG’s Henry Toll Fellowship is an exclusive and distinguished program that brings 48 of the country’s top leaders in state government for an intensive, six-day “intellectual boot camp” that offers rigorous skill building, professional development and leadership training that offers elected officials the chance to improve and expand their skills and effectiveness as leaders.

Edwards, the Rhode Island House of Representatives’ new majority whip, said in an interview that he is honored to have been selected for this year’s program.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” Edwards said of finding out he was selected.

Edwards was nominated by Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello and said he hopes the experience will make him a better leader “so I can do more things for the people in my district.”

“Hopefully I’ll be able to wield a little heft for my constiuents,” he said, noting that in his new role, he’s already expected to bring more attention to the needs of East Bay and Aquidneck Island residents as the new majority whip — a new role for the legislator known for his calm demeanor.

“I want to be able to maximize my efforts and be a very successful whip not only for the leadership team but for the entire chamber,” he said.

The last Rhode Island rep to attend the Henry Toll Fellowship program was Eileen Naughton, who told Edwards that it was very enjoyable and worthwhile. Others have said that the schedule is jam packed and it’s more than just attending seminars and listening to speakers. There are zipline runs, team-building exercises and other active events that “make you look inward and see what kind of leader you really are,” Edwards said.

“I have always felt that learning is a lifelong process and look forward to interacting with my fellow Toll candidates, learning from them and bringing my own skills to the group,” he said.

Participation in the program means Edwards will have to be away from his family for about a week as well as missing the September primary. Since the program runs from Sept. 5 to 10 in Lexington, Ky., Edwards finds himself for the first time being forced to vote in the primary with an absentee ballot.

Fortunately for Edwards, he’s not facing a primary challenge. Still, he said he will miss being in Little Rhody during the critical primary period as his colleagues are out campaigning and trying to get out the vote.

But missing the Toll Fellowship program would be missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Edwards said, and he stands to benefit greatly from what the program will offer.

The class of 2014 includes 48 of the country’s top elected officials and they were selected from the largest-ever pool of candidates the organization has ever seen.

Candidates were selected by a nine-member committee of state leaders, many of whom were former Toll Fellows themselves.

“The Henry Toll Fellowship has a distinguished history of cultivating some of the nation’s top leaders and forging lasting relationships among a special few who serve without fear or favor,” said Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, the 2014 CSG national chair and a 2002 CSG Toll Fellow. “This year’s class is drawn from a very deep talent pool, and each of those selected will contribute significantly.”

The Toll Fellowship Program is named after CSG founder Henry Wolcott Toll.

Toll Fellows alumni include U.S. Rep. John Carney, a former Delaware lieutenant governor; U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a former Hawaii state Senate president; U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita, a former Indiana secretary of state; former North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and former U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.

Edwards believes training programs like Toll Fellows are important tools to help legislators succeed.

“Life, like our public service, changes from day to day, sometimes faster than we anticipate,” he said. “I feel that it is important for all leaders to be open to new ideas, techniques and skills to be able to do their best work for their constituents. ... To serve our constituents as they fully deserve and expect us to do, it is vitally important that we occasionally stop, readjust and re-evaluate where we are and what we are doing.”