How does the city government work? How does the county government work? What does the Beaufort County jail look like? What efforts are being made to enhance area tourism?

The answers are available through Leadership Beaufort, a series of daylong seminars and excursions to meet the people who have the knowledge.

From Washington City Hall to PotashCorp-Aurora, participants in the program get an in-depth look at how the city and county operate, and make connections with community leaders.

“They learn about how the community works and how everything works together,” said Catherine Glover, executive director of the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce.

Glover said the program draws a variety of people, from those born and raised in Beaufort County to businesses that sponsor employees newly arrived to the area. According to Glover, the 8-week program — consisting of eight daylong sessions — is a building block for those seeking local leadership roles.

“We need leaders in the community, but we need leaders who are educated as to how the community actually works,” Glover explained. “(Leadership Beaufort) gives background. For any community, it’s great to have educated leaders. That’s why Beaufort and many, many chambers across the nation have leadership programs.”

Derik Davis, who works with Paul Funeral Home, and is active in local politics, has high praise for Leadership Beaufort. Davis said he thought he knew all there was to know about Beaufort County, but through Leadership Beaufort, he learned differently.

“I can tell you, having grown up in Beaufort County and being a native, I had always prided myself on the knowledge I had of the infrastructure of the county … I went in skeptical,” he laughed. “But I learned something each week. I was amazed at what I learned.”

Davis said the format allowed participants to have a real dialogue with people in the community and to see the various interests making things happen—economic development, county government, health care, higher education.

“It was more than, ‘Let’s go see a school.’ It was a morning sitting down with the superintendent of Beaufort County Schools,” he said. “It’s an in-depth look at Beaufort County and what makes it a wonderful to live and also what makes it a challenging place to live — and how we’re facing those challenges.”

Leadership Beaufort begins Feb. 13 and will meet every other Thursday. The cost for the program is $400, with sponsorships and scholarships available. Lunches and transportation are provided.

“We feed them and we transport them,” Glover said. “We’ll pick up food for working lunches — we don’t usually have much time to waste.”

For more information about Leadership Beaufort or to sign up for the program, call Catherine Glover at 252-946-9168.