(FLINT, Mich., Dec. 16, 2016) – Twelve business and nonprofit professionals graduated today from Leadership NOW, an intensive, year-long leadership development program offered through the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Genesee County.
The participants have completed 100+ hours of training and 10 hours of one-on-one coaching, focused on honing their personal leadership styles and developing effective partnerships.
“Leadership NOW helps take current and emerging leaders in Flint and Genesee County to the next level,” said Michelle Hill, Director of Shared Services at the Flint & Genesee Chamber. “We’re proud to help facilitate the continued growth of the region’s leadership capacity.”
During the celebration ceremony, the cohort shared plans for a sustainable, collaborative community project – a requirement for completing the program. Specifically, the cohort aims to increase safety and mobility in Flint’s Brownell-Holmes neighborhoods by applying Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies.
To do this, the Leadership NOW team will partner with the Brownell-Holmes Neighborhood Association and other partners to create an outdoor gathering space at the corner of Janice and Oxley streets, near Brownell-Holmes STEM Academy. The cohort aims to have the greenspace completed by late May 2017.
“Our Leadership NOW participants have spent the past several months studying the development of effective partnerships and collaborative initiatives,” said Jenni Dones, Program Manager for BEST Project at United Way of Genesee County. “This project has required them to put what they have learned into practice, and better prepares them to lead other collaborative initiatives in the future.”
The graduating class includes 12 professionals who either work and/or live in Genesee County:
- Stacy Betts (Burton), Director of PTAC, Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce
- Connie Brauer (Goodrich), Administrative Assistant, Local Initiative Support Corporation in Flint
- Bethany Collins (Flint), Site Coordinator, Metro Community Development in Flint
- Loren Crandell (Grand Blanc), Partner, Giffels Webster in Birmingham
- Lisa Fockler (Grand Blanc), Owner, Remedy Exchange in Grand Blanc
- Lucille James (Flint), Demolition Program Manager and Database Administrator, Genesee County Land Bank Authority
- Claudnyse D. Jenkins (Southfield), Executive Director, Weiss Child Advocacy Center in Flint
- Carmelita Lewis (Flint), Community Program Director, Neighborhood Engagement Hub in Flint
- Jaclyn Metcalfe (Flint), Visitor Services Manager, Flint Children’s Museum
- Adil Mohammed (Swartz Creek), Co-founder of Med+IT Systems in Flint
- Justin Sprague (Fenton), Director of Business Development, Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce
- Alaina Wiens (Linden), Director of Marketing, Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce
For more information about Leadership NOW, which will launch its third cohort in January 2017, click here.