McLean County Times

Freshman State Rep. Dennis Tipsword Jr. (R-Metamora) has been selected to participate in the Edgar Fellows Class of 2023. There are 39 others who will join in the program this August.

"I am honored to have been chosen for The Edgar Fellows 2023!", Tipsword said in a July 27 Facebook post.

On social media, Tipsword shared a link to a news release about his selection for The 2023 Edgar Fellows Program. The group has executive leadership training over four days, from Aug. 6-10, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. 

In that same news release, former Gov. Jim Edgar explained how the program helps legislators find common ground.

“Each year, The Edgar Fellows Program brings together a group of leaders, with different backgrounds and different politics, from across Illinois. They share and learn from those different life experiences, but they also find out that they have more in common than they might realize," he said.

Edgar also reflected on how the program helps Illinois to grow.

"With each class, it has been gratifying to watch people who were strangers on Sunday become good friends by Thursday," he said. "It’s what The Edgar Fellows program is all about, finding common ground and respect, so that our fellows can work together to help shape a better Illinois.”

Launched in 2012, The Edgar Fellows program is named for the former governor. Participants are chosen from various community groups throughout Illinois, state and local government as well as the private sector. Participants must be nominated, and they are often under the age of 40, but there is no age limit. There is a selection committee to determine who among the nominees shall participate. Previous attendees have included former Illinois Sen. Jason Barickman and Teresa Ramos, the first assistant deputy governor for education.

Tipsword was elected to the House in 2022 and represents the people of the 105th House District, according to his website. Tipsword earned a Bachelor of Science in law-enforcement administration, and is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command, as well as a 13-year member of the Woodford County Republican Central Committee. He is a lifelong Illinois resident.