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Date: June 16, 2004 How does a region nurture and grow new leaders, able and energetic people willing to run organizations, start new businesses, serve on boards and commissions, direct nonprofit organizations, run for selectman and school committee and confront community problems? It's a tall order. And there are troubling signs that the SouthCoast is facing a leadership shortage. Too many of our legislators run unopposed in each election. We lack a strong field of candidates for mayor. Too few of our young people vote, let alone serve in elected positions, on appointed boards or play leadership roles in churches, charities and other community organizations. The good news is that a regional movement is emerging to jump start the community leadership gap with a new crop of leaders each year. The leaders would be drawn from all sectors of a diverse and often fractured community. Leadership SouthCoast is developing a year-long program for emerging leaders. Members of the first class will be chosen from those who apply for this project by June 30. The program starts with a September retreat modeled after successful leadership institutes in more than 200 other American communities. The first class will then meet one working day a month. The sessions will help aspiring leaders make important connections and learn about the way government, the nonprofit sector, the business community and the arts and cultural communities can collaborate to solve community problems. We urge aspiring leaders from throughout our region to apply. The more diverse the first class, the more effective the new crop of leaders will be. There will be some scholarships for leaders whose employers can not afford the tuition. The program is designed to transform highly motivated people into an even stronger network of leaders who can work to improve the overall community. The founders of the program include Mary Lynn D. Lenz, the president and chief executive officer of Slade's Ferry Bank, and James W. Litsey, a lawyer with Partridge, Snow and Hahn of New Bedford. Both founders spent a crucial year of their life as part of another leadership institute in another community. They know how much these programs helped them and they want to share this gift with motivated people in the SouthCoast. For more information about how to apply for the first class, which will run from September 2004 to June 2005, please call Nancy Vanasse at (508) 999-8778 or Dr. Tony Vieira at (508) 999-8744. All applications are due by Wednesday, June 30. <=== back a page / back to top |