EMPOWERING LEADERS
WHAT I LEARNED FROM LEADERSHIP EVANSTON
Thoughts From Robby Bardwell, SR. Director of Development
In my three years at the Evanston Community Foundation, I’ve watched colleagues go through our Leadership Evanston program and come out inspired and energized. This year, it was finally my turn, and from day one, I knew I was part of something special.
Each Leadership Evanston cohort is carefully curated to reflect the heart of our city. Our 33rd cohort included nonprofit leaders, police officers, Rotarians, small business owners, faith leaders, and community volunteers — a group as diverse and dynamic as Evanston itself.
Over ten months, we met twice a month, gradually building trust, connection, and a shared sense of purpose. What struck me most was the network we built. Leadership isn’t just about vision, it’s about relationships. It’s about knowing who to call when a challenge arises and being willing to show up when others call on you. I saw firsthand how alumni of this program continue to support one another long after graduation, collaborating to solve real issues in our community. Our cohort was no different.
As the year progressed, a new kind of urgency entered the room. Every session, someone shared hard news: a grant cut, a program at risk, a federal department on the chopping block. We listened to the CFOs of Districts 65 and 202 talk about the fragility of education funding. We heard about potential research losses at Northwestern. It became clear that no organization or institution was being spared.
Still, every project group showed up on presentation day with ideas to make Evanston better. That’s what stuck with me the most. Even in the face of enormous uncertainty, people in our cohort kept going. They kept dreaming, kept building, kept caring for one another and for this city.
Leadership Evanston reminded me how proud I am to work for ECF, a foundation that doesn’t just fund solutions, but brings people together to create them. In a year when so much has felt out of our control, this experience grounded me in something deeper: the power of connection, and the belief that we can face anything if we do it together.