2007 Vision Leadership Class small, but energetic

The Rooks County Leadership Class, Vision 2007, was a small group with only 7 participants, but were enthusiastic and energetic when it comes to community leadership.

The class of seven will be recognized at a graduation celebration at Cedar Links Country Club on Wednesday, December 12.  Many alumni from the Vision program, now numbering over 40, will also be in attendance.

The 2007 Class completed their three-week training, conducted by Rooks County Economic Development, on October 17, 2007.  The seven participants were from the Rooks County communities of Palco, Plainville, and Stockton.

Economic Development Director Roger Hrabe conducted the training emphasizing servant leadership as part of a program originally funded by the Kansas Health Foundation to promote the development of leadership throughout Kansas.  Hrabe went through a two-year program to prepare for training other individuals and groups.

"Our goal is building leadership that focuses on making communities, groups, and organizations function better by understanding different learning styles, the importance of creating vision, and the importance of consensus and collaboration," Hrabe stated. "It used to be that a select few individuals in a community made the decisions that determined the direction that a community would take.  Today that model is no longer effective. We have to change if we are going to keep pace."

Members of the Vision 2007 class included Linda Roy Cross, Vince Williams, Jessica Schwab, Cindy Kriley, Lujeana Howell, Kandie Morain, and Vicki Novotny.