Tracy Souza
You might have heard discussions over the last several years about a new generation of community leadership. You may have even been part of the discussion that says it is time for the old guard to move on and let the new leaders take over.
Dedicated leadership has always been a good indicator of a successful community, and Columbus has been fortunate to have had many wise and able men and women willing to give freely of their time and talents toward creating a fantastic place to live.
So, you would not be alone in anticipating a mass retirement party and waking up the next morning to a whole array of new community leaders ready to go.
Well guess what? That shift has happened. Not a total shift but definitely a startling degree of change, at least according to more than 85 diverse community leaders gathered recently to network and brainstorm about local initiatives.
Heritage Fund sponsored the Community Leadership Convening last month as part of its recently adopted mission statement: “To Inspire Generosity, Gather and Grow Community Leaders and Act with Impact.” About two-thirds of attendees responded to a survey about the evening, and 100% expressed a desire to keep convening at least once a year.
The most often repeated comments were: “There were so many new faces”; “I did not know there were this many new people in town”; and “I did not get to talk to even half of the new people I saw.”
It was reassuring to me to see local leaders enthusiastically support opportunities to get to know others. It is hard to collaborate and partner with people you don’t know. The ability of past local leaders to work in collaboration with a mutual respect made way for many of the things that enhance our quality of life today.
I can report that Heritage Fund will continue to nurture and encourage the coming together of a broad group of community leaders. And following the success of our leadership convening, I can happily say that our new leaders have a terrific appetite to keep coming together for the good of the whole community.
Tracy Souza is president and CEO of Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. Contact the fund at 812-376-7772 to learn more about how they can help you do “Your Philanthropy. Your Way.” Send comments to [email protected].
