Wenatchee Valley College has received an Educating Character Initiative (ECI) Capacity-Building Grant from Wake Forest University to support a community-centered planning initiative that focuses on leadership development, character education, belonging, and cultural understanding throughout North Central Washington.
Funding for the grant began July 1, 2026 and will continue through June 30, 2027.
The ECI grant will fund the “Indigenizing Leadership and Character Education” project, directed by Saxon Spillman, a WVC part-time instructor. Dr. María Morales-Sánchez, director of the El Corazón Teaching and Learning Center, is serving as the principal investigator of the project, and Lynn Palmanteer-Holder is the subject matter expert.
“Indigenizing Leadership and Character Education” will establish a collaborative cohort of 30 participants, comprised of WVC staff, local leaders, and educators. Through workshops, community conversations, and collaborative planning, participants will plan and participate in four workshops focused on building understanding around leadership, Indigenous epistemology, tribal sovereignty, and their intersection with character education. The goal is to produce a shared toolkit of core values, recommendations for future programming at WVC, and a foundational grounding in tribal sovereignty and relations via the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State (JMLSTI) curriculum.
Saxon Spillman stated that the idea for this project was inspired by the 2025 Indian Education Summer Teaching Institute in Omak, where he learned more about the JMLSTI curriculum state legislation to Indigenize curriculum. “The institute provided guidance for educators to be tribal allies and showcased examples of Indigenized curriculum,” Spillman said. “When it comes to the enrichment of students, I’ve learned what is good for Indigenous students is good for all students.” He began seeking grant opportunities and collaborating with tribal partners that he met at the teaching institute and with Dr. María Morales-Sánchez.
“This grant is all about relationships, centering two main goals: first, sustaining respectful, reciprocal, relevant, and responsible relationships with our Native and Indigenous community members; second, creating a foundational framework that helps WVC staff and faculty integrate culturally relevant, respectful Indigenous knowledge into their practices,” Morales-Sánchez said.
WVC’s El Corazón Center for Teaching and Learning is a collaborative hub that creates opportunities for faculty and staff to build community, grow as educators, and share knowledge and expertise across the institution. The center nurtures pedagogical awareness and innovation—ensuring that the college’s practices are grounded in equity, cultural affirmation, and community, and that all students are supported in environments that foster belonging, adaptability, and success.
“Bringing this project to the El Corazon Center for Teaching and Learning is the first step toward creating an intentional space for Indigenous knowledge systems in this faculty and staff space,” Morales-Sánchez said. “This work aligns directly with our responsibility to honor and represent tribal knowledge across our curriculum, leadership, and institutional framework.”
Rather than implementing a predetermined program, this project creates space for listening, learning, and co-design. The goal is to ensure that any future character education initiatives are grounded in authentic relationships, community priorities, and Indigenous leadership perspectives. The “Indigenizing Leadership and Character Education” project will inform daily practices, drive future WVC initiatives, and strengthen future grant applications to support ongoing work. The ultimate goal is to create space for listening, learning, and relationship-building so that the college’s future efforts reflect the unique strengths, experiences, and priorities of the communities that WVC serves.
About the Program for Leadership and Character and the ECI
The Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University inspires, educates, and empowers leaders of character to serve humanity. Through innovative teaching, creative programming, and cutting-edge research, the program aims to transform the lives of students, foster a culture of leadership and character at Wake Forest, and catalyze a broader public conversation that places character at the center of leadership.
The program’s Educating Character Initiative (ECI), made possible by generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc., is catalyzing a national movement focused on character in higher education. Through grantmaking, collective learning, and community engagement, the ECI equips institutions of higher education with the funding, resources, and support necessary to integrate character into their distinctive institutional contexts, curricula, and cultures. The ECI’s broad aspiration is to enable institutions of higher education to become communities of character that form students, staff, and faculty who act with character for the common good.
About Wenatchee Valley College
Founded in 1939, Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington and delivers relevant, innovative, and experiential educational opportunities for thriving and healthy communities. Learn more at www.wvc.edu.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process. Learn more at www.wvc.edu/publicdisclosure.
Published August 19, 2026
Media Contacts:
Saxon Spillman, part-time instructor, sspillman@wvc.edu
Dr. María I. Morales-Sánchez, Director, El Corazon Teaching and Learning Center, 509-682-6767, mmoralessanchez@wvc.edu
Marcine Miller, Executive Director, Public Information Office, 509-682-6582, mmiller2@wvc.edu