Community members are once again invited to participate in a special training conference sponsored by the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and Richmond Community College.
Leadership Richmond, a program designed to develop and enhance the leadership skills of Richmond County residents, was established in 1991 and is now accepting applications for the 2013 year.
“We usually have about 20 to 30 people that participate,” said Kristie Long, executive assistant of the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce. “It teaches people about the county and how to be a leader.”
Long, who participated in the program when she first began working with the Chamber, said she really enjoyed each session and was able to meet several lifelong friends throughout the six-month period.
“The group meets twice a month,” Long said. “Speakers will come in on some days, and then (the group will) take a lot of tours of the county. They do team building exercises out at the Big Pine, they learn customer service and diversity and they learn public policy where they go to City Hall and the police departments and the courthouse. There’s personality testing, they learn about social media, take health care tours — they learn all kinds of things about being leaders.”
Members will attend 10 sessions along with an orientation beginning on Jan. 15, 2013, and will attend a graduation ceremony as the final step.
“(Participants) can actually get CE credit through the state,” Long added.
Will Carpenter, a Financial Center Leader at BB&T of Rockingham, is a recent graduate of the Leadership Richmond program.
“I was new to the Rockingham area last year and Leadership Richmond gave me the ability to really get out and see the entire county and what it has to offer,” Carpenter said. “I was also able to meet some residents here as well as other new folks and form some friendships with those people, as well as be introduced to some of the industries that are here.
“I had a really good time and I definitely would recommend it to anyone who has never gone through it, even if they’ve lived here a long time. We had some folks that grew up here and weren’t aware of the things going on, so it’s well worth your time to go through the program.”
Those interested in attending the 2013 sessions can pick up an application form at the Chamber, or email Kristie Long at kristie@richmondcountychamber.com.
— Staff Writer Mallory Brown can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at mallorybrown@heartlandpublications.com.
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