Secretary of State Kim Wyman is a new member of the Rodel Fellowship Program at the nonpartisan nonprofit Aspen Institute. 

Wyman is one of 24 elected officials from around the country selected for the leadership training program for “the nation’s most promising young political leaders,” the Institute announced recently. The program selected officials who have demonstrated “commitment to principled bipartisan governance,” the organization said.

“All of them have been nominated for the fellowship by their peers and by political observers and community leaders who have singled them out as the best-of-the-best of our emerging political leadership,” said the director, former veteran Congressman Mickey Edwards.

The invitation-only program was established in 2005.  Said Wyman:

“I’m deeply honored to be named to this prestigious fellowship at the Aspen Institute and look forward to lively conversations and learning more about our foundational documents and exploring ways we in state, federal and local governments can help bring sensible bipartisan solutions to the table and promote civility in our life together.”

The institute’s website says the intent is to “enhance our democracy by identifying and bringing together the nation’s most promising young people leaders to explore, through study and conversation, the underlying values and principles of western democracy, the relationship between individuals and their community and the responsibilities of public leadership to support and inspire political leaders committed to sustaining the vision of a political system based on thoughtful and civil bipartisan dialogue; and to help America’s brightest young leaders achieve their fullest potential in public service.”

A key goal is to “help produce a more bipartisan approach to America’s most important domestic issues, such as health care, public education and the environment,” the institute says.

The institute training includes three weekend-long seminars in Aspen – one this weekend. Costs are covered by the foundation, which does not take money from lobbyists, governments, corporations or special interests, the website says.

Historian/academic/writer Walter Isaacson is president and CEO. Board members includes former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice, business leaders, academics, and Queen Noor.

Wyman  is also a member of the Executive Board of the National Association of Secretaries of State. She represents the western states on the panel.