Chamber announces Leadership Mason County class.

Chamber announces Leadership Mason County class.

PERE MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP — A full class of area professionals has been selected to take part in Leadership Mason County, a new program designed to improve leadership skills and gain a deeper understanding of the community.

The participants chosen by the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors are: MIke Wegenar, UACJ-Whitehall Industries; Jim Virden, West Shore Bank; Tom Hinman, Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce/West Shore Community College; Patti Skinner, Mason County District Library; Kelly Smith, Pere Marquette Township; Julie VanDyke, Cottage Works; Dean Raven, Smith & Eddy Insurance; Kyle Gurzynski, Safe Harbor Credit Union; Steve Winczewski, Greenridge Realty; Laurel Sawyer, MHPP Sable Point Family Care; Casey Lakari, Erin Doan State Farm Insurance; Melissa Allen, Manpower; Mitchell Foster, City of Ludington; and Jessica Keith, West Shore Community College.

“We are so excited to have these local professionals step forward, who want to take the lead in improving the Mason County community, “ said Brandy Miller, president/CEO of the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce. “We hope the program will be beneficial, both personally and professionally.”

The Chamber of Commerce is rolling out Leadership Mason County this fall, beginning with a team-building retreat at Barothy Lodge in Branch in October. 

Goals of the program are to equip local professionals with the tools they need to identify dynamics/systems of the local community and strategically plan ways to implement change. Other goals include:

• Enhancing leadership styles and techniques.
• Developing personal leadership skills in order to maximize contributions to employers, organizations and the community.
• Giving potential leaders an opportunity to meet present leaders, associate in a meaningful way with their peers, and become motivated to greater involvement.
• Creating an ongoing forum for participants to gather and exchange ideas.

Leadership Mason County professionals will meet once per month for interactive training sessions. They will also visit various locations throughout the county and address topics in local government, health care, education and the economy, just to name a few. Participants will also collaborate to complete a selected community project.

Community organizations throughout Mason County have the opportunity to submit applications to be considered for the 2019-2020 Leadership Program’s Community Project. The deadline for applications is September 30. To submit an idea, visit the Chamber’s website, www.ludington.org/leadership-mason-county/.