Rep. Sherry Appleton receives coveted 2008 Henry Toll Fellowship

June 5, 2008

State Rep. Sherry Appleton (D-Poulsbo) is one of 40 emerging state leaders from across the nation selected for the 2008 class of the prestigious Toll Fellowship Program sponsored by the Council of State Governments (CSG).

The annual week-long seminar, named in honor of Henry Toll, the Colorado senator who founded CSG in 1933, seeks to develop the next generation of leaders from all three branches of state government. This year's program, held in Lexington, Kentucky, from September 27 to October 2, will focuses on trends analysis, policy development, media and constituent relations, and leadership and institutional changes. The experience gives these leaders perspectives they would not ordinarily obtain during the course of their regular governmental service.

"Last year I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Western Legislative Academy, a regional 'school for lawmakers' offered by the Council of State Governments," Appleton said. "I'm doubly honored now to be selected as a national Toll Fellow. I'm grateful to the people of the 23rd district for putting me in a position to become a Toll Fellow, and I hope the knowledge and skills I acquire will help me do a better job for them."

A former Poulsbo city council member, Appleton has represented Kitsap County's 23rd legislative district since 2005. She is a former member of the Washington State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the state Commission on Judicial conduct, and the Puget Sound Partnership. Today, in addition to her legislative work, she is a charter member of the Legislators' Leadership Council on HIV/AIDS at the Center for Women's Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., a member of the Washington Sentencing Guidelines Commission, and a co-chair of the Juvenile Sentencing Guidelines Committee.

Appleton was nominated for the fellowship by Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, with endorsements from her fellow state representatives Jeff Morris of Mount Vernon and Sam Hunt of Olympia. Morris, who serves as Speaker Pro Tem when the Legislature is in session, is a past president of the CSG. Hunt chairs the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee and is a former Toll Fellow himself.

The Poulsbo legislator was tapped by a CSG screening committee of state elected and appointed officials as one of the nation's most promising leaders of state government. This year’s applicant pool included state leaders from all three branches and represented 37 states and two U.S. territories. Past Toll Fellowship graduates include governors, U.S. Senators and members of Congress, as well as leaders in state government.

###

NOTE: The Council of State Governments is the premier multi-branch organization forecasting policy trends for the community of states, commonwealths and territories on a national and regional basis. CSG alerts state elected and appointed officials to emerging social, economic, and political trends; offers innovative state policy responses to rapidly changing conditions; and advocates multistate problem-solving to maximize resources and competitiveness. CSG promotes excellence in decision-making and leadership skills and champions state sovereignty. For more information about the Henry Toll Fellowship Program, please contact Krista Rinehart at (859) 244-8249.