The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership St. Johns Class of 2019 has completed its year-long program and graduated 24 participants, from several sectors of industry, commerce and public service.
The leadership development program was started in 2001 and has more than 300 alumni including the former St. Johns County School District Superintendent of Schools and current Flagler College President Joseph G. Joyner; the current St. Johns County School District Superintendent of Schools Tim Forson; Flagler Health+ President and CEO Jason Barrett; local entrepreneur and St. Augustine Distillery co-founder CEO Phillip McDaniel; St. Johns County School District Board Representative and Vice-Chair Beverly Slough; and City of St. Augustine City Manager John Regan.
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, members of the class of 2019 will 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,” said Porter. “Additionally, strong connections established among class members are invaluable throughout one’s career and beyond.”
The Chamber will begin to accept applications for the new program year in mid-July. 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 onsite tours providing an in-depth overview of the challenges and opportunities faced by St. Johns County’s industries, government agencies and nonprofits.
Class members who successfully graduate from the program are accepted into the prestigious ranks of leadership alumni in St. Johns County and across Florida, and many LSJ graduates have been accepted into the state-wide Leadership Florida program. For additional information and to register when nominations are open, visit https://www.sjcchamber.com/leadership-st.-johns.
The graduates of the Leadership St. Johns Class of 2019 are: Lenny Byrd, Century 21 - St. Augustine Properties; Ashley Folladori, Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach; Francesco Manfredi, Flagler Health+; Lori Brandel, VyStar Credit Union; Nicole Pece, Betty Griffin Center; Barry Fox, City of St. Augustine Police Department; Catherine Hutchins, St. Johns County School District; George Waters, Gwanda; Lex Taylor, Douglas and Hedstrom PA; Mark Allen, All Florida Safety Institute; Paige Durrett, Northrop Grumman; Greg Huntington, Advanced Disposal; Emily Harrison, St. Johns County School District; Wayne Gordon, Gordon Family Chiropractor; Ian Edmonson, Edmonson & Associates; Jack Hall, St. Johns River State College; Julia Turner, AmerisBank; Elena Laguardia, Flagler Health+, Flagler Health Care Foundation; Dameon Church, Reunion Bank of North Florida; Jenny Harvey, United Way of St. Johns County; Michael Roberson, St. Johns County Government; Kyle Gammon, Carr, Riggs & Ingram (CPA); Matt Cline, St. Johns Sheriff’s Office; and Laura Stevenson Dumas, Flagler College.
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 potential 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,” said Renault.
The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit business membership organization. The Chamber is the second largest business networking organization in northeast Florida. The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce strives to deliver continuous value-added service to its members and the community, resulting in a business environment and quality of life where existing businesses have the opportunity to prosper, and new companies find it attractive to locate in St. Johns County. The Chamber strengthens business credibility, improves business visibility, amplifies business advocacy and drives prosperity in the community. For more information about the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, visit www.sjcchamber.com.
