Alumni Continue Support of Program

Leadership Jefferson today received word of more sponsorships from alumni of the program. Laura Rattenni, who is a graduate of the second class of Leadership Jefferson, is pairing together with Joe Cosentini, also a graduate of the second class, to sponsor the Local Government Module to be held in December. Laura is the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Jefferson County and is personally sponsoring the module. Joe is Clerk of the City of Charles Town, which is providing the sponsorship funds. It's heartening to see the communication and cooperation between government officials of the County and its municipalities.

Nelson Parkinson, who is the general manager of the Holiday Inn Express of Charles Town -- which Nelson will point out is located in Ranson -- informed Leadership Jefferson that a group of which he is a member will sponsor the Economic Development Module to be held in November. That group is the Charles Town chapter of the Referral Network Exchange, or RNE. Moreover, Nelson has agreed to allow Leadership Jefferson to use its meeting room for the talk by Russ Sobel, economics professor and editor of the book The Rule of Law: Perspectives on Judicial and Legal Reform in West Virginia. Nelson is a graduate of the third class of Leadership Jefferson.

These sponsorships of $400 per module help make the program into a first class affair. The graduates of the LJ program and the community at large have been great supporters of the program, and their financial assistance is greatly appreciated.