Leadership Program

Leadership Program - An eight month exclusive development program for emerging leaders.    “A leader is a visionary who inspires others to create a vision for the future; and inspires people to make the vision a reality.” LEADERSHIP APPLICATION ALUMNI BROCHURE Applications are accepted annually for Leadership Hancock County from June 1 through July 30th each year.  This is a program that was introduced by the Hancock Chamber in 1996 to identify and prepare the community¢s existing and future leadership resources—of all ages.  The program is now as an annual program of the Hancock Chamber.  Participants must be residents of Hancock County or employed in Hancock County.  To be considered for selection in the program, you must submit an application to the Hancock Chamber prior to the July 30th deadline.  Application forms can be obtained through the Chamber Office located at 412 Highway 90, Suite 6 in Bay St. Louis or on line (CLICK HERE).  Eight day-long sessions run from September through May with the final graduation banquet in June.      “The goal of this program is to provide Hancock County with a network of current and emerging leaders who possess the skills, and the sense of commitment to improve our community.” Sessions include field trips focusing on government, economic development, education, smart growth, Stennis Space Center, and quality living.   In past years, informative sessions have been led by local leaders such as:  Mary Kay Hubbard and Susie Veglia, who chaired the Economic Development Session; Ron Magee, chair of the Smart Growth Session; Cheryl Ramseyer, chair of the Education Session; and Hank Wheeler, who chaired the Quality of Life session.  All are graduates of Leadership Hancock County. “As a group, we learned about what we want Hancock County to become for ourselves, our children and our children’s children,” said Susie Veglia a graduate of the program.  “We discussed many topics and through the process we identified specific changes, improvements and plans we have in mind to make Hancock County an even better place to live,” she said.  The Leadership Board is seeking a balance of participants according to business and professional interest, geography, race and gender.  Preference is given to candidates who, in addition to their potential for leadership, will contribute to the overall diversity and strength of the class and have available time and resources to commit to the program and future community service.  The annual fee to participate is $350 per person. Scholarships are available.