Sunnylands President David J. Lane

Sunnylands president David Lane and trustee Diane Deshong addressed Coachella Valley civic and community leaders, along with longtime Annenberg family friends and colleagues, during a reception at the Center & Gardens on Feb. 28, offering thanks for the “friendship, partnership, and the support you show for Sunnylands.”

Palm Springs Mayor Robert Moon, Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff, La Quinta Councilman Steve Sanchez, and Sunnylands audit committee member Bill Powers, a former Indian Wells Councilman.

More than 100 people attended the gathering, including leaders from non-profit and cultural organizations, Riverside County’s top law enforcement officers, elected officials and staff from the cities of Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage, along with state and federal representatives.

Sunnylands trustee Diane Deshong with Rancho Mirage Mayor Ted Weill and his wife, Jenny Weill, at Sunnylands on Feb. 28, 2017.

Lane, the former U.S. ambassador who became president of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands in September, vowed to “continue to bring world leaders to the area with an ambitious goal of trying to tackle some of the world’s greatest problems.” In addition, he emphasized that Sunnylands will continue to be an active local partner offering educational and cultural programming that enriches the lives of all who live in the region.

And, he said, Sunnylands will strive do so with the style and grace of its founders, Walter and Leonore Annenberg. In a divided world, he said, “I interpret our mandate as trying to heal divides.”