Leadership Columbia County Seeks Class Participants

Hudson , NY – The 2007-08 Leadership Columbia County class is winding down on its nine-month program with only two sessions left. The Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for the 2008-09 class.  Click here for a Leadership Columbia County application.

“A county, just like a business, can't operate without people willing to step forward and take leadership roles. The Leadership program helps develop leaders and identifies places where they may want to put their leadership skills to work,” noted Chamber Chairman John Maiuri.

Leadership Columbia County has been doing just that for 17 years. The program was originally started by a collective of county organizations and is now run by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce.

Each year, all employers in Columbia County are notified about Leadership Columbia County . They can submit candidates for the year-long program, which provides leadership training and a behind-the-scenes look at the county. Businesses nominate middle management or other interested employees, who are interviewed to determine if they are the right fit. Program fees are paid by employers, with a few sponsors offering financial assistance.

Larger county businesses like Taconic Farms, Inc., First Niagara Bank, Kinderhook Bank and Columbia Memorial Hospital usually send applicants every year, but smaller businesses and sole proprietors participate as well.

The following is a recap of the 2007-08 Leadership program year. The program kicked off in September 2007 with a two-day retreat facilitated by noted leadership trainer and group facilitator Harriet Rifkin. After the two-day opening retreat, the 18 participants of the new Leadership Columbia County planned to meet one full day a month from October through May. The program offers a close up look at key aspects of Columbia County as well as leadership skills training from experts.

In October the participants went on an agriculture and business tour of the county, narrated by David Rifenburgh of First Pioneer Farm Credit and Todd Erling of Hudson Valley Agri-Business Development Corp. The tour was followed by a panel that talked about planning and zoning, and the difficulties in trying to balance rural landscape with growth. Speakers Sean Nolan of Pace University Land Use Institute, Todd Erling of the Columbia Hudson Partnership, and Roland Vosburgh of the Columbia County Planning Board, advised using collaboration and consensus building when a potentially unpopular or contentious zoning issue rears its head. The day concluded with a tour of Chatham village given by Kathy Stumph, owner of Welcome Home on Main Street in Chatham . Stumph spoke about how businesses plan to cope with the impending road construction project next spring. Columbia Land Conservancy Executive Director Peter Paden also spoke about the Land Conservancy's challenges.

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 were all featured to provide a picture of the resources in the county. Most of these sessions not only took 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 were brought in to talk about motivation, time and stress management, projecting a professional presence, and management theory. The November session featured Dr. Mark Hillman, an international trainer, author, lecturer, and psychotherapist who specializes in personal and executive coaching, corporate training and organizational development. He has been featured on Nancy Grace, Bloom & Politan Open Court, The O'Reilly Factor, Court TV to name a few.

The program also featured a leadership session that focused on Creating a Life Balance with Katy Drake of Unique Training Solutions. Diane Brooks lead the February session focusing on Leadership and Motivation Workshop – Ten Traps to Avoid. Diana's expertise is interaction at work: how we work with colleagues and customers to lead, manage, resolve problems, and build teams. She is author of numerous articles on communication at work and is active in her community and profession. The class will participate in an Advanced Leadership Training session with Harriet Rifkin of Rifkin Associates in April that will help participants take away practical information on how they can continue their own personal leadership growth.

Then, in the final session the class will put their leadership skills they have acquired to use and will participate in a community project, working for a day at Camp Sundown in Craryville. Camp Sundown is part of the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Society, Inc., which is for children with sensitivity to the sun and can only be out at night. The class will work on inside and outside projects at the camp to help them prepare to open for the summer season.

The program will conclude with a graduation on June 4, 2008 where class participants and their employers are invited to celebrate the success of the program.

Leadership Columbia County is supported by many local businesses throughout the year. The Columbia Hudson Partnership and Taconic Farms are Lead Sponsors of the program for 2007-08. A. Colarusso & Son, Inc. and Crawford & Associates Engineering, PC are Program Sponsors for 2007-08. Session sponsors included: Columbia-Greene Community College, Columbia Memorial Hospital, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia County, Sickler, Torchia, Allen & Churchill, CPAs, PC, Sneeringer Monahan Provost Redgrave Title Agency, Taconic Farms, Inc., and Questar III Educational Center.

The program costs $850 and participants are nominated by their employer, who gains an employee with new leadership skills as well as savvy about the county in return for the tuition support and the time off from work.

The application deadline for the competitive process is June 20. Participants are notified August 1 with the opening retreat slated for September 18-19. Monthly sessions are the third Thursday of the month, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., concluding with a graduation dinner in June.

For more information or an application, call the Chamber of Commerce at 828-4417 or visit www.columbiachamber-ny.com.

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, with its 850 members, is the leading voice of business in Columbia County , providing advocacy, promotional and benefit solutions for its members. Those seeking more information concerning the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and membership can contact the Chamber at (518) 828-4417 or visit the website at www.columbiachamber-ny.com.