The Leadership Council for the UCI Jack W. Peltason Center for the Study of Democracy is a group of political and business leaders of Orange County who share the Center’s concern about the vitality of democracy in the United States and around the world. The Council embodies the model of citizen participation as the strength of the democratic political process. Council members work with the Center for the Study of Democracy to support education and research aimed at improving the democratic process. As liaisons between the community and the Center, Council members: contribute their own political interest and expertise to the teaching and research missions of the Center; help to increase community awareness of the Center and its activities, and identify areas where Center activities can contribute to the understanding of democracy; assist the philanthropic activities of the Center in the support of education and research on democracy. We believe the democratic process is one of America's most precious resources, and the Community Council is helping to build the leading university-based center devoted explicitly to the study of democracy at home and abroad.