Nominations are now being accepted for the 2018-2019 class of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership St. Johns (LSJ) program.
This year-long program selects participants from all sectors of industry, commerce and public service. The leadership development program, which was started in 2001, has over 300 alumni, including the former superintendent of schools and current Flagler College President Dr. Joseph Joyner, the current Superintendent of Schools Tim Forson, Flagler Hospital CEO Jason Barrett, local entrepreneur and St. Augustine Distillery founding partner Philip McDaniel, District 1 School Board Representative Beverly Slough, Sheriff David Shoar and St. Augustine City Manager John Regan. Many LSJ graduates have been accepted into the statewide Leadership Florida program.
The Leadership St. Johns Program was established to educate, connect and encourage elite and emerging professionals as they strive to make a positive impact on the local economy and community. According to Bob Porter, the Chamber’s LSJ program director, LSJ graduates continue to be mentored by program alumni who maintain and promote a positive difference in the region.
“The program provides a way to recognize talented individuals who will benefit from the experience and who can utilize the opportunity to advance their organizational and personal professional goals,” Porter said. “Additionally, strong connections established among class members are invaluable throughout one’s career and beyond.”
The deadline to apply is Tuesday, Sept. 4 by 5 p.m. The application and additional information can be found at https://sjcchamber.com/LSJ.The applicants will be notified of their status by the end of September. The program runs from October through the following June. Class members need to be committed to meeting one day each month to experience a full day of policy briefings and on-site tours providing an in-depth overview of the challenges and opportunities faced by St. Johns County’s many industries, government agencies and nonprofits.
Isabelle Renault, the Chamber’s president/CEO and a graduate of Leadership St. Johns and Leadership Florida, suggested that involvement in LSJ can be a stepping stone to participating in nonprofit and volunteer government advisory boards as well as involvement in future elected office.
“We also want our class members to consider using the skills honed through the LSJ experience to engage actively in the governing of St. Johns County,” Renault said.
