Leadership Fort Wayne Class of 2011

Robert Adams, Director of Security & Safety — Ivy Tech Community College

Peter Adams, AVP Branch Manager — PNC

 Michael Altendorf, VP of Information Technology — Do It Best Corp

Adam Arnold, Principal — Capital Strategies Group

 John Burda, Sr Business Banking Relationship Manager — Wells Fargo Bank

 Jeffrey Clark. Software Center Manager — Raytheon

 Angela Dane, Human Resources Director — YWCA

Patrick Dooley, VP Airport Development — Ft Wayne-Allen Cty Economic Dvlpt Alliance

 Carl Drummond, Dean, College of Arts & Scienes — IPFW

Lisa Freeman, Principle Consultant — Progressive Concepts Consulting

Ryan Gallagher, Director of Major Gifts — United Way of Allen County

Grant Goeglein, Financial Advisor — Northwestern Mutual Financial Network

Roberta Golani, Executive Director — Martin Luther King Montessori School

Rae Gonterman, Executive Director — Parkview Cancer Center

 Jeffrey Hunsinger, General Manager — Fort Wayne Philharmonic

 Lori Keys, Executive Director — Aboite New Trails

Patricia Leslie, Pediatric Nursing Coordinator — Neighborhood Health Clinics

Ashley McArdle, Asst. Director of Career Services — IPFW

Michael McCaffrey, Asst. Director of Athletics — University of Saint Francis

Steven McDaniel, Superintendent of Parks — City of Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Dept.

Carrie Meyer, Director of Online Learning — Taylor University

David Michael, Project Manager — Michael Kinder and Sons, Inc.

Shelly Miller, Chief Operating/Nursing Officer — The Orthopaedic Hospital/LHN

Irma Moeller, Interpreter/Translator — East Allen County Schools

Brian Mylrea, Director of International Student Services — IPFW

Kevin Noll, First VP, Senior Investment Officer –Tower Investment Services

Edmond O’Neal III, Director of WorkOne Programs — Partners for Workforce Solutions

Brent Osborne, Director, Business Solutions — Lincoln Financial

Laura Raudonis, Chief Executive Officer — Fort Wayne Area Association of Realtors

Jeremy Reidy, Partner/Lawyer — Bobilya & Reidy LLP

Andrew Saal, Director of Sales — Summit Brands

Luke Squires, Business Banking Officer — 1st Source Bank

Krista Stockman, Public Information Officer — Fort Wayne Community Schools

Theodore Storer, Partner — Rothberg Logan & Warsco, LLP

Daniel Swartz, Cultural District Liaison — Downtown Improvement District

Minn Myint Nan Tin, Executive Director — Burmese Advocacy Center

Amanda Tokos, US Probation Officer –US Probation & Pretrial Services

Kenneth Tucker, Office Manager — University of Seychelles

Elizabeth Walker, Broker/Owner/President — Fairfield Group Realtors, Inc.

Adam Weesner, Architect — MSKTD & Associates, Inc.

Barry Wiard, Director, Customer Service & Marketing — Indiana Michigan Power

Donna Whinery, Sales Operations Manager –Vera Bradley/Junior League of FW

 David Young, VP Air Service Development — Great Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce

These changes are the direct result of discussions with our corporate sponsors, grantors, participants, board members and alumni who all agree that LFW is an important component of bringing about positive community change through leadership engagement and community service, but that it also must continue to provide relevant and useful programming for all stakeholders.  

As such we spent our summer vacation evaluating and researching the skills that will be must useful for LFW participants and their communities in the 21^st Century.

Please take a minute to review and if you are interested in participating in a personal assessment of these skills you are invited to contact Ellen or me.

Becoming 21^st Century Leader –

• Accountability to stakeholders & constituencies
• Trust Building: Ethics, Integrity, Humility
• Transformational Leadership vs Transactional Leadership

Visionary Leadership Skills (Being a Pioneer for Change) –

• Creating and communicating the vision
• Planning (Resources)  and goal setting
• Applying the vision (Implementation)

Critical Thinking and Decision Making Skills

• Anatomy of Decision Making
• Appreciative Inquiry
• Emotional Intelligence
• Problem Solving
• Collaboration Skills Group process techniques
• Team building and project management Negotiating, consensus and team management 

Conflict Management Skills -  

• What causes conflict? (Diversity, Experiences, Beliefs, Sensitivities)
• Listening, collaborating and yielding
• The leaders role In conflict resolution

 Communication and Connection Skills

• Clear articulation of issues, problems and viewpoint
• Storytelling
• Listening and giving feedback
• Networking

 Research and consultation with pother premier leadership development programs indicate that these are the skills that transcend both personally and professionally. It is a focus that is intended to provide rigorous and relevant information that will serve our leadership development participants well who in turn will serve our communities well in return. 

 For LFW Alums, as always you are invited to join us on any class day or for any presentation. All we ask is that you send us an e-mail or call to let us know what day you plan to attend. Mark your calendar to join us at the Fort Wayne Country Club on September 16, 2010 at 5:45 PM to welcome the LFW Class of 2011. (Be sure to RSVP to wilheljk@ipfw.edu  when you get your e-mail invitation. 

Enjoy these last few weeks of summer!

– Cheri Becker

The Fort Wayne Cultural District is a collaborative partnership between Arts United, the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB), the Downtown Improvement District (DID) and the City of Fort Wayne. 

The impetus for this partnership is the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) Cultural District Program, which asks communities with an interest in creating a state recognized district to apply through their municipality. A unique aspect to the Fort Wayne Cultural District are the four partnering organizations that have been promoting and organizing arts and culture on their own.

“I am excited by the process and the opportunity the Cultural District presents for Fort Wayne,” Jim Sparrow, Executive Director of Arts United said. “The cooperative partnerships that form the anchor for the Cultural District’s long term sustainability are essential for its success. This will align the momentum of multiple organizations around community cultural initiatives helping to sustain our ability to make progress in areas such as a public art plan, gallery development downtown and marketing our cultural assets and downtown as a draw for the region.”

The designation of the Fort Wayne Cultural District does not include any public funding at this time.  This will allow for the partnering organizations to leverage their own programs and funding towards the shared larger goal of a thriving and vital arts community in downtown Fort Wayne.

“Designating Fort Wayne’s Cultural District goes a long way to promote the collaboration of the arts and humanities which are unique to our community while also supporting community life and economic vitality.” Jeanne Mirro, Chairperson of the Indiana Arts Commission and Fort Wayne resident, said.  

The Fort Wayne Cultural District will reside within the same boundaries as the Downtown Improvement District and will bolster community efforts to revitalize Fort Wayne’s urban core. It is hoped to accomplish some of the goals set for downtown in Blue Print Plus and other community plans.

“The arts and cultural institutions have long been one of the strongest assets in downtown Fort Wayne, and an asset that we have underutilized.  Establishing a Cultural District both acknowledges the arts and cultural institutions as the anchor for downtown that they are, and, literally, puts them on the map.” Paula Hughes, President of the Allen County Council, said.

The immediate benefits of this designation are predominantly local.  However, the Fort Wayne Cultural District will also act as a regional hub and give the outlying areas access to an increased number of cultural experiences. This increase in cultural activity will be a beneficial economic development tool.

The cultural district structure aligns with Vision 2020′s model for Northeast Indiana.  This model responds to the need for an enhanced quality of life that will allow Fort Wayne to attract higher paying jobs created by new industry.

Mike Packnett, President and CEO of Parkview Health said, ”The Fort Wayne Cultural District is a needed structure in Northeast Indiana’s vibrant cultural landscape.  I am pleased to see these organizations taking the initiative to partner in this manner as it is in direct alignment with Vision 2020s goals in regards to Quality of Life.”

The fact that the Northeast Indiana region has seen a steady decline of per capita income over the last 15 years shows that as a regional community, we must do something to turn the downward trend around. Currently, we make 80 cents to the dollar the average American worker makes. Vision 2020, a six-month visioning project that has had nearly 2,000 conversations throughout the region, was sparked by this fact. The Regional Economic Summit was the culmination of the process and the kick-off to its implementation.

“A community reinvented every day! Vibrant, progressive, innovative, and full of opportunity,” was the vision statement revealed to the audience during the Summit.
Attendees used wireless keypads to vote on goals and strategies that were developed through the process. The five pillars of 21st century talent, competitive business climate, entrepreneurship, infrastructure and quality of life, form the basis of the vision. Topics of questions ranged from which counties attendees lived and worked in to whether attendees were willing to help implement the vision.

At the event, the public was able to pledge a commitment to the effort by signing a “Declaration of Outrageous” and pledge cards promising to use regional collaboration. The declaration is now full of signatures.

The Regional Economic Summit sought broad input from community leaders and residents for all Northeast Indiana–and that’s what it got.  Over 1,000 people from businesses, foundations, schools, government and 10 different counties came together to show support for a new way of thinking and commitment toward moving forward together.

The full presentation and results from electronic voting can be found at  www.NortheastIndianaVision.com.

The Northeast Indiana regional community includes Adams, Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange, Huntington, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties.

Written by Monica Freeman, NEIRC

Oh those lazy hazy days of summer! Rosie pictured here, is our rescued Golden Doodle. She is giving her best “lazy lake day, enjoying a cruise” in the boat look. However, here at LFW it is anything but lazy! All of our programs have held their graduation events and we extend our best wishes to all who participated and made this past program year so successful. We are especially grateful to our corporate sponsors, grantors, supporters and alumni contributors for making these programs possible.

By the way it is through this support that we are able to offer program scholarships and all of our Youth Leadership Fort Wayne Programs free to all participants! Another not well publicized fact of YLFW and our Youth As Resources programming is that over the past 16 years there have been 208 Youth Community Service Projects completed with an investment in our community of over $200,000! These kids rock!

With the year coming to a close, we are wrapping up the year with reports to the board, corporate sponsors and grantors and getting ready to roll out our twenty-seventh year of community leadership development! Programmatically there are some subtle changes in the LFW adult program that will provide more skill development to participants. In addition we plan to introduce more detailed pre and post evaluations that will allow LFW to measure skill development and overall program impact more effectively.

Our LFW NINA program recently wrapped up the Emerging Leaders class with 21 one individuals completing the six-month program which utilized Peter C. Brinckerhoff, Mission-based Management book as the curriculum’s foundational guide. Participant s for the Emerging Leaders program are nominated for participation by their executive director. It was an honor to hear their success stories and learn why they were selected for participation during the graduation ceremony. Our non-profit community is in good hands, believe me.

Moving forward we continue to look for opportunities to keep our alums engaged, energized and involved! I personally believe that LFW Alums are or should be a strike-force for positive community change and engagement. By the way did you know that over 1,000 individuals have been through the signature LFW program and that over 700 of us live right here in Fort Wayne, Allen County and that virtually every board, committee and task force in our community is likely to have at least one LFW alumni serving on it? That’s good stuff! Thank you for your commitment and service to our community and to Leadership Fort Wayne.

I hope you will watch for more details on Alumni Programming in the coming months, but also would like to hear ideas from you. E-mail me at beckerc@ipfw.edu

Another reminder is to send notifications of your community involvement so we can share with the community and as always, alums are encouraged each year to refer individuals for the signature program. Applications are due by June 30, 2010!

“My experience at Youth Leadership Fort Wayne was one of the most memorable and inspirational programs that I have ever been in.  It is still a mystery to me what specific part of the program contributed the greatest to my experience and my inspiration that resulted from YLFW.  It could have been the great group of teenagers that somehow all turned out to be respectful and eager to absorb all the things that YLFW was trying teach us.  It could have been the variety of speakers that came and talked to us, the bonding that occurred while at the beginning retreat between all of the participants, or maybe it was the exposure to people and places in our community that were fighting so hard against poverty. 

I think about all the activities, people, and places.  Trying, futilely, to ascertain the secret to the sudden change in my direction, but then I realize that there really wasn’t one part that was more inspiring, or influential, to me.  The fact is, that all the opportunities that YLFW gave my peers and me, were a part of an amazing experience and if one part of that remarkable experience was taken away, then the experience wouldn’t have been the same at all.  YLFW really is a fantastic program and I encourage a lot the younger people I know, to ask about the program and try to become a part of it, because I know that it may change their life and they could end up making a huge difference in a community, just like I hope to do.

In summary, the program simply changed my future.  Before YLFW, I planned on just finishing high school with good grades, then graduating college and getting a job that would eventually allow me to live more than comfortably.  That was my life plan before YLFW, now it has changed drastically.  I have started a community service club at my school and I plan to both make a positive difference in people’s lives and hopefully instill a devotion to community service within my peers as well.  Then, I plan to go to college and get even more involved in community service, hopefully getting the chance to travel internationally to help third-world countries and make a difference.  YLFW has changed my life and my future.  It has successfully instilled in me a lifelong servitude toward others and I hope that it continues to do the same for others my age for years after I go to college and beyond.”

The twenty class members, each selected by his/her nonprofit organization’s executive director, have spent six months studying the issues surrounding leading nonprofit agencies. Their leadership textbook was Peter Brinckerhoff’s Mission-Based Management; presenters and consultants showcased different aspects of the book through experiential learning, examples, small group discussion and practice sessions.

This 2010 class is the fourth group to graduate from the NINA program. This year’s class members are:

Kathy Baer of Turnstone,

Tiffany Bailey of United Way,

Brad Davis or CTN,

Sherry Early-Aden  and Lisa Kipker of CANI,

Shannon Gage of Early Childhood Alliance,

Kela Guy  and Lisa Young of Catholic Charities,

Andrew Hoffman of NeighborLink,

Christine Kelty of Park Center,

Jennifer Kimpel of the Embassy Theatre,

Marcia Lew of Mad Anthony Children’s Hope House,

Amie Loubier of Vincent Village,

Erin McDonald of the American Red Cross,

Angie Moellering of Lutheran Social Services,

Mary Jo Raffety of the YWCA of Northeast Indiana,

Amy Schmucker of Martin Luther King Montessori School,

Shelley Schwab of Big Brothers Big Sisters,

Garth Sponseller of the League for the Blind & Disabled,

Casey Weimer of the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne.

Youth Leadership Fort Wayne, a community leadership development program for students from all area high schools, is proud to announce the YLFW graduating of its class of 2010:

McKenna Adams, Elmhurst High School

 Katelynne Baughman, Keystone Schools

 David Brewer, Wayne High School

 De Andre Davis, North Side High School

 Desiree Dickerson, North Side High School

 Andrew Dillion, Heritage Jr. Sr. High School

 Bethany Disher, Canterbury High School

 Mary Distler, Homestead High School

 Hannah Field, Leo Jr. Sr. High School

 Chris Frank, Concordia Lutheran High School

 Austin Friesen, Blackhawk Christian School

 Chandler Ganaway, New Haven High School

 Sarah Gibson, Cornerstone Prep School

 James Gilliom, Snider High School

 Madeline Harris, Bishop Dwenger High School

 Zac Haydock, Paul Harding High School

Madelynne Hostetler, Woodlan Jr.Sr. High School

 Andreya Kennerk, Bishop Luers High School

 Chelsea Lichtsinn, South Side High School

 Leslie Muldoon, Wayne High School

 James Myers, Bishop Dwenger High School

 Lindsey Nichols, Northrop High School

 Eric Niebuhr, Carroll High School

 Carly Park. Leo Jr. Sr. High School & Allen County 4-H

 Amie Patton, New Haven High School

 Taylor Rodriguez, Snider High School

 Blair Ruhr, Heritage Jr. Sr. High School & Cornerstone Youth Center

 Brittany Salay, Carroll High School & Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana

 Hayley Rae Smith, Northrop High School

 Colin Walsh, Homestead High School

 Katelyn Williams, Carroll High School

 We give our best wishes to the Leadership Fort Wayne Class of 2010

Michael Arnold, Lincoln Financial Group

 Deborah Beckman, YWCA Northeast Indiana

 Natalie Bell, Knitting Off Broadway

 Chris Boynton, Raytheon Company

 Lisa Bragg, Vera Bradley

 Tonia Brown, American Red Cross

 Albert Brownlee, Genesis Outreach, Inc.

 Mariah Butler Vogelgesang, IPFW

 James Butz, Frost Brown Todd

 Joseph Byers, Grabill Bank

 Charles Clark, Parkview Hospital

 Rose Costello, IPFW

 Joel Daas, Manpower

 Keli Everett, United Way of Allen County

 Mary Lee Freeze, Community Action of NE Indiana

 Palermo Galindo, City of Fort Wayne

 Dr. Tammy Gibson, WorkOne Northeast

 Jeffrey Gotsch, Haller & Colvin, P.C.

 Pam Hess, St. Joseph Hospital

 Hilda Hill, Allen County Health Dept.

 Andrew Hufford, Summit Brands

 James Huller, Maximum Wealth Advisors, LLC

 Glenda Kendle, League for the Blind & Disabled, Inc.

 Hillary Knipstein, Barrett & McNagney, LLP

Michael Krouse, Asher Agency

 Joshua Long, Ivy Tech Community College

 Steven Markley, Do It Best Corp.                                               

 David Mayne, Indiana Michigan Power

Jennifer McGinnis, Swiss Re

 William McKinney, IPFW

 Michelle Merritt, GreaterFort Wayne Chamber of Commerce

 Shelly Meyer, Tower Bank

 Karen Palumbo, University of Saint Francis

 Carey Roth, Aegis Sales & Engineering, Inc.

 Kenneth Schmidt

 Constance Scott, Indiana Tech University

 Nicole Scott, Indiana Tech

Deborah Stewart, Park Center

Theingi Tin. East Allen County School

 Deborah Woodroof, Wells Fargo Bank

 Nick Yack, PNC