FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Last week, a group of emerging leaders marked the end of one journey and the launch of another, as the 46-member Leadership Fort Wayne Class of 2018 celebrated its graduation from the program. The graduation ceremony, part of Greater Fort Wayne Inc.’s Annual Meeting on June 13, serves as the beginning of the group’s commitment to servant leadership and community trusteeship.
Now in its 36th year, Leadership Fort Wayne (LFW) has a strong track record of bolstering talent and developing Allen County’s future leaders. LFW is a signature program of Greater Fort Wayne Inc. that has trained, prepared, and inspired more than 1,300 participants to serve Fort Wayne and Allen County. Participants are accepted into the prestigious program based on the merits of their application, and experience nine full program days over the course of eight months. Community leaders make presentations that promote servant leadership, sharing their professional experience as well as their individual leadership styles. Programming is focused around various community topics including history, education, government, arts and culture, health services, human services, and public safety.
With an eye toward becoming better leaders, class members shadow community leaders one-on-one, learning their own leadership style in an apprenticeship-style setting. Class members are also given the opportunity to participate in a board internship at the conclusion of the program year. Fifty percent of the Class of 2018 will take part in this long-standing tradition, while the remaining class members have reported that they’re already serving on several boards or committees.
The LFW Class of 2018 is a diverse cross-section of the community, representing a variety of professions, faiths, races, and orientations. Graduating members include:
| Jennifer Bermejo Matilda Jane Clothing | Melissa Blackmer Meridian Health Services | Mallory Carter Monarch Capital Management |
| Susan Chipps J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. | John Court ONI Risk Partners | Stephanie Crandall City of Fort Wayne |
| Teresa DeLellis Manchester University | Scott Druhot Catalyst 1440 | Scott Drummond 122nd Fighter Wing |
| Ronald Duchovic Turnstone | James Ezell Targeted Services, P.C. | Kerry Ghent US Air Force |
| Cami Grabill Manpower | Vincent Green | Jana Grothaus Questa Education Foundation |
| Cigdem Gurgur Purdue University Fort Wayne | Laura Hakes Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority | Erika Halliwill PNC |
| Jason Haner NIPSCO | Brent Harring Fort Wayne TinCaps | Tammy Harris Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company |
| Stephanie Henry Pocket Potager – Sponsored by LeAnn White | Casey Keirn Lincoln Financial Group | Chrystal Kreiger MutualBank |
| Kathryn Lemish Lincoln Financial Group | Justin Libey Old National Bank | Camilla Markley Wells Fargo Bank |
| Beth McAvoy One Lucky Guitar | Cory Miller Afdent | CJ Mills USI Insurance Services |
| Justin Molitoris Barrett McNagny | Amanda Muldoon 3Rivers FCU | Emily Musser Ambassador Enterprises |
| Brian Nordan Afdent | Wade Owen Sweetwater | Marceline Rogers Parkview Health |
| Matthew Rowan University of Saint Francis | Katie Scherer Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority | Mary Shankster Junior League of Fort Wayne |
| Kurt Short Michelin NA | Anne Marie Smrchek City Utilities | Jami Thomas Greater Fort Wayne Inc. |
| Alisa Thompson Purdue University Fort Wayne | Adrienne Wampole Ambassador Enterprises | Teresa White Ronald McDonald House Charities of NE Indiana |
| Jarrod Wilson Indiana Michigan Power |
A significant part of the program experience is the Community Action Team each participant joins. The Class of 2018 created seven teams focused on areas like quality of life, non-profit service, and diversity and inclusion. While not every project is completed before graduation, each team is responsible for the planning and deployment of their project. This often includes fundraising, marketing, and building collaborative relationships with individuals or organizations already present in the community.
The Community Action Teams launched by this class include:
- Welcome Fort Wayne – Develop neighborhood branding in order to highlight the distinguishing features and personality of the communities that make Fort Wayne an attractive place to live, work and play.
- Giving Back Fort Wayne Volunteer Fair – For the fourth year in a row, a team hosted the Giving Back Fort Wayne Volunteer Fair, featuring more than 60 nonprofit partners seeking volunteers.
- Be G.R.E.A.T. – Through a series of meetings and experiences, selected youth had the opportunity to connect with career-minded professionals, mentors, and area programs to learn about future career opportunities available to them in Allen County.
- Veterans Connect – Recognizing the need to direct more veterans to resources available to them, the team raised funds, then launched a media campaign on Memorial Day weekend promoting United Way’s 2-1-1 call center as a resource for veterans.
- Adopt a Park – Wanting to get their hands dirty and support our community, the team worked with Allen County Parks to clean up Cook’s Landing, a park in the northern part of Allen County.
- LFW Alumni Legacy Fund – A targeted effort to ask LFW alumni to support the Leadership Fort Wayne Endowment at the Community Foundation, for the purposes of funding scholarships and financially supporting future Community Action Team projects.
- Us Together – Continuing the mission of last year’s team, the ‘Us Together’ project team partnered with the YWCA to host an issue forum on Civic Engagement. The team also hosted a panel discussion about diversity in the workplace.
Applications to become part of the next LFW class are now available at LFWApp.GFWInc.com. Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2018.
About Leadership Fort Wayne
Since 1983, LFW has been building better leaders, developing skills that prepare them to support the growth and economic goals of the community and be better employees. They learn and grow together for eight months, going ‘behind the headlines’ for the real story behind Fort Wayne’s most valued treasures. Participants work in Community Action Teams, raising funds and creating partnerships to implement projects. In 2015, Operation: Riverfront spread awareness about possibilities for the rivers, the Giving Back Fort Wayne volunteer expo introduced citizens to nonprofits, and the city’s first Bike Share program launched in April 2016 with the City of Fort Wayne.
About Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
Greater Fort Wayne (GFW) Inc. serves Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana, as its metro chamber alliance and primary point of contact for economic growth. GFW Inc. focuses on prosperity and community vibrancy through economic development, advocacy, programs and resources that support business success, leadership development, graduate retention and community engagement.
