Leadership Shelby to seek new class in March

Leadership Shelby County’s current class is at work on their projects to help the county.

Those projects include work on the National Veterans Shrine Database to preserve local veterans’ legacies. This is a partnership with Vincent Elementary to identify student leaders and Bridge the Gap, a network of stakeholders created to assist with schoolchildren’s medical costs and raise awareness of the funding gap. 

While this class of residents and business owners will continue their time in the program with increasing knowledge of the county and work on group projects through May, the organization will begin accepting application for the 2019-20 class in March.

For the last 25 years, Leadership Shelby County has made it their mission to enhance the quality of life in Shelby County through a leadership program that offers education, leadership skills and networking for adult and youth participants to make a difference in their schools and communities. 

Each year, 30 applicants are selected for both the youth and adult class. A prestigious and competitive program, it’s not uncommon for applicants to apply more than once until they are accepted.

“The selection committee considers individuals who are representative by gender, race, geography and broadly representative of Shelby County,” Carol Bruser, coordinator of Leadership Shelby County, said. “The same is true for the youth class, as well. Representation from all high schools, public and private, are represented. The goal is to create a diverse group of individuals who work and live in Shelby County.”

The program begins its work each year in September with a mandatory overnight retreat, where they learn the dynamics of team building and bond with the members of their class.

Afterward, from October until May, each class meets once a month for a full-day session about a “high-priority topic.” This ranges from understanding the role of economic development in the county to discussing education’s impact on the county. Program participants are expected to attend every monthly session.

It is in these sessions that the members are divided into groups to work on a project they will develop for the duration of their time in the program. The projects are then presented at the program’s “graduation” in May. According to Bruser, the groups have to submit their project ideas to the program’s executive board for approval. 

Successful projects that Bruser has seen in previous years include the establishment of the Shelby County Mental Health Court, Paws for the Cause in collaboration with the Shelby County Humane Society and a project on awareness of prescription drug abuse in Shelby County. 

Project ideas that this year’s program participants are working on center around the theme of “Learning, Leadership, and Legacy: Impactors in Our Own Backyard.”

Applications for Leadership Shelby County are made available in March each year, and applicants must live or work in Shelby County to apply or be nominated. Tuition for the program is $795 for adults and free for youth participants, to be paid at the time of acceptance. For more information, visit leadershipshelbycounty.wordpress.org.

This story is part of our Year in Preview. See more here. 

Editor's note: This story was updated on Jan. 2 to correct the price of the youth program.