Springfield Leadership Workshop
On April 2nd, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed the 14th Springfield Leadership Workshop class. Fifteen individuals, representing a variety of business sectors including banking, non-profit, public sector, and manufacturing, came together to learn about best practices for community engagement, hear from a number of community leaders, and discover where and how they can best serve Springfield. This workshop was developed to identify and help prepare leaders within our community. It provides an opportunity for professionals to enhance their civic leadership skills, and learn where to get involved.
The three half-day workshop kicked off with a team building exercise at Escape the Room Oregon. As stated by one of our participants, this is a unique way to get to know a new group of classmates, and recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses of working together. Throughout the three-day workshop the class heard from publicly elected officials like Springfield Mayor Christine Lundberg, and Mike Eyster, Lane Community College Board Chair. Lifelong community volunteers such as John Brown, with Evans, Elder, Brown shared their story of how to get started in community work, how to stay engaged, and how to engage others. Skillsets introduced to the class included topics of conflict management, media engagement, and storytelling.
“What a great way to meet other like-minded, service-focused individuals that are going to be leading and driving positive changes in our community for years to come. Listening to the current community and organizational leaders from our area speak on their experiences and offering guidance was extremely inspiring.” – DJ Burrows, PBS Engineering and Environmental Inc.
“The only way we are going to encourage positive change in our modern world is to get involved.”
“I would recommend the Leadership Workshop to anyone wanting to get involved in and be part of their community, either because of their profession or personal desire to be involved. Anyone in a position where they need to “network” would benefit from this workshop- even if just from the relationships formed with the other participants. And of course the wealth of information gained from the presenters is wonderful. Thank you!” -Gena Edgar, Washington Federal
“I’m proud to be part of a community that encourages people to become involved civically. Getting involved at the roots in our community is what makes our country great and many people simply do not participate these days. The only way we are going to encourage positive change in our modern world is to get involved. Thank you Springfield COC for holding the Leadership Workshop to encourage this vital role in our community!” -Cassy Bacon, Columbia Bank
