​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.
​
If you have any questions, please contact Julie Rothrauff at the Blair County Chamber of Commerce at 943-8151 ext. 302

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

​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. 

​2022-2023 Class Schedule

September 9, 2022
Orientation

October 6 & 7, 2022                                      
Retreat
 
October 21, 2022
Session 1
Regional Appreciation - History & Heritage

November 18, 2022
Session 2
Local Government
 
December 2, 2022
Session 3
Human Services
 
January 13, 2023
Session 4
Diversity
 
February 10, 2023
Session 5
Economic Development
 
March 9, 2023
Session 6
Youth Session/Combined with LBC Youth Group
 
April 5, 2023
Regional Leadership Session
 
April 28, 2023
Session 7
Justice
 
May 12, 2023
Session 8
Strategic Planning
 
June 2, 2023
Session 9
Celebrating Our Vision
 
June 8, 2023
Graduation

---

2021-2022 Class

ANGELA BARRONER 
First Commonwealth Bank 

KARA BENNETT
Advantage Resource Group 
 
SUPERMAN BERROW 
B4 Club Therapy 
 
ANGELA CLECKNER 
American Eagle Paper Mills 
 
GAYLE CONNER 
UPMC Locum Clinicians 
 
CARLY COOK 
Jersey Shore State Bank 
 
BRIAN DETWILER 
Center City Church 
 
KELLY ELDER 
Young, Oakes, Brown & Co. 
 
AMANDA FARKUS 
Penn Highlands Community College 
 
CATHLEEN FULLAN 
Sheetz, Inc. 
 
HEATHER KENNEDY 
PMSC AmeriCorps 
 
DWAIN KEY II 
Ward TLC 
 
JEFFREY LANE 
Leonard S. Fiore, Inc. 
 
ZACHARY NIPER 
Blair Image Elements 
 
JULIA PIPER 
Juniata United Methodist Church 
 
ANDREA POTEAT 
Sheetz, Inc. 

JENNIFER SABOURIN 
Penn State Altoona 

JONAH SALYARDS 
Stiffler, McGraw 

TRAVIS SEYMORE 
Alto Markets 

KRISTOPHER STERN 
NPC, Inc. 

HOLLY VAUGHAN  
Reliance Bank 

SAMANTHA WATTERS
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Blair County