Leadership Ashland

Leadership Ashland is a program of the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce.  It is housed in the Chamber office at 10 w. 2nd St., Ashland, Ohio, 44805.  The Executive Director of Leadership Ashland is Pamela Mowry.   The telephone number for Leadership Ashland is (419) 281-4584, ext. 1007.

The mission of Leadership Ashland is to increase the quantity and quality of leaders in Ashland County  by enhancing leadership skills,discovering community assets,and creating opportunities for service.

Leadership Ashland is designed to:

1. Identify existing and emerging community leaders
2. Acquaint participants with community needs and issues
3. Broaden participants’ understanding of the processes by which decisions are made in Ashland County
4. Prepare participants to make a positive impact on community organizations’ decision-making

The Leadership Ashland Program identifies emerging and existing community leaders and strives to acquaint them with issues that are central to Ashland County and to increase their understanding of how decisions are made in the community. Community members are invited to request application forms for themselves or to nominate other community members for the program. Applicants are then interviewed and selected on the basis of current leadership ability, exceptional motivation and commitment, and willingness to serve the community.

Classes are scheduled monthly from September through June beginning with a fall retreat, during which the class participants decide on issues and topics of interest to be studied during their Leadership Ashland experience. Also during the retreat, each class member selects a Community Board Internship site. They are required to attend three board meetings of their selected board/council and be prepared to share their experience with the class.

Following the retreat, Leadership Ashland participants attend eight monthly workday sessions. These sessions include a tour of Ashland County; six “topic” sessions planned by a team of class participants and focusing on a community topic such as business and industry, culture and recreation, education, government, or health and social services; and a final wrap-up session in June followed by a graduation. Each class also includes a leadership skills development unit.

Founded in 1990, Leadership Ashland has over 250 graduates. Nominations are accepted in the spring with class selection completed by August.