Ron Coulter, Leadership Evanston graduate
leadership evanston graduate pursued dream
“Taking Leadership Evanston allowed me the courage to pursue new challenges and build skills that apply in whatever I choose to do.”
Leadership Evanston graduate Ron Coulter's current pursuits were shaped by his participation in the Leadership Evanston Signature Program.
group exercises lead to pursuit of lifelong dream
The decision to go back to school can be a difficult one. For Ron Coulter, it was even harder having been out of the classroom and in the workforce for over 30 years. Ron was highly regarded in his role as Assistant Safety Director at Evanston Township High School when a trusted colleague suggested Ron enroll in ECF’s Leadership Evanston (LE) program. “The opportunity to build my leadership skills was very compelling and I knew I could apply those skills in my work, but the added benefit of meeting others from the community was also appealing.”
“There was one particular LE team-building exercise that sparked in me a renewed desire to achieve one of my goals,” reminisced Ron. The exercise required the group to form a line, and take a step forward each time a statement applied to them. Through a series of questions, Ron and his fellow cohort members began taking steps forward. The goal was to uncover similarities and differences among the group, and to highlight the cohorts’ diverse backgrounds. One statement in particular made Ron freeze; take a step forward if you have a college degree. “There wasn’t any disrespect and I felt supported by the team, but I wasn’t able, at that time, to step forward. It was in that exact moment I made the decision to get my degree,” said Ron. “The support of my LE team, my supervisor at the high school and my peers at the EPD gave me the courage to go for it and finally complete a long-standing dream of mine.”
Today, Ron is a proud college graduate. Ron has retired from Evanston Township, but he is not sitting still! His next career move is realizing his dream as a photographer. R. Coulter Photography is his new passion and he is able to lend his skillful eye for weddings, corporate events or graduation photos. ECF has the added benefit of having a professional photographer as an LE alumnus, and the staff of ECF is happy to call on him to capture important moments. Ron shares that the skills he learned in LE are put to use in every path of his life. “Taking Leadership Evanston allowed me the courage to pursue new challenges and build skills that apply in whatever I choose to do.”
ECF is honored to call Ron, along with more than 730 individuals who live and/or work in Evanston, Leadership Evanston alumni!