Emerging Leaders graduates second class

Submitted by mblack on Thu, 12/01/2022 - 09:48
The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce celebrated its second class of Emerging Leaders in November.
 
The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce believes that at our community’s core, the ultimate catalyst for growth is the ability to identify, engage, and empower the right people for leadership. We must take an aggressive approach to developing the human capital required to move our region forward. As a part of our mission to provide great leadership training, Emerging Leaders was created, an in-depth mentorship experience that pairs proven leaders with emerging leaders.
 
The experience equips emerging leaders with the opportunity to interact with legacy leaders to learn the intangible skills that transformational leaders display.

"One of the key successes to any community is leadership. Throughout the years, Jonesboro and the surrounding region have been home to exceptional leaders focused on making our communities the best that they could be," said Michael Givens, Chair of the Jonesboro Emerging Leaders Program. "As I have thought back over the years, I can still hear the resounding words of, “It’s a great day to be in Jonesboro!” The fact is that we have an exceptional community, and the future focus is based upon making it even greater in the years to come. As we think about the future, one of the key aspects of economic development is to ensure that there is professional development for our up and coming leaders. How do we, as a community, invest in our leaders and mentor them in both leadership and community service? As we looked to answer this question, our team at the chamber was extremely impressed with some programs at other chambers within the United States that were focused on developing up and coming leaders within their communities through a dedicated mentorship program."

Emerging Leaders provides training and mentorship with specific meetings focused on leadership strengths, emtional intelligence, inclusive workplaces, executive presence and influence, and change leadership. 

Thirteen professionals completed the program and graduated on November 17, 2022. Individuals include:

Nathan Anthony, Nabholz Construction

Allison McDaniel, Signature Bank

Ashley Hufstedler, St. Bernards Medical Center

Dr. Shane Smith, Dr. Shane Smith DDS PA

Julie Adamson, St. Bernards Medical Center

Justin Martin, Embassy Suites Red Wolf Convention Center

Seth Clevenger, Centennial Bank

Starla Wallace, Craighead County Solid Waste Disposal

Taylor Heinen, Simmons Investment Services

Amy Goodwin, Trinity Lighting

Carolina Elmore, El Centro Hispano

Abbey Meurer, Arkansas Continued Care Hospital

Brittany Wilson, Arkansas Continued Care Hospital

The Chamber wants to give a special thanks to our sponsors for this program including Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, Arkansas State University Delta Center for Economic Development, St. Bernards Healthcare, First Community Bank, El Centro Hispano, Nabholz, and Embassy Suites. 

If you're interested in participating in the 2023 Emerging Leaders program, email cslater@jonesborochamber.com.