Leadership Jefferson

LJ V Graduation Day

2011-08-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a rundown from the Jefferson County Chamber's newsletter about

the various and sundry activities from the graduation of Leadership Jefferson V, which happened a couple of weeks ago:

Leadership Jefferson V concluded the year with a very active day July 17, 2011. The class started their day out at The Outdoor Education Center also known as FLOC (For the Love of Children),

where Todd McKinney and his crew of assistants provided guidance and safety to LJ participants and their families on the High Ropes Course. The Course involved three horizontal challenges and three vertical challenges, which required strength, coordination, determination, and a bit of good ol' fashioned faith to accomplish. The reward was a sense of accomplishment and a trip down the zip-line. Many thanks to Todd for his time and resources and sense of fun and adventure. From there, Andrew Skinner (host of Leadership Jefferson) joined participants and their guests, along with alumni and friends of the program, by attending the CATF production ofAges of the Moon. Tickets to the show for participants were sponsored by Skinner Law Firm , which also sponsored the show for the community at large. Ages of the Moon: Old friends reunite over bourbon on ice to reflect upon the shadows of their lives. Fifty years of love, friendship, and rivalry are put to the test at the barrel of a shotgun in this gritty new play by Pulitzer Prize-winner Sam Shepard. The characters are older and the booze goes down a little harder as Shepard spins a poignant hangdog tale of remorse and regret for two men at the twilight of life's journey into night. Everyone enjoyed the play and then they were off to a great reception atThe Bavarian Inn ! LJ alum David Asam and his folks at The Bavarian Inn hosted a reception/dinner where graduates were recognized and given gifts of wine coolers created by Ren & Pam Parziale of Sycamore Pottery, which has become a tradition of Leadership Jefferson. Dave Miller was recognized for his many contributions to the program from its inception, and he was given a special bottle of Makers Mark whiskey. Special guests included Pete and Jan Dougherty, who have provided a scholarship for the Teacher of the Year of Jefferson County schools to attend the program every year since the inception of the program. Many alumni and their significant others attended and reconnected with their buddies, in addition to making new connections. Alum Jennie Allen, who is President of the Board of CATF was able to persuade the two New York actors from the show to come to the reception and impart their thoughts about CATF, the showAges of the Moon, and how delightful Shepherdstown and Jefferson County are.

Schedule for LJ VI

2011-08-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

The sixth edition of Leadership Jefferson is being finalized right now. Those who would still like to learn about Jefferson County, meet its people, and understand what makes it tick need to get their applications in before August 12, 2011. The new year starts on September 7 and 8 with the overnight and adventurous Opening Retreat. The group will then meet the second Wednesday of every month until June, with the exception of February, when LJ VI will travel to Charleston to try to figure out how things work down there. The dates in February are the 19th through the 21st. Each day LJ meets is a FULL day.

Congrats to Joe Cosentini

2011-08-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

Joe Cosentini -- a graduate of the second Leadership Jefferson class -- was recently named the City Manager of Charles Town. Congratulations to Joe!

Now Accepting Applications

2011-05-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

If you want to be a leader in Jefferson County, now is the time to apply for next year's Leadership Jefferson class, which starts in September and graduates in the summer of 2012. We are looking for 25 people who live or work in the County and want to make it as successful of a community as can be. Go to http://www.jeffersoncountywvchamber.org/leadership/ for an application.

Tourism and Recreation in Jefferson County

2011-05-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

The fifth Leadership Jefferson class just finished the Tourism and Recreation Module. The group visited the Shepherd University Wellness Center, Sam Michaels Park, the Epic Buffet at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Grapes and Grain Gourmet wine shop, Harpers Ferry KOA, and Summit Point Raceway. Endorphins flowed as the participants sped around the track with Summit Point Karts. Competitive juices flowed with basketball, ping-pong, climbing, and bouncing, and then were calmed with some wine to end the day. Many thanks to the team that planned the event, in addition to the speakers, who included Joe Manchin, Ken Lowe, Al Britton, and others. Nelson Parkinson, a graduate of a previous Leadership Jefferson class, also spoke to the group about tourism in the County.

Local Government Module

2010-11-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

Team "Crunchtime" came through in the clutch with a very well-done module on Local Government yesterday. Many thanks to the members Hans Fogel, Tim Boyde, Leslie Cooper, Nicole Saunders-Meske, and Dale Nisbet, who put it all together. Many, many thanks to all the government officials who took the time out of their busy schedules to impart their views on their departments, on impact fees, and on other subjects. An additional thanks to David Hartley, Terry Marcus, and Mark Dyck for their positions on impact fees. Special thanks to Commissioners Dale Manual, Lyn Widmeyer, and Jim Surkamp, and to Mayors Smith and Hamill, and Circuit Clerk Laura Rattenni for sharing their thoughts. An extra thanks to Circuit Clerk Laura Rattenni, the City of Charles Town via City Clerk Joe Cosentini, and Noah Mehrkam, who sponsored this module. Who would have thought impact fees and wastewater could be so interesting?

Excellent Agriculture Module

2010-10-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Yet another great Agriculture Module with Leadership Jefferson. Many great thanks go to Jane Tabb, who put on another great show. Her "Ag 101" presentation was spot on; the tour of the orchards at the WVU Tree Fruit Research Station was interesting; the tour of the Lyle C. Tabb & Sons Farm was both fascinating and inspiring (ingenuity in action); lunch was wonderful; Craig Yohn's talk was informative; the Hough's dairy operation was gorgeous and the work they do is a little intimidating (the view probably wouldn't be that cool at 2:30 am when milking cows for the first time in the day); and the horses at Taylor Mountain Farm were pretty cool. Plus the day was perfect -- warm but not hot; sunny with a few clouds just to add a little interesting backdrop to the sky. It was quite the opposite of last year, when it was rainy and cold. Everyone who was there today greatly appreciates all the hard work Jane Tabb put into the program, not just cooking a delightful meal (Southwestern meatloaf was great), but planning, coordinating, and executing the whole day so that we got to see everything from the milking of the cows to the crushing of the stumps with about the coolest man-toy in the County. It's hard for there to be a better way to start learning the ins and outs of life in Jefferson County than having Jane and Cam Tabb talk about the source of life.

Opening Retreat Winning Poem

2010-09-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

During the Opening Retreat earlier this month, five teams participated in a Scavenger Hunt. One of the tasks was to draft a poem about the Jefferson County Courthouse. The poem is impressive when read by someone with a radio voice:

The first court house was built in 1803

It was really something, a marvel to see.

The first, of a sort, for labor and coal

For a town in Jefferson, it's really the soul.

First used for bondage, then for salvation

After John Brown took a stand for the Nation.

His was not the last treason trial it would see

Two in the end that made history

The Court house will change soon, as the area grows

And how will that change us? Only history knows.

Revised Class V Dates

2010-09-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here are the revised dates for the 2010-11 class of Leadership Jefferson:

September 8-9 Opening Retreat

October 13 Agriculture

November 10 Local Government

December 8 Economic Development

January 11 Poverty in the Panhandle

February 20-22 State Government trip to Charleston

March 9 History and Culture

April 13 Education

May 11 Tourism and Recreation

June 8 Closing Retreat

There is a potential that the Closing Retreat might shift a week later, so be flexible.

New LJ Participants

2010-09-09T18:40:00.001-07:00

Here are the 26 participants in this year's Leadership Jefferson class:
Chris Atkins
Lisa Bowers
Teresa Warnick
Ashley Flanigan
Robert Sell
Joan Timmerman
Martha Mumaw
Paul Taylor
Tim Boyde
Gary Rawlings
Todd Fagan
Todd McKinney
Jeremy Williams
Dee Mara
Lane Donnelly
Nicole Saunders-Meske
Melissa Mallamas
David White
Hans Fogel
Amy McCormick
Leslie Cooper
Debra Mendes
Josh Householder
Jackie Geigel
Amber Kraft
Dale Nisbet

Closing Opening Retreat

2010-09-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

The fifth class of Leadership Jefferson is getting ready to wrap up its Opening Retreat. Many thanks to the folks at FLOC, For Love Of Children, which has its Outdoor Education Center located in the extreme southern tip of Jefferson County. Todd McKinney, Rob Stull and crew were very hospitable -- but it's hard not to be when the setting is as beautiful as FLOC. LJ spent yesterday afternoon and night and this morning staying in the Lodge, exploring the high ropes course, and pondering leadership. The website for the organization where the class stayed is www.flocoutdoors.org. The crew of 26 new LJ participants ate well from various restaurants in the county, including Hannah's Train Depot BBQ in Harpers Ferry, Mediterranean Cafe in Charles Town, and Brother's Pizza in Charles Town. They went rafting with the fine folks at River and Trail Outfitters. It's fair to say that fun was had by all.

American Public University System to become Sponsor

2010-08-30T08:50:00.001-07:00

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

2010-08-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Leadership Jefferson V Schedule

2010-06-14T09:53:00.001-07:00

Here are the dates for the 2010-11 class of Leadership Jefferson:

September 8-9 Opening Retreat
October 13
November 10
December 8
January 11
February 20-22 State Government trip to Charleston
March 9
April 13
May 11
June 8-9 Closing Retreat

I doubt there will be many changes to this schedule; the most likely to change would be the Closing Retreat, which could shift by a couple of days.

Graduation

2010-06-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight we graduated the 26 members of the fourth class of Leadership Jefferson. Their names will be added soon to the list of alumni here on this blog. Impressive bunch -- you're already reading about them in the newspapers, and you will do so for years to come. Thanks to the alumni who came; it's always enjoyable to be with you guys.

The Opening Retreat for LJ V is scheduled for September 8 and 9....

Great Press

2010-05-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Great article today in The Observer. Publisher Thomas Harding accompanied Leadership Jefferson during our Education module in April; the article are his thoughts on the program. I have to say that I agree with his conclusions....

http://www.wvobserver.com/2010/05/leadership-jefferson/

End of the Year

2010-05-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

The fourth class of Leadership Jefferson is nearing the end of the journey on a positive note. Last week, the team responsible for the Tourism and Recreation Module took the class from the back of the house operations at Charles Town Races and Slots, to kart racing at Summit Point Automotive Research Center, to a fabulous Fresh Feast on the Farm lunch at Craftworks' beautiful farm, to an acting workshop at the Center for Creative Arts at Shepherd University with Ed Herendeen and Peggy McKowen at the Contemporary American Theater Festival, ending up at Bavarian Inn. Great day, and many thanks are due, especially to Bill Reichardt, who continues to be extremely generous in showing us Summit Point.

One more module --History and Culture-- in June, followed by the Graduation Banquet on June 10th. All alumni are invited to the Graduation Banquet.

Don't forget the June 25th Leadership Jefferson Alumni trip to CATF to see Eelwax Jesus, after which we'll have dinner and drinks at the Yellow Brick Bank.

We're also recruiting for next year's class, trying to find the best and brightest, the current and future leaders of Jefferson County. If interested, the application is at www.jeffersoncountywvchamber.org

KEEPING ABREAST

2009-09-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

To keep abreast of the important goings-on in Jefferson County and West Virginia, I recommend the following sources:

Local News
The Journal (Daily from Martinsburg: www.journal-news.net)
The Herald Mail (Daily from Hagerstown: www.heraldmail.com)
The Spirit of Jefferson Farmers Advocate (Weekly from Charles Town)
The Observer (Monthly from Shepherdstown: www.theshepherdstownobserver.com)
1340 WEPM Panhandle Live (Weekdays 0900-1000)
740 WRNR Eastern Panhandle Talk (Weekdays 0840-1000)
Open Jefferson (Listserve re Jefferson County: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OJ)
Listener (Listerv re Jefferson County: http://listener.homestead.com)

State News
Charleston Gazette (www.wvgazette.com)
Charleston DailyMail (www.dailymail.com)
State Journal (Weekly from Charleston)
1340 WEPM Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval (Weekdays 1000-1200)
Metronews: The Voice of West Virginia (www.wvmetronews.com)

Email me if you know of others that are important.

Alumni Continue Support of Program

2009-09-30T14:27:00.001-07:00

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.

BCT is Program Sponsor

2009-09-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that the Bank of Charles Town has agreed to serve again as the Program Sponsor of Leadership Jefferson. BCT's generosity and dedication to the community are essential in ensuring that Leadership Jefferson remains one of the top programs of its kind. With funding from BCT, participants in Leadership Jefferson are able to continue to experience what Jefferson County has to offer, from stays at the National Conservation Training Center to visits to PriestField Pastoral Center, from rafting down the Shenandoah to anti-terrorism drivers training at Summit Point Raceway. I want to particularly thank Bob Baronner, President of BCT, for his understanding of the value of LJ. His understanding is proven not only by the sponsorship of the program, but also by sending his best and brightest through the ten-month long educational process.

LJ IV Survives Opening Retreat

2009-09-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

The fourth class of Leadership Jefferson completed its Opening Retreat over the past two days (Sep 17 and 18). The participants started off at the Quality Inn at Harpers Ferry, where they took a look at what leadership means and learned the names and backgrounds of fellow participants. The group then went white water rafting with River and Trail Outfitters. It was a cool and damp day, but the participants managed to make the most of the situation. Following the trip -- which involved very low water on the Shenandoah River, not to mention plenty of swallows, egrets, cormorants, great blue herons, and a couple of bald eagles -- the participants traveled to the National Conservation Training Center, where they had a great meal and then used the examples of the raft guides to discuss leadership skills. After enjoying the nice bar at the Commons at NCTC, the class stayed at one of the lodges at the facility. In case you are wondering, NCTC is top notch.

On Friday morning, the participants took a tour of NCTC and participated as the live audience for a filming of a Fish and Wildlife television show. After the tour, the group spent more time getting to know one another using the Origins Game, where folks told their life stories using maps of the world, US, and West Virginia. Immediately thereafter, the teams were given instructions on the Scavenger Hunt, scarfed down a lunch, and took off to discover the county. The Scavenger Hunt traditionally brings out the most competitive part of everybody, and this year was no exception.

The scavenger hunt ended with a riddle that took everybody to Priest Field Pastoral Center -- well, almost everybody. Not every team was able to solve the riddle. The bottom line is that a good time was had by all, and participants began their journey of learning all about Jefferson County.

Leadership Jefferson Sponsorships

2009-09-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest signs of strength of Leadership Jefferson is that so many alumni are big financial supporters of the program. Already this year, the Jefferson County Agricultural Task Force -- through the support of LJ I alums Kellie Boles and Jane Tabb -- has agreed to sponsor the Agriculture Module to be held in October -- for the third time. What's more, Kellie and Jane will run the Ag Module, which is always fascinating to one and all alike.

Also, LJ I alum Noah Mehrkam of Arcland Group is going to sponsor the Land Use/Environment Module to be held in April. This will be the third time Noah has agreed to sponsor this module. Hopefully, we'll get to visit the new green building that he's working on with American Public University Systems. This building will be the APUS Academic Center, which will be located in the Charles Town/Ranson Commerce Corridor.

Thanks to Kellie, Jane, and Noah for their generosity and hard work on behalf of Jefferson County.

LJ Schedule for 2009-10

2009-09-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Leadership Jefferson consists of ten different modules, one per month. The cadre of Leadership Jefferson will plan five of the modules. The participants will be divided into teams of 5 or 6, who will plan the remaining five modules. Teams will bid on which modules they want to take on. Here's the schedule:

•Organized by LJ
–Opening Retreat Sep 17-18
–Agriculture Oct 14
–Economic Development Nov 11
–Social Issues Jan 13 (Joint with Leadership Berkeley)
–State Government Feb 21-23

•Organized by Participants
–Local Government Dec 9
–Education Mar 10
–Land Use/Environment Apr 14
–Tourism and Recreation May 12
–History and Culture Jun 9

Russ Sobel to Speak to LJ Again

2009-08-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

Leadership Jefferson is pleased to announce that Russ Sobel, an economics professor at West Virginia University and one of the most outspoken seekers of reform of West Virginia's economic systems, will be speaking at the Economic Development module of Leadership Jefferson to be held on Wednesday, November 11, 2009. All past classes of Leadership Jefferson are invited to attend, as are local policymakers and sponsors. Dr. Sobel will talk about his new book, The Rule of Law: Perspectives on Legal and Judicial Reform in West Virginia. Local accountant and economic development promoter Eric Lewis and local mortgage broker and creative class promoter Peter Corum have generously agreed to provide copies of the new book to members of this year's class. Many thanks to Eric and Peter, who also provided copies of Dr. Sobel's book Unleashing Capitalism: Why Prosperity Stops at the West Virginia Border and How to Fix It to the second class of Leadership Jefferson.

Leadership Jefferson IV Class Accepted

2009-08-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

On August 3, 2009, Leadership Jefferson sent invitations to the applicants who will make up the fourth class of Leadership Jefferson. Based upon their applications and their reputations, this will be another outstanding bunch of leaders in Jefferson County. Several new organizations have supported their own leaders to be class members, including Jefferson County government. The list of names will be forthcoming shortly. The class begins on September 17 and 18 with an Opening Retreat.

LJ Trip to CATF Play

2009-07-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Alumni of LJ and spouses will be attending the Contemporary American Theater Festival show "Yankee Tavern" at 8:00 p.m. on July 30. Arrangements for a pre-show dinner are being worked out. Check out CATF's website: www.catf.org.

Recruiting for LJ Class of 2009-10

2009-07-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

Leadership Jefferson, a program of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, will begin with an Opening Retreat on September 17 and 18, 2009. Leadership Jefferson will then meet on the second Wednesday of every month thereafter until June 2010, with the exception of February, when the group will travel to Charleston, West Virginia, on February 21 through 23rd, 2010.

Applications are being accepted for the next couple of weeks. You can get the application from the Chamber's website: http://www.jeffersoncountywvchamber.org/leadership/index.html