Coolest. Tour. Ever!

Yesterday, the 2009 class got to tour Portland by way of a jet boat on the Willamette and Columbia rivers. A city that I thought I knew so well, I got to see from a brand new angle.

The Port or Portland offered the tour, which included the port’s various terminals, a plethora of civilian and military water vessels, a gorgeous, up-close look at Portland’s many bridges, and exports and imports ranging from pot ash (a kind of salt used in fertilizer) to Toyotas.

We also got to see an eagle and its nest on Ross Island.

And, because we’re, seriously, not the most grown-up group of all time, the pilot talked us into three spinning maneuvers that included revving the jet boat up to about 50 knots, then taking a 90-degree turn and killing all forward momentum, leaving us shrieking, soaked, and bobbing in the middle of our own wake. Way cool.

It truly was one of the most fun and most informative tours of our year in Leadership Portland.

dana

Have you ever wish that you had the opportunity to meeting and visit with other emerging and established leaders in the Greater Portland-Vancouver region?

EMERGE is an initiative of the Portland Business Alliance to build greater participation in its Leadership Portland program and build better connection between emerging and established leaders in the Greater Portland-Vancouver Region.

The EMERGE kick-off event is a reception scheduled for Monday, May 11th at the Gerding Theatre from 5-7 p.m.. It will be a good opportunity for emerging and established leaders to get connected. Groups of 6-10 people are organizing post-dinner receptions in local Portland restaurants. As of 4/24, 204 people registered for this event. Cost is $10 plus a donation of food for the Oregon Food Bank.

Sign-up TODAY for the May 11th EMERGE Event!

The Willamette University MBA and Willamette Career Network invite you to a special networking reception in conjunction with the Portland Business Journal’s Women in Business Expo.

“Celebrate Willamette Women” Reception

• Thursday, April 23, 2009
• 4:30pm – 6:30pm
• Required RSVP at http://www.willamettealumni.com/celebrate
• Enjoy appetizers, entertainment and a room full of outstanding women leaders to network with.  The Willamette MBA will make a special announcement about the launch of the Oregon Women MBAs, a local chapter for professional women launching in Fall 2009.

Portland Business Journal’s Women in Business Expo

• Thursday, April 23, 2009
• 5:30pm – 8:30pm
• (runs concurrently with Celebrate Willamette Women reception)
• Register online http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/event/5145
• Attendees of the Willamette reception may register for the Portland Business Journal’s Women in Business Expo using the discount code KHJQ6545 to receive the special Willamette rate.

Leadership Portland Alumni, it’s time to give back and get involved — we want you to consider becoming a regular

(semi-regular, once in a while, or just when you feel like it) contributor on www.leadershipportland.com.

Uncle Sam Wants you to Blog!

If you don’t think you’re up for writing, but want to contribute a story idea, just to go

info@leadershipportland.com to contribute your ideas, and one of our writers will look at it. Lastly, join us tomorrow, March 18 at Roots Brewing, 1520 SE 7th, starting at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome. We often buy the first and second rounds of alumni who show up. And think about it. We’d really love you to join us, both at Happy Hour and as a new blogger. It’ll be fun. Promise.

I was excited that we were getting this blog off the ground for one big reason: the opportunity to connect to my 2005 (was it that long ago?) Leadership Portland Class. So, if you’re in my class, or you’re in another year, connect with this blog. Add it to your Favorites. Check it. Sign up for the email updates. Mostly, because we’ll try to be interesting and relevant, but we can’t without your input. This is the tool we’ve always wanted, and it’s taken awhile. So use it. Love it. Your input will make it great.