APPLICATIONS FOR 2012-13 CLASS ARE AVAILABLE STARTING MONDAY APRIL 16, 2012
Click Here to Download the Application | Applications are due by May 16, 2012
Attention Leadership Lexington Alums: Help Us Stay Connected to You
The Leadership Lexington Alumni Association is ramping up! In order to make this association a success, we need all alums to send in any updated contact information. If you are a graduate of Leadership Lexington, please send your updated information via e-mail to Dawn Pope.
About the Program:
MISSION: Leadership Lexington is a leadership development program sponsored by Commerce Lexington Inc. and directed toward individuals who demonstrate leadership qualities. The program gives participants the opportunity to better understand our city and to prepare for the challenges it faces by meeting with and learning from today’s leaders. Leadership Lexington is an educational opportunity that broadens perspectives and allows participants to gain increased understanding of community dynamics and public issues.
ELIGIBILITY: Residents in the Lexington area are eligible to apply for Leadership Lexington. Applicants must be employed by firms that are active members of the Commerce Lexington, unless the employer is a charitable organization. Community volunteers may also apply. Applications are available mid April and must be received by the established deadline in mid-May.
STRUCTURE: Leadership Lexington is an eleven-month program involving an Orientation in August and a full-day meeting each month from September until June. A get acquainted reception is held before the overnight Orientation retreat. The Orientation retreat is mandatory. Classes meet in different locations around the area each month with a major program topic covered by knowledgeable speakers and panels, tours, demonstrations and class discussions. Topics addressed include government, media, growth and preservation, education, public safety, economic and workforce development, arts and quality of life, diversity, health and human services and leadership development. Leadership Lexington requires a strict time commitment. Class members must attend a minimum of 80 percent of all sessions to graduate from the program. At the end of the Leadership Lexington year, a graduation is held in recognition of the class.
COST: A $25.00 application fee is due when submitted. The tuition fee for Leadership Lexington is $1,300, which covers all costs for orientation lodging, meals, materials, supplies and supplemental transportation throughout the year. The fee may be paid by the participant or their business firm or organization and must be received at least one week before orientation in August. If full payment is difficult to make in that time frame, a monthly payment option concluding at the end of December is available. A limited number of need-based partial scholarships are available, with special consideration given to representatives of non-profit organizations, small/independent businesspersons and community volunteers.
BENEFITS:
Leadership Lexington allows participants to:
-> Broaden their perspectives and understanding
-> Meet local and state leaders
-> Develop and expand network of contacts
-> Visit local sites and facilities
-> Gain exposure to current issues and developments
-> Build friendships and working relationships with class members
For more information about the Leadership Lexington program, contact Amy Carrington at (859) 226-1610.
LEADERSHIP LEXINGTON ALUMNI | LEADERSHIP LEXINGTON PROJECTS
2011-12 Class Presented By
BRONZE SPONSORS:
Central Baptist Hospital
Frost Brown Todd LLC
Kentucky Utilities Co. - A PPL Company
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc.
TravelHost of the Bluegrass
Leadership Lexington Class Gets Overview of Local Government & Media
Article by Chris Crumrine, University of Kentucky
“The value of information in a democratic society cannot be overstated,” began Lexington Herald-Leader President, Rufus Friday, on Leadership Lexington’s recent Government and Media Day. In its first year as a combined venture, the day’s agenda offered an insightful peak into the careful balance of power and information across our public sector and the 24-hour news cycle.
The morning was replete with community and regional leaders of the print media, each sharing their opinion on the current state of media and how best Lexington leaders might navigate their cause, business, or agency to the front page of the Features section.
However, the more thought provoking discussion of the morning session was an expose on the current challenges faced by print media in an era of “creative destruction,” as explained by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism, and Kentucky political news legend, Al Cross. “There are as many readers as there have ever been, they’re just consuming information in a different way,” all that remains is for traditional news sources to meet the growing demand for online consumption through a profitable business model.
During lunch, Tyler Campbell, Vice President of Public Policy for Commerce Lexington, waded through misconceptions surrounding a political lobbyist’s work; sharing that the job is really more about education through fact than subjugation through fiction.
Before departing to WKYT for an afternoon listening to local news hero Bill Bryant and learning the finer techniques of operating a green screen, participants received a taste of how our local government works. Councilman Kevin Stinnett pulled the curtain back on local government exposing the challenges of our system’s most fundamental form of government – your local official. He shared the realities faced by the LFUCG as they open debate on the proposed budget, address our city’s pension problem, and move forward on urban renewal initiatives.
Newly elected Secretary of State, Alison Lundergan Grimes shared her story and the important lessons she learned after a well-fought campaign and election as the only female Constitutional Officer in Frankfort. Chief among those lessons is that, “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
Her message was an appropriate transition to the “Getting the Word Out” panel, where representatives from various media outlets and public relations practitioners added to an earlier discussion and shared their tips on promoting any cause or agency.
Rounding out the first-ever government and media day was a discussion with recovering politician and former Secretary of Finance, Jonathan Miller. A social media maven and advocate for civil discourse in our political machinations, Miller tied the day together with a look toward to future of both. Overall, it was a successful experiment in melding the fourth estate with the world of professional politics.
Leadership Lexington Class Explores Local Education Opportunities
Article by Christy Lewis, Dinsmore
Education is the “bedrock of economic development.” It is important for the community to “be educated about education.” These early morning sentiments, set out by Dr. Tom Shelton, Superintendent of Fayette County Schools, captured the essence of Education Day for the 2011-2012 Leadership Lexington class.
The day began at Locust Trace Agriscience Farm, which is an expansion of the technical programs available to Fayette County high school students. Locust Trace is a self-sustaining, net-zero energy use facility. At this 82-acre site, students can participate in five different programs involving agricultural business and farm management. The facility combines typical classroom learning with “hands-on” opportunities such as enviroscience labs, greenhouses, and an equine/barn area that houses livestock and boasts an arena. Locust Trace also includes a public non-profit veterinary clinic where students can intern, watch surgeries and ask real time questions via live video feed.
To set the stage for the unique educational opportunities available in Fayette County, two SCAPA students gave remarkable vocal and violin performances. Afterward, the morning session consisted of presentations from a private school representative as well as individuals from the following areas of the Fayette County Public School System: Budget, Facilities & Transportation, Community and Family Involvement, Testing/Student Achievement, AgriScience Facility and Technical Programs, and Magnet, Gifted and ESL programs.
Our experience graduated to lunch at the University of Kentucky Hilary J. Boone Center. There, we engaged in a panel discussion with individuals from the three college-level institutions in Fayette County: UK, Transylvania University and Bluegrass Community and Technical College. The discussion outlined the importance of higher education to a progressive community as well as the increasing financial challenges associated with providing it, both for the students and the institutions.
It seemed fitting that Education Day conclude at the Joe Craft Center – a facility made possible primarily by the generosity of Joe Craft - an individual educated in Kentucky. The Craft Center houses the UK Athletics administration as well as a state- of-the-art practice and training facility for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Overall, the day afforded an occasion for dialogue about both the opportunities and challenges that exist in our educational system today. Whether public or private, elementary or post-secondary, these educators and leaders consistently demonstrated a commitment to an environment that encourages community investment in the education of its members.
About the Leadership Lexington Program