Leadership Palm Beach County

 2008-2009 YEAR IN REVIEW:  CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP

Dear Leadership Palm Beach County Alumni and Graduates:

My tenure as Leadership Palm Beach County's President during our recently completed 25^th Anniversary Year was one of the most gratifying highlights of
my life. Our Silver Anniversary Year exemplified the work and professionalism
of hundreds of graduates and businesses who dedicated thousands of volunteer hours and resources over the last twenty-five years. Each of us can stand proudly together as we reflect on one of the most accomplished years ever, while paying tribute to the many leaders who provided the foundation
of our success!

As you take a moment to peruse this “Year in Review”, please join me in thanking our staff, volunteers, committee chairs and sponsors for their personal commitments and sacrifices on a job well done.
Please consider how diligently the Board of Directors has listened to alumni input and guidance to enhance our programs and alumni engagement activities. And, please take note to the fact that Leadership Palm Beach County is indeed the premier professional leadership organization in our
county, which we will continue to build upon to sustain this twenty-five year legacy.

Through our mission statement to “Educate and Unite Leaders to Build a Better Community”, we have together turned silver into gold. Our organization is strong and continues to be filled with the very
best our community has to offer.

Thank you for this opportunity and thank you for all you do!

Brian Edwards, Class of 2005
President, 2008-2009

LPBC thanks our 2008-2009 Community Partners for supporting our work to 
"Educate & Unite Leaders to Build a Better Community".  



 

LPBC CORE PROGRAMS:  2008-2009

The largest volunteer committee in Youth Leadership history produced exceptional learning
experiences for these high school juniors, while securing enough support from sponsors and
community supporters to deliver the program free of charge.  Special thanks to the South Florida
Water Management District, Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, and The Palm Beach Post for their
significant sponsorship support. 

LPBC handed out six scholarships to the Class of 2009 grads.  Thanks to Forte Interactive, the
lawyers of Jones Foster Johnston & Stubbs, P.A., Sid & Annette Stubbs, and the Songwriters in
the Round benefit for sponsoring four out of six of our $1,000-$1,500 scholarships.  The year
ended with over 200 guests attending graduation in May to hear keynote Ed Chase and the
committee laud our graduates and recognize scholarship recipients.  For a complete list of Youth
grads with their school affiliations, visit www.leadershippbc.org/youthleadership  

This year's benefit, presented by Roger Dean Chevrolet, 
welcomed back crowd favorite Leslie Satcher, who brought 
Nashville friends Marv Green, Wynn Varble & James Slater (the first pianist in SITR history) to entertain a sold-out crowd. 

In addition to putting on an unforgettable show - which included an impromptu duet by Slater and his  mother, an experienced Latin music singer - the performers auctioned off a signed guitar and signed mandolin, along with autographed, framed song sheets.  With event proceeds, Songwriters 2009 netted over $28,000 in support of Youth Leadership. 

Songwriters in the Round 2009 was presented by Roger Dean Chevrolet and supported by Double Platinum Sponsor Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, Platinum Sponsor Merrill Lynch, along with a record
number of Gold Sponsors, and Friends of Leadership sponsors.   A complete list of sponsors is
available on-line.

Last year, the Songwriters in the Round committee established a permanent Youth Leadership scholarship memorializing Sharon Blazy, the wife of Songwriters in the Round founding performer
Kent Blazy, whose ongoing dedication to and support of the event provided the foundation for its ongoing success.  Sharon passed away after a sustained illness, but her memory will be honored
each year through a dedicated scholarship awarded to an exceptional graduate of the Youth
Leadership Program.

Leadership Palm Beach County graduates have the opportunity to engage in one of more than
fifteen committees in support of LPBC's mission.  Our Core Programs and Signature Events are detailed above, but alumni engaged in many other ways to make a difference - within LPBC & throughout our community.  See below - & check out www.leadershippbc.org/alumni.htm for
more information.

• Recruiting Committee
  Chair:  Monte Resnick  
  

  The Recruiting Committee produced five "networking & information sessions" on their way to another stellar year of engaging new candidates in the FOCUS and the Adult Programs.   The Class of 2010 recruiting events were generously hosted and sponsored by Gunster, Attorneys at Law in West Palm Beach; Riverside Bank in North Palm Beach; Nicole's Village Tavern in Wellington; and Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler in Boca Raton. At left:  Resnick with 2007 grad Kimberly Rodale & Stuart Rosenfeldt of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler.

  The recruiting year kicked off in January, with a special session following FOCUS Day 1 hosted by the City of Boynton Beach at their Intracoastal Clubhouse that generated strong applications for the Adult of 2010 from a significant number of FOCUS graduates.  A record number of interested community members attended the next four recruiting sessions, held regionally in the north, south, west and central regions of our county to help increase the number and diversity of applicants. The committee members and Board also attended a variety of key events in our community as representatives of the recruiting committee to help increase the diversity of LPBC candidates, and increase the visibility of the Adult Leadership Program among local business, nonprofit and government leaders.  The committee and LPBC once again thank LPBC alumni for their dedication to the Adult Program, and for encouraging friends and colleagues to apply for LPBC.

• Alumni Relations Committee
  Chairs:  Tammy Clarke & David Greene
  This year, the committee and Class Ambassadors saw continued
  success in their work to bring alumni
  together more frequently and encourage
  them to be more active.  Bolstered by
  monthly Second Wednesday sessions,
  and supported by the many events LPBC produced during this Silver
  Anniversary year, the committee
  generated record engagement among
  alumni - and, it would seem, record fun
  for the classes (see the Class of 2005
  at left enjoying Songwriters). 
  
  The Ambassadors continued to lead communication among their classes to
  keep alumni abreast of key LPBC and
  community events and news.  Leadership Palm Beach County's FaceBook page continued
  to grow, reaching 130 members by the end of the year.  For an invitation to join the
  LPBC FaceBook page, or for information on how to join the Alumni Relations Committee as
  an Ambassador or volunteer, email Alumni Relations Chairs Tammy Clarke or David
  Greene: tammy@casslevy.com or david.greene@ruden.com - and check out alumni info
  at www.leadershippbc.org/alumni.htm 
  
    
• Marketing & Public Relations
  Chair:  Laurel Baker & Holly Finch
  
  The Marketing & Public Relations committee focused this year on the 25th Anniversary
  milestone, fielding surveys with the Past Presidents Council and key graduates and
  alumni to generate content for the Silver Anniversary video & information for the LPBC 
  archives, capturing key organizational milestones and memories.  The committee debuted
  the video - which included photos by Paul Polisena and Stephen Leek, and was produced
  by Stephen Leek Photography - at the 5th Annual LEA dinner.  
  
  The core messaging developed by the
  Marketing & Public Relations Committee
  significantly benefited LPBC's Adult Program
  (co-chairs Monte Lambert, Laurel Baker and
  Jack Lansing are featured at left).  The recruiting
  committee successfully utilized resources
  including the Talking Points card to help alumni
  deliver consistent messaging about LPBC, its
  mission and its core programs to recruits.  
  
  At the 2008-09 Annual Meeting, Chair Laurel
  Baker noted that alumni are doing the best job
  of marketing Leadership Palm Beach County,
  commending LPBC alumni for their success spreading the word and increasing the visibility
  of our organization.  
  
   
• Up Close & Personal Committee
  Chair:  Bradley Harper
  
  The Up Close & Personal Committee continued to provide alumni with access to key
  leaders in small group settings to discuss substantive issues & concerns. This year, the 
  committee welcomed Tim Sanders, business speaker and author of bestselling business
  tomes The Like-Ability Factor and Saving the World at Work.  Sanders shared his perspective
  on key factors that differentiate good leaders from the great ones, and offered local
  organizations a list of must-read business books (click here for a copy of the list).  In
  January, the committee facilitated a session with the South Florida Water Management
  District's Carol Ann Wehle, who presented on the US Sugar Deal - the largest wetlands
  reclamation project in history... click here for a copy of the presentation.
  
  Visit www.leadershippbc.org/events in October to register for the next Up Close & 
  Personal session, scheduled for November 3 with Bill Strickland, author of Making
  the Impossible Possible. 
  
   
• Ethics Initiative Steering & Subcommittees
  Chairs:  Marty Rogol, David Baker and Andrew Baumann
  
  In continued work to build and sustain a
  culture of ethics in our community, the
  Ethics Initiative reached several key
  milestones this year.  The group established
  two subcommittees: the Communications Committee tackled the objectives of
  expanding awareness of the initiative, and developing collateral to support local work
  to build a culture of ethics, community by
  community and company by company.  The
  second committee engaged in research and discussion to explore launching a ballot
  initiative to provide further infrastructure for sustaining and enforcing a culture of ethics. 
  (Note:  the Ballot Initiative sub-committee
  will spin off, exiting the LPBC umbrella before it starts to engage in political action work.)
  
  The Ethics Initiative hosted two key events this year:  a public launch of the Pledge Signing,
  attended by a number of key elected and community leaders (Chair Marty Rogol poses with
  Clerk & Comptroller Sharon Bock at this event, above), and the Second Annual Community Forum
  on Ethics in June 2009.  In autumn 2008, the Steering Committee partnered with the office of
  the Clerk & Comptroller of Palm Beach County on its Best Practice event which featured a
  discussion of ethics, and the Palm Beach County Planning Congress in support of its second
  annual conference on ethics.  The committee also supported the PBC School District around
  its “Character Counts” initiative, and the Tax Collector's office in rolling out its comprehensive
  internal Ethics Initiative. 
  
  
  
• Get Real Committee (A Partnership with the Palm Beach County Career Academies)
  Chair:  Dione Christy & John Southard
  
  The Get Real Program continued to provide a forum for LPBC graduates to lend their
  industry expertise and resources to Career Academy Coordinators to help Palm Beach
  County schools offer excellent and relevant education to students that is specific to career
  training for opportunities within our county.  This year, Get Real supported seven school
  career advisory boards, focusing on student medical and construction projects, engaging
  the American Cancer Society and Balfour Construction teams.  Participants advised an
  award- winning culinary academy, secured guest speakers for key presentations, supported
  mock trial teams with books, supplies, clothing & shoes from Dress For Success, and
  conducted senior class project mock interviews.  This coming year, Get Real will focus on
  increasing the number of engaged alumni, and continue to target a select number of academies in order to maximize impact.
  

• Past President's Council, Finance & Audit Committee and
  Executive Committee
  
  These three important committees continued to serve our organization in advisory capacities throughout our Silver Anniversary Year.  Part of the continuing refinement of the infrastructure of our organization, members of these committees offer insight and guidance to support LPBC's mission, and to help chart a course that is both mindful of our organization's past successes, and aspirational in regards to its potential.
  
  This year, these committees focused on the issues of LPBC's legacy, strategic planning, steps to ensure LPBC's long-term fiscal stability and ability to positively shape the future of our county.