​Leadership Blair County Adult

Apply
To apply for admission to the Leadership Blair County Adult Program, download and submit the application below. The Leadership Blair County Selection Committee makes final determinations regarding admission. The information provided with this application is considered during the applicant review process. The Selection Committee will conduct interviews with each candidate during the month of July to ensure that the applicant understands his or her commitment as well as the attendance policy. Notification of acceptance in the class will be done in mid-August.

Class size is limited to 24 participants and applicants must have the full support of the business or organization they represent.

Tuition is $1,800, which includes all instruction, course materials, meals, retreat accommodations and session related transportation. A limited number of scholarships are available.
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If you have any questions, please contact bmayer@blairchamber.com at the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 943-8151 ext. 314

To apply, click on the application form below or stop by the Chamber Office to get your application: 

APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THE CLASS OF 2024 IS JUNE 30, 2023. Interviews for applicants will take place in July. 
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​Click for ​LBC Application 

​Our Mission is to develop and enhance community leadership by challenging and preparing individuals from diverse backgrounds to assume more active and effective roles in addressing the needs of the community.

About 
Established in 1994, Leadership Blair County cultivates, develops, and nurtures the potential leaders within our community. The program identifies, educates, and motivates the area's promising leaders and prepares them for service to our community in a variety of important roles. Through a series of sessions, often using the community itself for its classroom, the program allows class participants to exchange ideas and information with established leaders and experts from many fields. Future leaders gain first-hand experience about critical issues as they develop the skills necessary to become an effective community leader.

Sponsored by the Blair County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Blair County boasts 527 graduates.

History...
In 1991, The Chamber adopted a Long Range Plan, which contained a goal to develop a leadership program that would train policy makers for area organizations and non-profit groups.

During the winter of 1992, Tim Sissler and John Schraff, who was the Executive Director
of The Chamber at that time, recruited a diverse group of 12 volunteers from the community to begin putting together the Leadership Blair County Program. These committee members represented non-profit groups, businesses, health care, government, social service agencies, etc.

For the next 18 months, they reviewed existing leadership programs in other communities and worked hard to capture the best aspects of each program they visited or read about and began to set the objectives.

During 1994-95, the first class went through this new program. They too had an orientation, overnight retreat, 8 full day sessions and graduation in June.
Each class develops a great working relationship with each other, and has the opportunity to meet and network with established leaders from all corners of Blair County as they learn about topics like regional appreciation and tourism, business and transportation, government, education, health care, human services and housing.

In 1995 we were able to hire Chuck Kormanski, formerly of Penn State Altoona. Chuck facilitated our monthly sessions and worked with the adult committee to design the sessions. Chuck retired in 2007. The new facilitator for the Adult program is Maureen Dodson, Ph.D., Retired Senior Manager, Baker, Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP.

Be assured that the program is ever changing making us one of the best programs in Pennsylvania. As a testament to that we have been copied by several organizations throughout the state that want to begin a leadership program and have heard that we are the best. 

​2023-2024 Class Schedule

September 22, 2023
Orientation

October 5 & 6, 2023                                      
Retreat
 
October 20, 2023
Session 1
Regional Appreciation - History & Heritage

November 17, 2023
Session 2
Local Government
 
December 8, 2023
Session 3
Human Services
 
January 12, 2024
Session 4
Diversity
 
February 9, 2024
Session 5
Economic Development
 
March 7, 2024
Session 6
Youth Session/Combined with LBC Youth Group
 
TBD
Regional Leadership Session
 
April 19, 2024
Session 7
Justice
 
May 17, 2024
Session 8
Strategic Planning
 
June 7, 2024
Session 9
Celebrating Our Vision
 
June 13, 2024
Graduation

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2022-2023 Class

Jennifer Addison  
Ward Transport & Logistics Corp.  

Aleisha Albertson 
Blair Drug & Alcohol Program, Inc. 
 
Carter Chatwood
CLI Transport LP/Sheetz 
 
James Crowder III  
First Energy Corporation/Penelec 
 
Dakota Davis 
NPC, Inc. 
 
Dawn Drexler  
ARC Federal Credit Union 
 
Marcus Edwards 
Altoona-Blair County Development Corp. 
 
Wes Elder 
Young, Oakes, Brown & Co. 
 
Jeff Fellinger 
Sheetz, Inc. 
 
Tammie Fleck  
P. Joseph Lehman Consulting Engineers  
 
Billie Jo Frida-Brooks 
Billie J. Friday Agency LLC 
 
Sara Herron 
Curry Supply Company 
 
Holly Keller 
Garvey Manor 
 
Colton Kensinger 
Reliance Bank  
 
Kevin Laird  
Burke & Company, LLC 
 
Katie Lipko  
Keller Engineers

Samantha Longenecker 
Stuckey Automotive 

Destinee Pfirsching 
Doing Better Business, Inc. 

Tabor Schilling 
Saint Francis University 

Briana Shriver 
Blair Image Elements/Blair Companies