Our Trainers
Maria Agnew Bio
Maria is a 20 year veteran law enforcement officer. She is currently a Lieutenant for the Chelan County Sheriff's office in Washington State, where she oversees the Special Operations, Training and the Department of Emergency Management. Maria works with a variety of government and public groups, including law enforcement, fire, domestic violence prevention groups and other non-profits. Her lively, practical style makes her a popular, sought-after instructor for a variety of groups.
Maria is a highly skilled trainer, facilitator, and mentor who brings a strong leadership background to her work with the Influencing Options training team. She is a certified trainer for the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center, where she facilitates First Level Supervision, Mid-Level management, and coaching and counseling.
In addition to her work in Influencing Options, Maria's expertise also includes the popular Blanchard courses: Situational Self Leadership, Situational Leadership II and Situational Leadership for Teams. Maria is also a skill trainer in various other areas.
Maria also enjoys her work as an adjunct faculty for Wenatchee Valley College where she teaches interpersonal communications and public speaking, which allows her to work with a variety of different types of participants and students. Maria has a Master's degree in Organizational Development from the Leadership Institute of Seattle/Bastyr University and she has continued to build her skills to become an effective leader.
Growing up in a family of 13 children, Maria relates well to diverse groups and backgrounds. She believes in helping leaders gain immediate skills for the present and the future, and she brings personal conviction and passion for helping others improve and grow in the areas of interpersonal communication and influencing others.
Class participants say Maria brings excitement, enthusiasm, and strong knowledge to her classes and helps to create a positive and creative learning environment. Students consistently comment on the immediate applicability of these leadership skills.