American Public University System to become Sponsor

Leadership Jefferson is thrilled to announce that American Public University System is a program sponsor for this year's program. Program sponsorship constitutes a significant financial contribution to allow the program to maintain its high level of quality. More importantly, program sponsorship means a vote of confidence in the program and in Jefferson County. Over the last two years, APUS has sent high quality representatives through the program, who have obviously reported back to their institution that Leadership Jefferson is worth the investment of time and money.

APUS is a respected higher learning organization known for its distinctive strengths in providing superior and relevant distance learning programs to its learners. There are over 70,000 learners in all 50 states and over 100 countries. And it's located in downtown Charles Town, where, in addition to offices in fourteen other buildings, APUS is building a brand new addition, an academic center on North George Street.

LJ is very appreciative of APUS' support and sponsorship.

Opening Retreat

The clock is ticking, and the Opening Retreat for the fifth Leadership Jefferson starts in just over a week. I've been consulting with experienced scavenger hunt veterans and have improved this year's scavenger hunt to be even more fun and more competitive than years past. I'm confident that participation in the scavenger hunt will meet the educational objectives of familiarizing students with areas of the County most are not familiar with, building a team, planning, and fostering leadership skills, such as influencing peers to follow your vision.

Alumni Mixer November 10

An alumni mixer is scheduled for the evening of November 10th. Meet the 25 new LJ participants, reconnect with your fellow classmates, or form new relationships with other LJ alumni. Details to follow.

New Participants

25 of Jefferson County's current and future leaders were informed today that they will be members of the fifth Leadership Jefferson class. Beginning with an Opening Retreat in September, the group will meet monthly through June 2011 to learn about our community. There are folks from small businesses, large businesses, local government, federal government, non-profits, banking, law, education, etc. It ought to be a good group.

Next Class Closing

The fifth class of Leadership Jefferson will be finalized soon. If you're going to apply, now is the time. No more applications will be accepted after Friday, August 13th. Go to the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce website for an application, fill it out, and get it to Heather Morgan at the Chamber office. The class is shaping up to be quite good.

New Graduates Listed

The twenty-six newest graduates of the Leadership Jefferson program are now listed on this blog, in the column to the right. If you are looking for potential board members, political candidates, managers, partners, or other leaders here in Jefferson County, look no further than this list. They've each been through the ten-month long program that shows the ins and outs of living and working in Jefferson County, West Virginia.

We are still looking to round out the next group of future graduates for the fifth class of Leadership Jefferson. Applications must be returned to the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce office no later than August 15, 2010. The Opening Retreat will be held September 8 and 9.