The 2020 class of Leadership Venango was met with an unexpected challenge in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn’t stop tomorrow’s leaders from pressing on and making use of technology to continue their journey.

Monthly in-person sessions transitioned to virtual meetings in early April. Each of the online sessions were held via Zoom, beginning on April 8 when the class discussed their current work/home situations, highlighted their biggest challenges through the public health crisis and shared the unique types of leadership they’ve encountered during such unprecedented times.

On April 29, Jeff Fowler, Senior Extension Educator of Horticulture for Penn State Extension, and Brittany Eisenman, Region 6 Organization Director for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, joined the group to emphasize the importance of agriculture in the region and how it connects to various local industries.

The class then met three consecutive weeks in May for brief, one-hour sessions to make up for the originally scheduled full-day activities.

Pete Eshelman, Director of the Roanoke Outside Foundation, kicked off the May series by detailing his experiences as a champion for leveraging resources to promote economic development and population growth in Roanoke, Virginia. Following Pete’s presentation, Ashley Sheffer of the Venango Chamber shared the story of Be Here, a Chamber initiative to show the opportunities to live, work and play in the Venango County area.

Some of those opportunities were discussed the following week when tourism was covered by Emily Altomare, Communications & Tourism Manager for the Oil Region Alliance, and Ronnie Beith, Events and Marketing Coordinator for the City of Franklin. The two gave insight on the area’s strengths and weaknesses in attracting visitors and identified the unique set of assets in and around Venango County that leaders can promote to boost tourism efforts.

Rounding out the presentations was Oil City Vineyard Pastor Charlie Cotherman. Cotherman pinpointed three types of leaders—skill-based, charismatic and title-driven—while also offering examples of strong leadership.

The class will use the remaining few weeks to complete group projects on improving communication across the community, education, and local businesses.

Each group will present their final project on June 10, immediately preceding a virtual graduation. To learn more about the program , visit leadershipvenango.org.

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s June 2020 VenangoWorks! Newsletter