Leadership Class
Leading Edge Class & Alumni Happy Hour
Save the Date!
It’s another first for Leadership Fort Worth – the first joint event we’re able to have between multiple classes of Leading Edge. Trinity River Vision Authority will host this historic happy hour on Thursday, April 15th. LE, look for your evite soon! Hats off to Shanna Cate (LE09) and Rachael Navejar (LE10) for organizing this event.
Leadership Class Focuses on Health, Economic Development
Health Day
JPS Health Network hosted the Leadership Class in February for our annual Health Day. This year, the class took an in-depth look at mental health issues and services in our community. Providing an overview of the topic were Dr. Alan Podawiltz, of JPS Health Network and UNT Health Science Center, Dr. Jim McDermott with MHMR of Tarrant County, and Susan Garnett, representing the Mental Health Connection. Robert Earley, President & CEO of JPS Health Network, joined the group for lunch and provided insight into many of the health networks’ initiatives.
A highlight of the day were the afternoon small group experiences. The class learned about grassroots advocacy from the founder of Advocates for Children of Trauma, participated in a mock group in-patient session and toured the Psychiatric Emergency Room. One of the most touching moments of the afternoon was the testimony of Kimberly Kvernes, a Peer Specialist with MHMR who shared the story of her mental illness, treatment and future aspirations.
Throughout the day, the class focused on the steps that lead to collaboration: networking, coordination, cooperation. The day closed with a look at a true collaboration – the Hand in Hand grant that is administered by MHMR of Tarrrant County. Included in the discussion, moderated by Susan Garnett, were Grace White with MHMR, Carolyn Presnall with Cook Children’s Medical Center, Sean Allen, the program director for Hand in Hand, and Virginia Hoft with Santa Fe Adolescent Services. Overall, the day underscored how Fort Worth’s unique ability to bring people to the table and create solutions is one of the key strengths of the mental health community. While the need for increased resources and services is ever-present, we can be proud of the efforts and services provided to our community.
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Economic Development Day
The Leadership Class headed out to Southeast Fort Worth for an in-depth look at economic and community development projects underway in that sector of the city. Robert Sturns, Economic Development Manager for the City of Fort Worth, and Andre McEwing, President of Southeast Fort Worth, joined the group for the morning tour. Included was a stop at one of Chesapeake Energy’s natural gas drilling sites so that the class could better understand that process.
The afternoon focused on the economic impact of two prominent events in our community: the Barnett Shale play and Super Bowl XLV. Dr. Ken Morgan from TCU’s Energy Institute explained how the Barnett Shale relates to overall global demand for natural gas. Following his remarks, Ed Ireland with the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council focused more specifically on North Texas and the economic impact of the operations here. Rick Trice with the City of Fort Worth then discussed how the city is trying to balance revenue needs of the city, business needs of the operators and concerns of the citizens. The class then turned their attention to Bill Lively, President & CEO of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee and his predictions for the economic impact related to next February’s Super Bowl game.
To close the day, the class participated in a mock Town Hall meeting to discuss whether any incentives should be provided to a corporate stakeholder considering a move to another city. The exercise underscored the challenges to creating an equitable incentive package and the various perspectives that abound in the community.
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Recent News
- Arts & Culture Day
- Leadership Class Focus: Government Day
- Focus on Community Trusteeship
- Leadership Class Kicks Off With Opening Retreat
Application materials for the 2010 – 2011 Leadership Class will be available in March of 2010. Click here for information on applying to the Leadership Class.
Past Classes
2008-09
2007-08
2006-07
2005-06