by Zoe Hanrahan

Inspiration struck Casey Hollins, the managing director at Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, after attending a leadership program in another community. Hollins, who also serves on the board for both the Louisa Chamber of Commerce and the Louisa Forward Foundation, felt the citizens and businesses of Louisa County deserved a similar opportunity, and Leadership Louisa was born.

“Louisa is my home, and I was inspired to help launch this program in my own community,” Hollins said. “I feel it is so important for leaders here in Louisa to have a program dedicated to developing the skills they need to flourish in their careers while also helping to strengthen the business community, enhance awareness of the organizations serving our community, and connecting these leaders through experiences they may not have had otherwise.”

With the assistance of the Louisa County Chamber of Commerce, the InnerWill Leadership Institute, and aid from a wide variety of local businesses and organizations, Hollins was able to craft the program she dreamed of.

Since its creation, Leadership Louisa has strived to serve the Louisa County community as a professional development program that encourages students to gain skills and form connections needed to become leaders capable of addressing community needs. Leadership Louisa is funded by sponsors, grants, and participant tuition. Anyone living or working inside Louisa County or otherwise working to serve the Louisa community is welcome to apply to take part in the course.

“Whether entry-level employee or business owner, all are welcome to participate and learn,” explained Tracy Hale Clark, executive director of the Louisa County Chamber of Commerce and the Louisa Forward Foundation. “The varied backgrounds and demographics allow for healthy discussion and growth among the cohort.”

However, even if county citizens are interested in attending the sessions, participating in the program is not as simple as just signing up. Prospective students must complete an application that opens in the fall and pay a $25 registration fee.

In addition to describing their past work experiences and achievements, the applicants answer a series of questions detailing why they should be selected and what they are passionate about doing for the community in Louisa County.

Becoming a strong leader is not an overnight process. Due to the time commitment needed from those involved in the program, hopeful candidates are also required to have a letter of recommendation and support from their employer.

After paying the fee, submitting the application, and turning in the letter of recommendation, a volunteer committee examines the applications to ensure they meet the set criteria. The committee then makes a final decision about who will get to join the year’s Leadership Louisa class.

The 2023 class had an onsite tour at Bio-Cat, a local biotech facility, during one of their six sessions (photo submitted by Tracey Clark).

In its first year, the program hosted nine students from nine different organizations and businesses. In 2023, it nearly doubled in size; that cohort consisted of 16 students from 14 different companies and organizations.

Accepted participants attend and participate in sessions crafted by Leadership Louisa using resources from InnerWill Leadership Institute.

The lessons in the program emphasize values-based leadership. Values-based leadership is a unique form of leadership that focuses on inspiring people by connecting an organization’s goals to the person’s own core values. Connecting work to personal values creates passionate leaders who inspire others around them, encouraging everyone to perform at their highest potential.

The program consists of six sessions in total that are spread out over a six-month timeframe between January and June. Though the program’s directors understand emergencies arise, if students miss more than one session, they are not eligible to graduate from the program.

These six sessions are devised from a curriculum provided by the InnerWill Leadership Institute and focus on improving leadership skills. They are also designed to help participants learn about the area, form awareness of the ongoings of the community, gain exposure to various local organizations and businesses, and meet community leaders and decision-makers.

The program expects participants to do more than simply attend sessions. Students spend additional time working to complete a Community Action Project. The Community Action Project provides an opportunity for students to learn leadership lessons in a hands-on way while also producing potential solutions for problems faced by organizations in the area.

“When the program first started, we opted to have the class focus on one problem – workforce development,” Hollins recalled. “It is a challenging issue and presented a lot of challenges for the teams to overcome.”

According to Clark, they are still working to procure funding to implement the proposals the first-year program participants created around workforce development.

The Community Action Project changed slightly from 2022 to 2023. Instead of working towards developing solutions for a single issue such as workforce development, students worked on teams to find ways meet unique challenges faced by nonprofit organizations they were assigned to.

Three teams were built from the 16 students involved in the 2023 Leadership Louisa program. A personality assessment taken at the beginning of the program helped organizers ensure a variety of personalities were represented on each of the teams.

“We intentionally pair people with different personality types so they can overcome the challenges of working with diverse groups of people,” Hollins said. “Teams met with the nonprofit organizations, learned about the needs, and decided as a team how to move forward and what the focus of their project would be.”

The nonprofits the teams worked with included Adult Community Education, which provides learning opportunities for Louisa County adults, Giving Words Inc., which helps single mothers deal with crisis events, and The Journey Home, which provides transitional housing and practical education for those in need.

Once the teams created potential solutions for problems the nonprofits were facing, they presented these solutions in a style similar to Shark Tank.

The presentations occurred during the program’s final session. This year the panel of judges for the Community Action Project presentations included Donald Lowe, sheriff of Louisa County; Janice Shepard, director of human services for Louisa County; and Terrie Suit, CEO of Virginia Realtors.

“The Community Action Project allows participants to sharpen their skills in public speaking and presentation, but more than that, throughout the course of several months, allows them to apply the lessons they’ve learned to real-life experience trying to analyze a problem and propose a possible solution,” Hollins explained.

These second-year projects had a direct impact from the moment the students graduated. One team was able to donate a vehicle to Giving Words, a second provided money to The Journey Home, and two members from a third team signed up to be mentors for Adult Community Education. The relationships between the groups and the nonprofits should also continue in the future as they work to implement their recommended projects.

After attending the sessions and finishing their Community Action Projects, students graduate from the program at the end of the final session. The 2023 graduation took place at Callie Opie’s Orchard on June 8.

“Upon completion of the program, they receive a wealth of knowledge and skills they may not have had before,” Hollins emphasized. “They are presented with a certificate of completion as well as other gifts to help them continue their leadership journey.”

Rebecca Burtram is the marketing and communications administrator for Hantzmon Wiebel. She completed the program in 2022 and served as her class’s representative. After she finished, she continued her involvement with the program, working as the program chair during Leadership Louisa’s second year.

When speaking about the benefits of completing the program, Burtram was very positive. “The relationships formed with other local business professionals during the program had the greatest impact on me personally,” she said.

Not only does the program benefit those that attend and the organizations directly involved, but it also benefits Louisa County as a whole.

“Leadership Louisa has made a significant impact in connecting business, community, and county leadership,” Clark explained. “With each cohort, we are creating more informed, engaged, and potential leaders for the future of our community.”

Burtram also sees the meaningful impact the program can have on Louisa County. “The program benefits Louisa by strengthening the pipeline of leaders and creating deeper connections among business professionals within the community,” she said.

While it may be hard to see the long-lasting effects of a program that has only been running for two years, Leadership Louisa’s organizers see a bright future for the program and look forward to the potential opportunities and benefits it can provide for those in Louisa County.

“We are so pleased with the participants’ enthusiasm about the program, as well as the local businesses and organizations who have become involved as sponsors, hosts, and speakers,” Hollins explained. “There is a lot of momentum from throughout the community that we believe will help the program continue to grow and be successful in developing strong leaders.”

In the future, according to Clark, Leadership Louisa aims to increase its financial support, provide scholarships for those who wish to partake in the program, and include students from more diverse industries.