Leadership Marshall is a program initiated by the Tennessee
Department of Economic Development as part of its Three Star Community
Certification and has been conducted through the Marshall County Chamber of
Commerce since 1996. Since the inception of the program, the volunteer
coordinator has been Lynda Potts.
The purpose of the leadership class is two-fold . First,
members are exposed to a vast wealth of information about the city, county, and
state. Second, members are allowed to network with others who share a common
interest in the community. The camaraderie has been both exciting and rewarding
for all graduates.
Admission to the program is by application and payment of
$150.00 to Leadership Marshall, delivered to the Marshall County Chamber of
Commerce.
One nine-hour session per month for eight months will focus
on information and tours that will benefit leaders and/or potential leaders.
Included in the schedule will be an Orientation Day, History Day, Health
Services Day, City Government Day, County Government Day, State Government Day,
Education Day, and Industry Day. A three-hour graduation luncheon will be held
after all eight sessions are completed.
Individually, each member is asked to attend or participate
in at least four community meetings or programs, such as attending a City
Council meeting, a Marshall County Board of Education meeting, a Lewisburg
Planning and Zoning Committee meeting, or a production at the Dixie Theatre. A
long list of possible activities will be included in the member notebooks which
are given out at the first session.
A group project may be adopted by the group at the first
session. The Class of 2000-2001 launched
Junior Leadership Marshall. Another class collected old photographs of Lewisburg
and had them framed for the conference room at Columbia State Community
College. Two groups raised money for projects involving the Rock Creek Walking
Trail. One group built the heli -pad for
Air EVAC at the EMS site. Three years ago the class supervised improvements and
additions to the Marshall County Library. Two classes have installed an
historical marker at buildings around the Square.
The county and city mayors and various organization chairmen
have been asked to appoint their board members and committees from the list of
Leadership Marshall graduates. We currently have many graduates serving in
places of decision.
Each class is limited in membership. Applications are taken
year round at the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce. Presently, the classes
are formed as the applications come to the Chamber on a first come first served
basis. If you would like to participate in the next class, email Lynda Potts Lpotts@vallnet.com , phone the Chamber at
359-3863 to secure an application or download an application here.
