Jim Hodges

I'm the founder and owner of the business, "Leadership by George!" A division of which  is the  George Washington  Leadership Institute. Our vision is a better world with everyone honoring GW's proven principles of ethical leadership. Our mission is to help people lead happier and more fulfilling lives by learning and applying those principles. We do so by the written and  spoken word. Our book, "Beyond the Cherry Tree : The Leader Wisdom of George Washington."  is in the Library of Congress, Shohomish and King Co. library systems and for sale at Edmonds book store. It has a large number of excellent reviews including Rotarians Bill Keppler  and Brian Larman,  

I.ve been fortunate to get an education all over the world by attending  18 different schools. No, we were not avoiding creditors, my father was a career Air Force officer. Oh yes, I spent two years in high school in Japan. I received  BA and MA degrees from University  of Maryland and a PhD from Hamilton University,  all in economics. I was voted into scholastic honorary Phi Kappa Phi. Later I taught  as adjunct professor at Univ. of Maryland.  
In the corporate world I earned four professional designations, CLU, ChFC, CFP and CFM. By providing superior service to  my clients, I achieved  Life membership  in the Million dollar round Table. In various management roles i helped many associates rise to high levels of  success. I retired as a vice president  of Merrill Lynch.

Rotary membership has been a highlight of  my life. In 1977 I was invited to join the River Oaks Rotary Club in Houston,  Texas.  I worked  within  various avenues of service becoming  President in  1984- 85. From  1986 until 2004 I was chairman of our leading club fundraiser. Bonnie and I are both Paul Harris fellows. The October  2006 issue of the Rotarian recognized me with a full page in UP FRONT.  

For my portrayals bringing our greatest American  back to life, especially for school children, I was awarded the George Washington National Medal of Honor by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.

I'm blessed with a wonderful family. My wife Bonnie is a superb artist who teaches art at Edmonds Community college. My son, Jim jr. was a Navy carrier pilot who now flies the Boeing 767 to exotic spots all over the world as a senior pilot with Delta. My oldest daughter has a MA in industrial psychology from Long Beach State in California. She has a great job in Washington  DC. My youngest daughter, Cynthia whom many of you have met, has a JD from South  Texas college of Law and a LLM from  Lewis and Clarke law school in Portland. She is now studying for the Washington  state bar in February.