Leadership Columbia County Recognizes Simons Scholars

Leadership Columbia County (LCC), is pleased to announce the creation of the Gerald R. Simons Scholar Program. This new program will fund partial scholarships for three LCC participants for the 2007-08 class. The scholarship recipients are Liz Beals, Beth's Farm Kitchen, Greta Boeringer, Hudson Area Association Library and Cecelia Karashay, USDA - Farm Service Agency.

Leadership Columbia County , a program of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce is a nine-month community leadership program committed to enhancing and connecting leaders from business, non-profits and government. For over 15 years the program has empowered participants with a comprehensive understanding of our community's challenges and opportunities.

LCC is designed for current and emerging leaders who have the capacity to make a positive impact in the community. The program brings together a diverse group of professionals from financial services, education, healthcare, the arts, community organizations, government and other sectors.

The 2007-08 Leadership Columbia County Class includes: Andrew Aubin, Crawford & Associates Engineering, PC; Liz Beals, Beth's Farm Kitchen; Greta Boeringer, Hudson Area Association Library; Betsy Braley, First Niagara Bank; Alicia Coons, Kinderhook Bank; Josh Cukerstein, First Niagara Bank; Karyn Dornemann, Hudson Chiropractic; Kelly Fox, Mt. Washington House; Caroline Geisler, Hawthorne Valley Association; David Helsley, Taconic Farms, Inc.; Tammy Holmes, Germantown Telephone Company; Hal Hughes, Chatham Bowl Family Center; Theresa Hyland, Hudson-Catskill Newspaper Corp.; Ceceila Karashay, USDA - Farm Service Agency; Kevin Kropp, Columbia-Greene Community College; Rhonda Makoske; Columbia Memorial Hospital; Matt Parkus, Mexican Radio; and Alex Schneider, COARC.

Prior to the launch of the 2007-08 LCC class the Chamber will host the annual County Supervisor 's Reception on September 12. The Chamber will be introducing the Gerald R. Simons Scholar Program for the LCC program. Gerry was a long-time supporter of the program and his support was vital to the first 15 years. The Chamber is the administrator of Leadership Columbia County and will announce the 2007-08 scholarship recipients this evening. The event will be held at the Firemen's Home located at 125 Harry Howard Avenue in Hudson . We encourage Leadership Columbia County Alumni and members of the business community to attend this important event.

The class will begin the 2007-08 year with a two day retreat on September 20 and 21 at Space 360 in Hudson . Participants will spend Thursday evening at a local Bed and Breakfast. After completion of the first retreat day on September 20 there will be networking reception at Space 360. We invite business leaders and Leadership Columbia County Alumni to attend the reception from 5:00 to 7:00 pm to meet the new Leadership class and network with other business leaders.

Leadership sessions will take place on the third Thursday of each month from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm from October to May. In October the LCC program will take participants on an agriculture and business tour of the county, narrated by a knowledgeable representative and followed by a panel talking about the geographic as well as business landscape. Each month's session is in a different part of the county, showcasing different organizations and businesses.

Art, history, tourism as well as health care, local government and education are all featured, to provide a picture of the resources in the county. Most of these sessions not only take place in a setting that imparts information but also includes a hands-on exercise that is both fun and informative.

The other major element of the program focuses on leadership skills. Expert trainers will come in to talk about motivation, time and stress management, projecting a professional presence, and management theory. An Advanced Leadership Training session late in the year will help participants take away practical information on how they can continue their own personal leadership growth.

Then, the class will use the leadership skills they have acquired, to participate in a community service day by either working for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity to help build a home or at the local Salvation Army to prepare lunch for the community. A graduation in June will conclude the program and the class will meet non-profit businesses in a mini expo to learn about the volunteer opportunities that exist in the county.

For more information about the Leadership Columbia County program contact the Chamber at 828-4417.