LWC members practiced short speeches that were evaluated by fellow class members.

Cold, snowy weather did not deter Leadership Whitley County participants from enjoying their January session focusing on practical public speaking.   Held at Parkview Whitley Hospital, the session involved LWC alumni working with class members on practical public speaking, easing fears and understanding personalities via an entertaining and enlightening animal personality exercise.     Carrie Hoffman of the Parkview Whitley Foundation and Brian More of Micropulse, two polar opposite personality styles, provided an entertaining and informative segment on animal personalities.   Seasoned public speaker Jim Landrum of  Star Financial Bank followed with a dynamic overview of tips and personal speaking experiences.    Shawn Ellis, Executive Director of BABE and Sherry Sausaman, founder of the Whitley County Domestic Violence Task Force, worked with class members on a self-confidence exercise that proved challenging and enlightening.   Jennifer Romano offered valuable tips on working the media.  Following a review of feedback suggestions, participants broke into small groups and practiced short speeches which were evaluated by fellow team members.    As an introduction to public speaking, the session began with a motivating presentation by Columbia City High School FFA members on parliamentary procedure.    The students then answered a diverse variety of questions from the class relating to their leadership experiences, agriculture, their future plans and perceptions of the Whitley County Community.    The combination of the alumni facilitators and the outstanding presentation by the Columbia City High School FFA provided a rewarding session for class members.

The support of local business, industry and organizations is key to the success of Leadership Whitley County.  Sponsors for the eleventh year of Leadership Whitley County include:  Micropulse, Inc., J & J Insurance, The Benton and Thelma Bloom Fund,  Old Settler’s Day Association, the Dekko Foundation and over 60 LWC alumni.  This support, financial and/or in-kind, serves as a key to success for offering quality programs that compose the core of Leadership Whitley County.

The February session of Leadership Whitley County will be held at the South Whitley Library   and focus on the current and popular topic of Emotional Intelligence.  For more information on participating in the next class of Leadership Whitley County, supporting the program, or having an informational presentation made to your business or organization, contact Kelley Sheiss, Program Director at info@leadershipwc.org.

The Columbia City High School FFA Parliamentary Procedure team received high marks from LWC class members regarding their impressive demonstration

LWC alum and Executive Director of BABE details the important programs the organization offers Whitley County's youngest residents.

The December session of Leadership Whitley County convened at the media center of Whitko High School in South Whitley.  The morning kicked off with an informative awareness session featuring a panel of local non-profit organizations.  Panel members included:  Shawn Ellis of Beds and Britches, Etc., Gene Donaghy, board member for Junior Achievement of Whitley County, Lindsay Best of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Cara Greulich of Whitley County YMCA and Katherine MacAulay of the Red Cross of Northeast Indiana.  Each panel member had the opportunity to provide an overview of their organization, detail its benefits to the community, and highlight areas for possible volunteer involvement.   LWC class members then had the opportunity to ask questions of the panel members.

The main topic for the day was “Teamwork and Servant Leadership,” facilitated by trainers from the uLEAD program in North Webster.  Lively activities were incorporated throughout the session, many of which focused on communication as a critical tool of teamwork.   In addition, the Proxemics Relational Space Theory was presented along with defining servant leadership versus self-serving leadership.    Class members worked on growing trust and opening the lines of communication in order to enhance teamwork in their personal, professional and community activities.

Carrie Meyer (left) of Taylor University and Kristi Maloney (right) of The Oaks prepare for a sword finger duel as part of a teamwork exercise that kept class members moving!

Class members participated in an exercise that required no verbal communication, testing their patience but also enhancing their understanding of working together for a common goal.

Friday, September 2, 2011 – 8 – 9 a.m. at BrewHa, Columbia City

Friday, October 7

Friday, November 4

Friday, December 9 (please note this is one week later than normal)

Tuesday, September 13   6 – 8 p.m.   CC Deli, Columbia City

 Retreat:  

Thursday, September 22  Noon to 5 p.m. Peabody Library, Columbia City  

Friday, September 23  8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Peabody Library, Columbia City

 Session Dates:

October:  10/20   8 a.m to 1:30 p.m.  

November:  11/17 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  

December:  12/15 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

January:  1/19  8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  

February:  2/16 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  

March:  3/15  8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.    

Celebration:

Thursday, April 19, 2011   6 – 8:30 p.m.   Eagles Nest Event Center

Leadership Whitley County alumni and guests gathered at Big G's in Columbia City for the March edition of First Friday Networking. Eagle Tech Director Brady Mullett provided an update on the project-based learning facility slated to open at the start of the 2011-2012 school year. In addition to fielding questions from those in attendance, Mullett shared his enthusiasm for the cutting-edge educational initiative offered to students in the Whitley County Consolidated School System. FFN is a monthly gathering of Leadership Whitley County alumni, providing an opportunity for networking and information sharing.

 Prior to the main program, school board members representing the county’s three school corporations engaged with the class in a town-hall style format regarding the many challenges as well as opportunities facing each of their respective corporations.   One LWC class participant stated “I learned a great deal from the school board panel. It was helpful to gain a better insight into how processes are handled. The panel has given me a greater knowledge base to make more informed decisions and have a more informed opinion!” while another class member offered the following; “I was so amazed at what I learned. Very eye opening. I really want to go to a school board meeting and be more involved now.” Each Leadership Whitley County session incorporates an awareness segment featuring local information pertinent to our community or the class. Representatives on the panel were Jorell Tucker, LWC alumni and board member of Whitko School Corporation; Don Armstrong, Whitley County Consolidated School Board of Trustees; Mike Sturgis, Smith-Green Community School Corporation.

 Mike Stone of Impact Strategies and Lee Ray of Tuthill Corporation in Fort Wayne facilitated the main session focusing on conflict management and effective facilitation.  Class members participated in interactive discussion focusing on effective group behavior, facilitation roles and conflict management.    Participants used real-life examples to explore the role of conflict in our lives, and how it can ultimately provide a win-win situation provided there is compromise and consensus.   Ray, HR Director at Tuthill Corporation in Fort Wayne, overviewed the Trickster’s Triangle and Radical Responsibility, skills the class 10 members found to be quite useful.  One LWC participant stated “I found the practical application materials to be valuable! The trickster’s triangle can be a great tool to utilize with employees.” 

 The support of local business, industry and organizations is key to the success of Leadership Whitley County.  Sponsors for the tenth year of Leadership Whitley County include:  Micropulse, Inc., Century Link, NIPSCO, Old Settler’s Day Association, Ag Plus, Esther Smith Personal Finance, J & J Insurance, Steel Dynamics, Inc., Pro Fed Credit Union, Schrader Real Estate and Auction, Crossroads Bank, J & K Communications, www.talkofthetownwc.com and LWC Alumni:  Scott Darley, Betty Graves, Mark Green, June Keiser, September McConnell, John Slavich, Esther Smith, Jeff Walker, Melinda Woll, Jacie Worrick.  This support, financial and/or in-kind, serves as a key to success for offering quality programs that compose the core of Leadership Whitley County. 

 The final session for Class 10 of Leadership Whitley County will be on March 17 at Five Star Distributing and focus on personal mission.  A celebration graduation is planned in April at the Eagles Nest Event Center.   Planning and recruiting for the next class of Leadership Whitley County is currently underway.  For more information on participating in the 2011/12 class, supporting the program, or having an informational presentation made to your business or organization regarding Leadership Whitley County, click on the email address on the “contact us” section of this website.

Mike Dear (left) of the Columbia City Water Department, Dani Tippmann (center) of the Whitley County Historical Museum and Greg Kaminski (right) participate in a perceptions exercise.

C & A Tool in Churubusco served as gracious hosts for the November session of Leadership Whitley County.  The session focused on Diversity and Inclusion, facilitated by Merrily Hamp of LaGrange.   A tour of the C & A Tool facilities by LWC alums Todd Rehrer and Sean Oldfather concluded the day.