Nominations are now being accepted for the 2021 class of St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership St. Johns Program (LSJ). This nine-month program selects participants from all sectors of industry, commerce and public service across St. Johns County.
The LSJ program, which began in 2001, has over 400 alumni, including Flagler College President Joseph Joyner, Superintendent of Schools Tim Forson, Flagler Health + CEO Jason Barrett, local entrepreneur and St. Augustine Distillery founding partner Phillip McDaniel, St. Johns County Commissioner Jeremiah Blocker and St. Augustine Fire Chief Carlos Aviles among many other notable graduates.
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,” said Porter. “Additionally, strong connections established among class members are invaluable throughout one’s career and beyond.”
The Chamber is currently accepting applications for the new program year and the deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24. The application and additional information can be found at: www.sjcchamber.com/leadership-st.-johns.
The program runs from January through September 2021.
Class members must 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 many industries, government agencies and non-profits. The course will begin with a one-and-a-half-day retreat and eight full class days concluding with an evening graduation. Class members who successfully graduate from the program are accepted into the prestigious ranks of leadership alumni in St. Johns County and across Florida. Many LSJ graduates have gone on to the statewide Leadership Florida program.
Isabelle Renault, the Chamber’s president/CEO and a graduate of Leadership St. Johns and Leadership Florida, suggested 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.”
