Want to learn more about Beaufort County and become a more-effective leader?
Then the upcoming sixth-annual Leadership Beaufort may be just what you are looking for. Registration for the next installment is under way, according to Catherine Glover, executive director of the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber sponsors the program.
The next Leadership Beaufort program begins Feb. 14. There will be two sessions a month until May. Those who complete the program take part in a graduation event at PotashCorp-Aurora in May. The event includes a tour of the large mines near Aurora.
Glover said the chamber hopes to sign up from seven to 10 participants for the upcoming sessions.
The program provides participants with an in-depth look at specific topics of community interest, such as city and county government, education, health resources, nonprofit organizations, law enforcement, the courts and economic diversity of Beaufort County.
Developed by the chamber to ensure a continuing reservoir of leadership talent for the future, Leadership Beaufort consists of a series of one-day sessions designed to inform, challenge and motivate leaders to become involved in supporting and directing the future of Beaufort County.
“Even if they’ve lived here their whole lives or are new to the community, they all say they never knew so much (about the county until they participated in the program) and that they didn’t think they could learn so much about the area. Derik Davis did the program. He basically said, ‘I’ve lived here my whole life and I learned more doing this program. I had no idea how it all operated and how it all worked close together,’” Glover said Monday.
In a column he wrote in February 2012, Davis said, “Even though I was skeptical that I would learn anything new, I decided to make the investment of enrolling in Leadership Beaufort. I am so glad I did. Each and every day of Leadership Beaufort, I learned something new and had opportunities to engage the leaders of our county about the great things happening in our midst everyday and the challenges that lie before us.
“Leadership Beaufort provides participants an opportunity to have a detailed look into the many and varied aspects of what it takes to provide not only the essential services, but also an in-depth look at the nonprofit agencies that make life better for so many.”
Leadership Beaufort participants are exposed to information about county government, city government, the area’s health-care community, nonprofits such as Eagle’s Wings and the Zion Shelter and Kitchen, the Beaufort County Arts Council, the North Carolina Estuarium and public-safety agencies.