Local program trains future community leaders
Twenty-one years ago the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce founded the Leadership Chapel Hill-Carrboro program as a means of sustaining community through informed leadership. This year another batch of community leaders has joined the program to enrich themselves and their community. The program involves 25 participants who spend 13 weeks completing community profile classes and a Small Miracles project, among other events. Aaron Nelson, the chamber's executive director, said the chamber takes a strong interest in developing talented leaders. The cost for this year's program was $675 for chamber members and $775 for nonmembers. This year the chamber offered one scholarship. The chamber wants to keep the program widely accessible, said Rita Stanton, the chamber's community development coordinator and a Leadership participant. "We want to help promote a conducive environment for dialogue about community issues for the community," she said. "We need to cultivate good leaders who understand what local issues are." The program selects participants who represent a wide range of involvements. Participants include people from the Public School Foundation, the YMCA and UNC Health Care. Stanton said Leadership students complete the Passport program by participating in a tour of a local public transit system, doing a ride-along with a police officer and attending a local government meeting. Weekly meetings are split between a community profiles program and a leadership development course. The community profiles program engages participants in issues such as economic development, land use and the local education system. Meetings also include presentations by local leaders who teach the group skills ranging from public speaking and conflict management to dining etiquette and creativity, Stanton said. The Small Miracles project pairs education with public service, linking Leadership participants with local nonprofit organizations. Participants apply their skills and knowledge by selecting an organization to present to their class. The participants then vote on the organization for which they will perform their "small miracle." Creighton Blackwell, a UNC alumnus and market executive at RBC Centura Bank on Rosemary Street, said he understands the chamber's vision for leaders. "You need them to build a sustainable community," he said. Blackwell said his 2005 leadership class discussed issues with community leaders, including Chancellor James Moeser. Blackwell, whose father worked at the Rathskeller for 46 years, said the program helped supplement what he already knew. This year, Blackwell is sponsoring program participant Lindsay Warren, also an employee of RBC Centura Bank and a UNC alumna. The program kicked off two weeks ago with a full day retreat, which helped to establish relationships between the participants, Stanton said. "Connections were truly built out of that leadership program," Blackwell said. "We're really not blowing smoke." Warren said she is learning about aspects of the community she was not aware of before. "I hope to learn more about how to be a better leader, not only in an office setting, but how I can be a better and more effective community leader," she said. Warren said the program experience is part of trying to make the transition from a young student to a young professional. Jamie Dervin, the chamber's member relations specialist, said participants seemed particularly eager to make that transition. "We're always amazed by the level of excitement and creativity the Leadership participants exhibit as they go through the program." Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.