MCBDD Honors New Leadership Academy Graduates
On Monday, September 23, the Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities (MCBDD) was proud to officially recognize the newest graduates of its 2024 Leadership Academy program.
Across the nation, people with developmental disabilities want opportunities to be leaders and to contribute their talents, ideas, thoughts, opinions and unique points of view to important decisions making bodies and processes within their communities. “Last year we started our Leadership Academy program to help individuals with developmental disabilities who had the drive and passion to get more involved in their community,” says Nicole Richter, MCBDD Training & Compliance Specialist. “The goal was for it to be a competitive program and only those with the commitment to learn leadership skills and to take on leadership roles in the community would be selected.” Since then Richter, with the help of Molly Usner, MCBDD Community Resource and Advocacy Coordinator, have been instrumental in growing and supporting the success of the MCBDD’s Leadership Academy and its participants. Recently, both Richter and Usner were asked by the Ohio Association of County Boards of DD to present a training for other County Boards of DD across the state to learn how to create and develop their own versions of the MCBDD’s Leadership Academy.
The Leadership Academy is a six-month long program to help participants ages 18 and over to develop skills needed to seek out meaningful leadership roles in community organizations in which they are passionate about. It covers topics such as: understanding leadership, becoming a leader, developing a personal profile, communication, listening, problem-solving, time management, interview skills, non-profit organization’s boards of directors, and outlining personalized plans for leadership goals. Additionally, participants are required to attend a Medina County Commissioners meeting, help in a civic endeavor, and attend presentations from people in leadership roles in several local community organizations. In March, the program selected four new participants for the 2024 Leadership Academy; Katie Blessing, Josh Seeley, Trish Walker and Pamela Wilson. Each being chosen based on the strength of their application and current levels of advocacy involvement.
“We have watched this class learn new skills and grow as future leaders. Each of them came into this class with the drive and passion for giving back to their communities, and what they learned in the past six months has only elevated the skills and knowledge they have all brought to the group,” said Richter. “We are confident that each of these individuals will contribute to bettering their communities. We are so proud of the work they have done and we look forward to seeing the impacts they will make on our community.”