New Executives Program Applications Now Open

Bellevue Chamber Leadership Program

New Executives

Fall 2026 · September 24 – November 18

Your chance to build confidence, gain insight, and connect with the people shaping the Eastside.

Apply Now View the schedule

9Sessions

8Weeks

8Featured Speakers

3Signature Events

About the Program

Built for Rising Leaders

The Bellevue Chamber’s New Executives program is a leadership development experience designed for rising professionals ready to take the next step in their careers. The Fall 2026 cohort runs September 24 through November 18, with nine sessions that build essential skills, expand your understanding of the region, and connect you with a peer group of emerging leaders. With curated, behind-the-scenes access to key industries and decision-making spaces, the program offers a rare opportunity to grow your confidence, broaden your perspective, and become a more impactful leader in your organization and community.

What You Take Away

Essential leadership skills in communication, decision-making, and team management.
Regional insight into the key issues, industries, and dynamics shaping the Eastside.
Professional connections with a lasting cohort of emerging leaders.
Cross-sector exposure to leadership in business, government, and community settings.
Big-picture perspective from new ideas, tools, and leadership approaches.

Scenes from Bellevue Chamber programs and events.

Fall 2026

Program Schedule

Nine sessions over nine weeks, most Thursdays at the Lincoln Square Collaboration Center, with signature Chamber events woven in along the way.

Kickoff

Thursday, September 24 · 5:00 – 6:30 PM

Welcome Reception

The Forum at Lincoln Square

Hosted by Jennifer Clark, Bellevue Chamber

Meet your cohort over drinks and conversation at The Forum. Jennifer Clark kicks off the program with a look at what the next nine weeks hold.

Oct1Thursday

Effective Communication for Emerging Leaders

3:30 – 5:00 PM · Lincoln Square Collaboration Center

Tanji Bridgeman, Bridgeman Health Solutions

Active listening and confident speaking are the foundation of leadership. Tanji Bridgeman, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, TEDx speaker, and executive presence coach, leads a session on communicating with clarity and listening like a leader.

Signature Event

Thursday, October 8 · 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Eastside Leadership Conference

Meydenbauer Center

Join hundreds of regional leaders at the Chamber’s flagship leadership event. New Execs attend as a cohort, with a full day of speakers, panels, and connections across the Eastside business community.

Oct15Thursday

Open AI in the Workplace

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM · Lincoln Square Collaboration Center

Yana Terukhova, Product Marketing & Growth Strategies, Microsoft

AI is at the top of everyone’s mind, but the long-term implications for business are still coming into focus. Yana Terukhova of Microsoft takes the cohort deep into what AI actually means for the workplace.

Oct22Thursday

Managing Turbulence: Next Week Will Be Better

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM · Lincoln Square Collaboration Center

Amber Simonsen, Commercial Project Director, Alaska Airlines

Managing doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and we can all stand to be more productive and focused. Amber Simonsen shares real-life strategies for being your best work self.

Oct29Thursday

All Roads Lead to Leadership

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM · Lincoln Square Collaboration Center

Sam Cho, Commissioner, Port of Seattle

Leadership skills can always be sharpened, no matter how good you are at your job. Commissioner Sam Cho walks through authenticity, motivating others, and both taking on and giving up responsibility.

Nov5Thursday

Meeting Our Elected Leaders

12:00 – 1:00 PM · Bellevue City Hall

Mayor Mo Malakoutian, City of Bellevue & Rep. Osman Salahuddin, 48th District

What does being an elected official actually entail? Two Chamber favorites share their day-to-day work as local leaders and how business professionals can best engage with their representatives.

Nov12Thursday

Investing in Your Future

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM · Lincoln Square Collaboration Center

Hannah Grossblatt, Senior VP of Wealth Management, RBC & Chamber Board Chair

Talking about money can be uncomfortable. Not with Hannah Grossblatt. Get the laidback version of the why-you-should-be-investing conversation and learn how to make your money work for you, or at least not against you.

Signature Event

Wednesday, November 18 · 7:30 – 9:00 AM

Economic Forecast Summit

Hyatt Regency Bellevue

The Chamber’s member-favorite Economic Forecast Summit, presented by Bank of America, brings top financial minds to Bellevue each year. New Execs wraps with the region’s business community in one room.

Who You Will Learn From

Featured Speakers

Jennifer Clark

Vice President, Sponsorship & Sales, Bellevue Chamber

Jennifer Clark

Jennifer Clark is the Vice President for the Bellevue Chamber, charged with overseeing Legacy Leader relationships, sponsorship, and membership sales. Jennifer is the former director of specialty sales at Alaska Airlines.

A Pacific Northwest aviation professional, she was directly accountable for steering the strategic and tactical efforts of Alaska Airlines’ corporate sales efforts with a staff of professionals. She was responsible for all sales and revenue for Alaska’s private charter agreements, wholesale business, group sales, seafood customers and small and medium-sized business customers.

Jennifer was born and raised in Bellevue, Washington. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications at the University of Washington. Prior to joining Alaska Airlines, she worked in the telecommunication industry from 1989 to 2015 at McCaw Cellular Communications, later acquired by AT&T, where she became a Director of Sales and built a large national sales team.

She then joined Nextel Communications as a Sales Director and worked to build their first national accounts team. Nextel was later acquired by Sprint in 2005, where Jennifer served as Director of Sales over a 10-state region managing a team of over 75 sales professionals.

TBhttps://assets-002.noviams.com/novi-file-uploads/bellevue/Tanji-Johnson-Bridgeman-Headshot-1.jpg

Tanji Bridgeman

Co-Owner, Bridgeman Health Solutions

Tanji Bridgeman

Tanji Johnson Bridgeman is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, 11-time professional fitness champion, veteran, wellness expert, and transformational speaker whose career spans military service, elite fitness competition, entrepreneurship, and leadership coaching.

Tanji has coached over 700 athletes using positive psychology principles to inspire transformational fitness journeys. She now works as a functional medicine health coach and leads a team of wellness influencers promoting clean living. She co-owns Bridgeman Health Solutions, a wellness and sports chiropractic clinic.

Tanji is a TEDx speaker and executive presence coach, known for her ability to inspire and uplift others. She has shared leadership insights on topics such as self-care, reframing failure, and modeling wellness, emphasizing a whole-person approach to leadership.

YThttps://assets-002.noviams.com/novi-file-uploads/bellevue/1516734239248.jpeg

Yana Terukhova

Product Marketing & Growth Strategies, Microsoft

Yana Terukhova

Yana Terukhova leads product marketing and growth strategies at Microsoft, where she helps organizations understand and adopt AI in their everyday work.

At New Execs, Yana leads the Open AI in the Workplace session, a deep dive into what AI actually means for businesses over the long term, beyond the headlines and the LinkedIn newsfeeds.

Amber Simonsen

Commercial Project Director, Alaska Airlines

Amber Simonsen

Amber is a productivity consultant that believes a better work week is possible for all of us. She provides the tools and systems so you can thrive at work, deliver incredible results for your organization, and be home for dinner.

Amber has built her career on getting big things done as a strategic project leader across the tech, government, and aviation industries. She's launched multimillion dollar products, led county-wide engagement sessions, managed the rebrand of a Fortune 500 company, and drove the commercial project portfolio for a national merger, all the while learning how to help her team members avoid burnout.

Whether she's working with a small team or speaking at a global conference, Amber's passion for working better is infectious. Through speaking, workshops and coaching, she helps professionals create sustained change that spreads throughout an organization.

Sam Cho

Commissioner, Port of Seattle

Commissioner Sam Cho

Sam Cho was elected to the Port Commission in 2019 and Commission President in 2023. Cho is the son of immigrants who immigrated from South Korea to the United States through the Port of Seattle in the 80s. He is the youngest and first person of color to become Commission President since the founding of the Port in 1911.

Driven to help shape the economy of the future, Commissioner Cho’s career has spanned from government and emerging startups to established companies in the tech and sustainability space.

Commissioner Cho currently serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. He also held positions as an analyst at the U.S. Department of State, as a Legislative Assistant to both a Washington State Senator and a member of the United States Congress, and served as a political appointee under President Barack Obama. Prior to his election to the Port, Commissioner Cho was the founder and CEO of Seven Seas Export, an international trading company that exported over 2.5 million pounds of eggs throughout the Asia-Pacific.

Mo Malakoutian

Mayor, City of Bellevue

Mayor Mo Malakoutian

Mo Malakoutian serves as Mayor of Bellevue. Elected to the City Council in November 2023, he was chosen by his colleagues as deputy mayor for 2024 and 2025 before being elected mayor.

Before joining the council, Mo served one and a half terms on the Planning Commission, from 2018 until he took office, chairing the commission at one point. In 2008, Mo immigrated to Washington from Iran to earn a doctorate in structural engineering at the University of Washington. He moved to Bellevue in 2013.

Mo’s priorities include affordable housing, public safety, efficient transportation options, sustainability and equity. His council assignments include representing the council on the King County Cities Climate Collaboration and the Mental Illness Drug Dependency steering and advisory committees.

Mo has over 20 years of experience in construction, engineering, academia and the tech industry. He is a senior program manager at Amazon and an affiliate assistant professor (part-time) at the University of Washington. He also serves on the board of Wellspring Family Services. In addition to his doctorate in engineering, Mo earned an MBA from UW's Foster School of Business.

Rep. Osman Salahuddin

State Representative, 48th District

Rep. Osman Salahuddin

Osman represents the 48th Legislative District, including parts of Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and all of Clyde Hill, Medina, Yarrow Point, and Hunts Point. A Redmond native and proud son of immigrants, a special education teacher and small business owner, he earned a B.S. in neurobiology from the University of Washington, where he served as Student Body President.

Before being elected, Osman worked as a researcher at Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center and UW Medicine. He has served his community on the Redmond City Council, worked for the King County Council, and contributed to non-profit boards like the Transportation Choices Coalition.

Hannah Grossblatt

Senior VP of Wealth Management, RBC & Bellevue Chamber Board Chair

Hannah Grossblatt

Hannah Grossblatt is a Senior Vice President of Wealth Management at RBC Wealth Management and Chair of the Bellevue Chamber Board of Directors. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ she works with multi-generational families, business owners, and executives to proactively plan for their futures. She supports her clients in making well-informed decisions about everything financial, big or small, whether it’s funding today’s lifestyle, planning for retirement, or creating a lasting legacy.

Additional speakers join throughout the program, including at the Eastside Leadership Conference and Economic Forecast Summit.

“

We brought back the New Executives program because we saw a need for hands-on lessons in leadership, as people are craving mentorship and the strengthening of professional working relationships in the community. It’s not just about networking: It’s about building confidence and the skills to traverse the business landscape with ease.

Jennifer Clark Program Lead & Chamber VP, formerly Alaska Airlines

Investment