Leadership Clinton County - Class of 2026 graduate.
I completed the nine-month Leadership Clinton County program and graduated with the Class of 2026 on May 7, 2026.
My experience
I joined the 2025-2026 class in September 2025 and completed the full nine-month program. The class began with a two-day retreat focused on team building, personality assessments, and getting to know the people I would be learning alongside.
The experience gave me a much closer look at how Clinton County works. I met people responsible for public services, local government, education, health care, business, agriculture, infrastructure, media, and community organizations, then saw much of that work firsthand through tours and working sessions.
What the program covers
Leadership Clinton County is a program of the Clinton County Economic Partnership. It began in 2000 to develop local leaders, build useful professional and civic relationships, and help participants understand the county's institutions, needs, and opportunities.
The curriculum includes communication, public speaking, teamwork, meeting and group management, conflict resolution, fundraising, decision-making, and service on volunteer boards. Sessions also cover county history, health and human services, law enforcement, local government and elections, education, economic development, agriculture, environmental stewardship, and the media.
Learning in the county
Our class visited organizations and facilities throughout Clinton County. Tour Day included BHE GT&S, Bucktail Medical Center, and the Western Clinton County Municipal Authority. An agriculture and environmental session took us to Dotterer's Dairy, the Clinton County Conservation District, Wayne Township Landfill, and Pine Creek Seed Farm.
I graduated as one of 12 members of the Class of 2026 at a ceremony held May 7 at Haywood's on the Green. I carry that local knowledge into my board service, volunteer work, contracting business, and software projects.
Our team project
My team chose Sleep in Heavenly Peace for our community service project. We first joined a delivery day on October 11, 2025 and a public bed build on November 15. During lunch after the build, chapter president Laura Orndorf told us that the chapter needed more new twin bedding for the beds it was delivering.
I served as team leader and launched a holiday bedding drive on November 28. I created the campaign materials, coordinated pickups and drop-offs, and helped sort and deliver the donations. By December 24, our team had collected 92 bedding items worth $2,030 and $120 in cash. Our campaign posts were shared more than 200 times.
At a glance
- 01Leadership Clinton County Class of 2026 graduate
- 02Nine-month program completed from September 2025 through May 2026
- 03Leadership, communication, teamwork, and board-service training
- 04Led the Class of 2026 team holiday bedding drive for SHP
- 0592 bedding items collected with a total campaign value of $2,150
- 06Direct exposure to county government, education, health care, and business
- 07Facility tours across western Clinton County and local agriculture
- 08Local knowledge applied across civic, nonprofit, technology, and business work
Class of 2026
