The mission of LEAD Wiregrass is to build a stronger community by developing leaders who effectively serve and unify the Wiregrass region. We provide a diverse group of emerging community leaders with opportunities to enhance their community knowledge, civic network, and leadership skills.
LEAD Wiregrass is a 9-month interactive program that offers current and future leaders an opportunity to develop leadership skills and apply them in the community. Participants complete a community project with their county member team. Formed by Wiregrass RC&D and supported by the Alabama Electric Cooperatives, LEAD Wiregrass’s executive committee oversees the program and recommends enhancements.
Program Structure
The Program is a combination of classroom instruction, community needs assessment, community project implementation, and field trips. Each session has a specific community focus. We will improve the Wiregrass Region by educating participants about the importance of these topics and providing the tools to empower change in the communities we serve. Each session contains personal leadership development training and workshops, like grant writing workshops, personal leadership style assessments, and more. Samples of individual session topics are outlined below.
2-Day Opening Retreat
Community and Economic Development
Agriculture
Public Safety
Education
Agriculture
Government (2-day trip to Montgomery) & Graduation
How Participants Benefit
- Enhanced leadership skills, including collaboration, cultural competency and communication skills. Build rapport and network among people with different views and with limitless opportunities to network with class members alumni.
- Learning to identify and develop leadership resources within our community, to further the objectives of the program:
Stimulate the interest and awareness of the program participants and encourage a team approach to solving community problems. This approach gives participants the knowledge that responsible and responsive leadership is created through the efforts citizens who often have differences of opinions and diverse views. - Improve participants’ understanding of their individual roles as well as the diversity of leadership styles and skills required in solving complex community problems
- Develop and expand the participants’ capacity to communicate and interact with another, community leaders and fellow citizens and to form a network of cooperative community involvement.
LEAD Wiregrass seeks participants from all sectors of the community: agriculture, education, business, law, medicine, neighborhoods, social service, the arts, government, religion, and more.
Participation is open to all races, nationalities, ages, and genders.