NOW TAKING APPLICATIONS FOR THE LEADERSHIP NORTHWEST CLASS OF 2014
Leadership Application Form
This will mark the 20th Year of our Leadership Program!
Please download, complete and submit applications no later than June 28, 2013.
Leadership Northwest Class Embarks on a Journey
The 2012-2013 Leadership Northwest Class has set sail on their course. This year’s class kicked the program off with a day of team building at the Lake Overholser Boathouse. Team members began to cultivate relationships at their September Meeting as they took on the dragon boat challenge. The class will meet once a month through March 2013. Each month the group will focus on a different aspect of leadership. In April the team will choose a community service project that they will implement, and in May they will celebrate their graduation.
The 2012-2013 Leadership Northwest Class:
- Monique Jackson, Oklahoma Fidelity Bank
- Michael Taylor, Oklahoma County Commissioner’s Office
- Andy Harrison, Allegiance Credit Union
- Kevin Richardson, Southwestern Christian University
- Luis Aita, First Bethany Bank
- Katie King, Southern Nazarene University
- Liz Haralson, Coppermark Bank
Leadership Northwest
A Northwest Chamber Program
Leadership Northwest is a program developed by The Northwest Chamber and coordinated with an Advisory Board of graduates of the program. Since its inception in the early 1990′s, more than 120 people have participated in the program. Leadership Northwest helps participants learn about the cultural, social and economic forces that impact business and the community and encourages its graduates to get involved
One of the primary goals of the program is to inform, motivate and better prepare its graduates to then take on leadership roles in service to the community. From September to May, the Leadership Class attends monthly sessions focusing on education, public safety, economic development, health care, government and non-profit organizations to gain an awareness of the challenges and opportunities that exist in this community, as well as to discuss and develop potential solutions.
Each Leadership Class creates a special service project in service to the community. One past year’s class remodeled a shelter room for the Oklahoma City YWCA’s Domestic Violence Shelter. The shelter is a temporary safe haven for women and children escaping dangerous situations and provides encouragement and hope towards a transition to a positive future. Another class worked with a local elementary school with a high enrollment of at-risk kids to hold a bingo night and raise money, bringing together students, parents and the community while raising $5,000.
This year’s class is coordinating an effort to Make Over the Chamber Office by updating flooring, paint, displays and well worn furnishings to make the space more attractive, inviting and usable for visitors and members. They anticipate a budget of $10,000 – $12,000 and are accepting donations — both financial and in-kind toward the project.
A graduation celebration is held each year in May upon completion of the program to recognize and honor the graduates of the year’s Leadership Class.
Leadership Northwest Class of 2012
Marla Mercer Cole – Mercer Adams Funeral Service
Kai Gerkey – Deaconess Hospital
Arlita Harris - SNU Library + Bethany Improvement Foundation
Todd Krout – First Bethany Bank & Trust
Nancy Morgan - The Morgan Real Estate Group
Chris Reed – Coppermark Bank
Natalie Waggoner – TeamLogicIT
Leadership Northwest Class of 2011
Denton Blevins – Francis Tuttle Technology Center – Organizational Development
Janet Lee Connel – First Bethany Bank & Trust -Senior Vice President & Cashier
Mike Crandall - Sandler Training Oklahoma – Owner
Marcia Doom - First Bethany Bank & Trust – Associate Vice President
David Gordon - Vatterott College – OKC Campus Director
Lynn Johnson - Putnam City Schools – Hilldale Elementary Principal
Mary Jones - Southern Nazarene University – Provost
Michelle Keylon - Francis Tuttle Technology Center – Asst. Superintendent of Instruction
Kathy Larsen - Bethany City Council
Jill McCartney - Northwest Chamber – President/CEO
Ted Withrow - State Farm Insurance – Owner/Agent
