With more than 200 alumni and friends in attendance at Thursday’s Opening Reception, Class XXIX Chair Steve Bissonette (Class IX, City of Lakeland) introduced the members of Leadership Lakeland Class XXIX.

Congratulations to the following members:

David M. Brown, SunTrust Bank

Brian Charles Carroll, Southeastern University

Lesley Verplanck Chambers, Harrison School for the Arts

James R. Chastain, III, Chastain-Skillman, Inc.

Eugene Conrad III, C.M., Lakeland Linder Regional Airport

Timothy Benjamin Darby, Darby Law Group, P.A.

Celeste M. Deardorff, City of Lakeland

Dr. Edward Andrew Fazekas, Foot and Ankle Associates

Kathryn S. Haines, Lanier Upshaw, Inc.

Paula Higgins, Lakeland Regional Medical Center Foundation

Douglas B. Johnston, Saddle Creek Corporation

Jennifer Kincart Jonsson, A-C-T Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc.

Adil Kahn, Clark & Daughtrey Medical Group, P.A.

Calvin Knight, Ledger Media Group

Michelle B. Ledford, Madden

Bradley T. Lunz, Lunz Prebor Fowler Architects

Maggie McKeel Mariucci, University of South Florida Polytechnic

Daniel Medina, Medina Law Group, P.A.

Marijo Lynn O’Dell, Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida

Gabrielle O’Toole, Koala Outdoor

Samantha A. Parker Hopkins, Junior League of Greater Lakeland, Inc.

Michael A. Riskin, CPS Investment Advisors

Palemeschia Rivers Powell, Polk Museum of Art

Angelia Rossiter, Watson Clinic, LLP

Mandy Elizabeth Sanders, LarsonAllen, LLP

Jeffrey Dale Stephens, Publix Super Markets, Inc.

Sozon Costa Vatikiotis, Miller, Crosby & Miller, P.A.

John Kyle Vreeland, Saunders Ralston Dantzler Realty

Stacy Williams, Achievement Academy

William Brian Yates, CenterState Bank

Together, these class members will complete a rigorous schedule of monthly day-sessions from October through May. Each session features hands-on experiences that engage class members in all aspects of Lakeland and Polk County’s community.

Leadership Lakeland is an annual program designed to identify leadership and enhance existing leadership in our community. The program unites leaders from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to improve their ability to lead effectively, offering its members a broad range of experiences and insights about the community, its people, its needs and its services.

Now is the time!  ‘The time for what?’ you ask.   It’s time to nominate someone for Leadership Lakeland’s next class.

Nominations will be accepted until Friday, April 9^th, but don’t wait until the last minute! Look around.  Who should you nominate for Leadership Lakeland?  Who in your sphere of influence has demonstrated their commitment to making Lakeland a better place to live and work? These are the types of people who Leadership Lakeland is looking for.  Maybe that person is YOU!

We welcome all nominations.

Step 1.  There is no limit to the number of people you can nominate.   You can find the nomination form on the Chamber’s website AND it was the centerfold of the March edition of the Forum for Business Monthly.

Step 2:  All those nominated (and only those nominated) will be invited to apply.  All applications are reviewed and selection for the next class is announced in July.  The dates for the next Leadership year are posted on the nomination form.

The Leadership Lakeland program has been around for 27 years!   The credibility of the program rests with those who have participated in it.    Read what a few class members have to say about their experience:

Xuchitl Coso, Florida Southern College:   “ I have only been in Lakeland for two and a half years and I am so impressed with this community and the involved individuals who make it their business to give back.  Every Leadership Lakeland Day is an eye opener filled with information and dedicated individuals who are the fabric of this excellent place we call ‘home’.”

Fred Koehler, Smart Creative:   “If your goal is to build a lasting career in the city of Lakeland through professional excellence and community involvement, there’s no better place to get plugged in than Leadership Lakeland.  You’ll be stretched and challenged in many new ways, learn more than you thought was possible, and exit the program a better citizen and a better person.”

Naomi Tillett, Keith and Schnars:    “By becoming a part of Leadership Lakeland, I have been awakened to the many amazing, talented, eclectic people that have the same passion and desire I have in making sure Lakeland continues to be a place that thrives in high family values, business partnering opportunities now and for the years to come.”

Rick Abbatiello, Publix: “In an age of instant ‘this’ and microwave ready to eat ‘that’, DSL and Blackberries, Leadership Lakeland offers you a rare, high speed dose of exposure and information on issues and people you only heard about…..maybe.    Great for us time-starved members of the community.”

Danita Frier, Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center:  “The ‘behind the scenes’ view of the operations of Lakeland is truly invaluable.  Not only is it just plain interesting but it has really helped me do a better job because I have more resources.  During the year that I was in Leadership Lakeland, I looked forward to every day that we were together.  I made 30 friends and feel like I could call on any one of them for help….that’s something you can’t put a price tag on!”

Did you know that Leadership Lakeland is accepting nominations for the next class?  The Leadership Lakeland program has been in existence for 26 years through the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce.

Why would anyone invest their time and energy in such a program?   Why would any company pay for their employees to participate in such a program?  The people who can give you the best answers to those questions are the graduates themselves. 

One graduate I spoke to at this year’s Tiger BBQ, Fred Lopez (Allen & Company), said that it was the best thing he has ever done.   He added that the deep meaningful relationships that he shares with his classmates is something he doesn’t think he could have achieved anywhere else….particularly the diverse friends that he met through his class.  

So, what does building meaningful relationships with a diverse group of people have to do with leadership, you might ask.     I answer:  Everything.   

At the foundation of leadership is trust.  The less trust that exists, the less leadership is effective.  When leadership is not effective, productivity suffers.   That’s what happens in the workplace, in the community, and in every other group you could list – including family.

Another graduate, Jim Rhodes (Publix), told me that until he went through the program, he THOUGHT he was knowledgeable about the community  because he had grown up in Lakeland.   It was after he graduated that he realized that he was wrong.  It was after the program that he became fully connected to the community and became involved at a level that is exhausting to even list.   He says that the Leadership Lakeland experience changed his life.  He is a volunteer – extraordinaire!

Shawn McDonough (Exity Realty Lakeland), a current class member, told me last week that any day that is not a Leadership Lakeland day is boring by contrast,  and he is already dreading the end of the year and graduation.  

Last week I met with a representative from a company who has locations in 3 areas of Florida – one of them is in Lakeland at Lakeside Village.   We talked about ‘sense of community’.   It is palpable in Lakeland and it is not in the other cities she has store fronts.

Many of us experience that ‘sense of community’ and I believe that the Leadership Lakeland program has contributed to that community spirit.   That’s what Leadership Lakeland is all about – bringing 30 people together – people of diverse backgrounds – people who have already demonstrated a commitment to Lakeland – to spend a year together.  During the year they learn more about themselves, their classmates an the community.   

At the end of the year, they are more connected and engaged in sustaining Lakeland as a Community of Choice.   They take the experiences and the knowledge they acquired through the year and apply it throughout their entire sphere of influence.   And just to extend the experience, the Leadership Lakeland Alumni Association is available to broaden the circle even wider.

This is important:  

Step 1:   The nomination form, additional information can be found here. The deadline for receiving nominations is April 9.  You can nominate anyone – even yourself.   Nomination forms will also be available in the March issue of the Chamber’s newsletter.

Step 2:  All who are nominated are sent application instructions.   The selection process is completed by the end of June.   The dates for the next class are posted on the nomination form and the website and our attendance requirements are very firm.

The selection of 30 class members is strategic.  We want to be able to maximize the experience and develop an esprit de corps among the class members.

Below please find the Presentation Information from City of Lakeland Day Below:

• City Manager Presentation
• City of Lakeland FY2009 Budget
• Lakeland Electric Strategic Planning Update
• Chief of Police Presentation
• LPD Fact Sheet

On Thursday August 14, Leadership Lakeland Class 26 was introduced to LL Alumni and guests. Stacy Campbell-Domineck, Polk Works, will serve as chair of this year’s class and Art Erickson, Florida Lifestyle Communities will serve as Chair-Elect. Congratulations to the following class members:

• Christopher Asbill, Lanier Upshaw, Inc.
• Kandis Baker-Buford, Polk County Board of County Commissioners
• Sarah Case, JSK Consulting, Inc.
• Kay Cochran, Marriott Vacation Club International
• William Crowe, QMI/ITW
• Jerome Ferson, The Ledger Publishing Company
• Danita Frier, Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center
• Dr. Tarek Garas, Watson Clinic LLP
• Timothy Harris, School Board of Polk County
• Ernie Ivey, Polk Community College
• Frederick John Koehler, II, Smart Creative
• Kelly Lane, Boys & Girls Clubs of Lakeland & Mulberry
• Michael LaPan, The Lakeland Center
• Gregory Madden, Madden
• Dan McBride, Victory Church
• Shawn McDonough, EXIT Realty of Lakeland
• Michael Micallef, Community Southern Bank
• Laura Newlin, Clark, Campbell & Mawhinney, P.A.
• Cory Petcoff, Baron Realty, Inc.
• James David Robinson, DSM Technology Consultants
• Linda Skillern, Crowe Chizek & Company LLC
• Jacquelyn Small, Polk Works
• Michael Smith, Publix Super Markets, Inc.
• Monti Sommer, AMI Lakeland
• Anne Sullivan, The NCT Group CPA’s, LLP
• Tracey Tedder, Florida Southern College
• Naomi Tillett, Keith and Schnars, P.A.
• Jennifer Vaughn, Bank of Central Florida