EATON — The fifth round of Leadership Preble County is set to kick off later this year and applications are now being accepted.
“We are still in the midst of working to complete the 2019-20 session of the adult Leadership Preble County program, due to the COVID-19-related mandates and the shutdown which caused us to lose several months of programming,” Preble County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leslie Collins said. “But we’ve transitioned several of the missed courses into virtual sessions, and are working to complete the year soon.”
Are you a driven individual eager to become more familiar and engaged in all facets of the community which affect living in Preble County? Are you a member of an agency or board of directors and looking for an opportunity for individual growth and development of leadership skills? Are you an employer looking to expand the community networking and knowledge of your next up-and-coming leader?
Leadership Preble County provides all this and more.
Now a signature program of the Preble County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Preble County began in the fall of 2016. It includes an orientation and an overnight retreat in the fall, and usually continues through June each year with 10-11 half-day or full-day sessions, culminating with a graduation celebration.
According to Collins, depending on the mandates in place at the typical start of the new session in November, some courses for the 2020-21 cohort will likely be modified to be virtual sessions.
Applications and additional information can be found at http://www.preblecountyohio.com/leadership-preble-county.
Leadership sessions are conducted by leaders in their fields who cover topics related to the specific day’s theme. Sessions include Preble County history and heritage; agriculture; business, workforce and the economy; health and human services; local government; board training, a tour of the Ohio Statehouse (if permitted); public safety and the justice system; infrastructure; the public education system; quality of life in Preble County, and health and wellness.
An important part of the program is specialized training by Lisa Nack, an expert with the Nack Reuther Group, according to Collins.
Nack has over 30 years of experience working with leaders and teams and considers it a privilege to be invited into a client’s world. Her work focuses on developing people, challenging teams to improve the processes required for working together and driving for better results. Her ability to blend experiential learning into training and development engagements creates an environment that is engaging, meaningful and “sticky.”
“Leadership Preble County is proud to welcome Lisa back to Preble County for a fifth round of training for Preble County’s brightest current and future leaders,” Collins said. “Lisa will facilitate our opening retreat and a mid-year retreat with board training. What she provides is invaluable.”
Collins said Nack recently completed the current cohort’s mid-year board training virtually via Zoom conference call.
Why leadership?
“For the employers and sponsors, we feel the program develops increased leadership skills which can be applied for greater workplace effectiveness,” Collins said. “It provides increased networking opportunities which can help businesses find solutions, and increase collaboration among public, private and non-profit sectors.”
According to Collins, the individuals who participate in Leadership Preble County improve their personal development and leadership skills, identify their own personal vision for community involvement, and become a part of an informed, diverse network for personal, business and community development.
“It also enhances their knowledge of Preble County, its resources and leaders,” Collins added.
“Leadership Preble County is helping develop a pool of community leaders with the skills and vision to creatively address community issues and prepares its graduates to serve on boards and task forces,” Collins said. “It is creating a network of individuals who will in turn use their awareness of the community’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities to improve the quality of life in Preble County.”
Current investors/sponsors of Leadership Preble County include Kettering Health Network/Grandview Foundation, Preble County Development Partnership and Indiana University East. Additional investors are currently being sought.
“We launched Junior Leadership Preble County last year, and with the help of our investors we plan to provide that program once again at no cost to three students from each of our high schools in the new academic year,” Collins said. “Plans for how that will look will be pending until we saw how school looks for our districts this year. But, the intent is to once again run the junior program concurrently with the adult course.”
For information on sponsoring or participating, contact Collins at 937-456-4949 or via email, [email protected].
