Northern Colorado is morphing into an area with regional potential, population and challenges.  Leadership with a regional perspective will be essential for a positive vision of our future. With that in mind, Leadership Northern Colorado launched in 2010 and now has over 175 graduates of the program.

A joint initiative of the Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland Chambers of Commerce, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County, this six-month interactive development program will focus on regional issues, regionalism and regional leadership skills.  The program is designed to educate and motivate leaders who are committed to shaping the future of our region. 

2016 Leadership Northern Colorado Class Members Announced

Thirty-seven current and emerging leaders were recently selected to participate in the 2016 Leadership Northern Colorado program.  The group is a diverse mix of professions with representative from education, large and small business, not for profit and government. 

Leadership Northern Colorado, a joint initiative of the Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland Chambers of Commerce, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and WeldCounty, is designed to build human capacity and to identify, define and address the issues facing the Northern Colorado region.

“The selection committee had a tremendous task when they were asked to select our seventh class.  We had fantastic applications for the program and as a result, have an outstanding class,” said Ann Hutchison, executive vice president of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce.

The 2016 Leadership Northern Colorado Class members are:

Jennifer Anderson, Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.

Kate Baker, Brinkman Partners

Ben Barnhart, Larimer Humane Society

Michael Bello, The CPI Group

Kelly Bernish, City of Fort Collins

Cris Carter, Cris Carter Law

Carol Cochran, Horse & Dragon Brewing Company

Lindsey Corcoran, Jet Marketing

Pilar DeJesus, City of Greeley - CPRD

Dexter Degre, The Group, Inc., Real Estate

Honore Depew, City of Fort Collins

Ben Fletcher, Legacy Financial Group

Alex Gordon, North Front Range MPO

Allison Hines, United Way of LarimerCounty

Chad Howell, City of Greeley

Kristy         Klenk, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado

James Kuemmerle, JeffersonCenter for Mental Health

Maribeth Lunn, Employer Solutions Group

Erik Margolis, Columbine Health Systems

Kim Martin, FMS Bank

Mary McCaffrey, First National Denver

Timiry McCaskell, Dora Grace Bridal

Audrey McElwain, Project Self-Sufficiency

Jonas McKinley, UCHealth Plan Administrators

Mark Miller, Kaiser Permanente

Angela Penland, First National Bank

Richard Ricchiuti, zebrajellyfish.com LLC

Nick Roe, Flood and Peterson

Jean Runyon, Front RangeCommunity College

Michael Six, Banner Health

Julie Smith, AimsCommunity College

Christi Smith, United Way of WeldCounty

Anna Smoot, UCHealth - PVH and MCR Foundation

Michelle Sulek, Elevations Credit Union

Kelly Unger, Town of Windsor

Susan Walker, ACE

Emily Wilson, Innosphere

The class members will begin their experience at the Leadership Northern Colorado Kick Off Event on December 1 at the Budweiser Event Center.  The Kick Off Event is open to the public and will feature comments by University of Northern Colorado President Kay Norton and Leadership Northern Colorado grad and recently elected member of the Loveland City Council Leah Johnson. 

Registration is available at www.FortCollinsChamber.com.  The first all day class session for the class participants will be on January 26.  The program is a six-month interactive development program that will be focused on regional issues, regionalism and regional leadership skills.  The program is designed to educate and motivate leaders who are committed to shaping the future of our region.

Leadership Northern Colorado Kick Off Event Slated for December 1

The business community is invited to join Leadership Northern Colorado for their kick off event starting at 11:30am on Tuesday, December 1 at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland. Regionalism and Leadership are central issues for the area.  Community members and LNC Alumni are invited to learn about this important topic and to meet the 2016 Leadership Northern Colorado class.   Featured speakers at the Kick Off Event include University of Northern Colorado President Kay Norton and Leadership Northern Colorado grad and recently elected member of the Loveland City Council Leah Johnson.  Registration is available at (970) 482-3746 or online at www.FortCollinsChamber.com.  Ticket Prices are $25/person. 

A joint initiative of the Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland Chambers of Commerce, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County, Leadership Northern Colorado was established to build human capacity and to identify, define and address the issues facing the Northern Colorado region.  The 2016 Program is being sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and Banner Health.

2016 Leadership Northern Colorado Applications Available

Leadership Northern Colorado is now accepting applications for the 2016 Leadership Northern Colorado (LNC) class.

Graduates of local leadership programs and individuals in leadership positions in their organizations desiring to make a long term impact on the region are encouraged to apply. Thirty current and emerging leaders from throughout the region will be selected to participate in the 2016 program, which will begin in January and conclude in June.  Participants will come together on the fourth Tuesday of the month for a day-long session to learn about public governance, land use and infrastructure, education and workforce, economic development and regional leadership.

The tuition for the six-month program is $750 and includes all meals, session materials and graduation recognition.  The 2016 program application can be found under the application tab or by clicking HERE. The application deadline is Wednesday, October 28 at 5 p.m.  Applications should be sent by email to LeaderNoCo@fcchamber.org

What does the 2016 program look like? 
•Six-month program – January 26, 2016 to June 28, 2016
•Fourth Tuesday of each month, 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
•Classroom and tour-based instruction The tuition for the six-month program is $750 and includes all meals, session materials and graduation recognition.

What topics will be addressed? 
•Public Governance •Land Use and Infrastructure •Education and Workforce •Economic Development •Regional Leadership

Who Should Apply? As Leadership Northern Colorado functions as an extension of local Leadership programs, graduates of Leadership Fort Collins, Leadership Loveland and Leadership Weld County are encouraged to apply. In addition, individuals who are leaders within their own organizations, and who desire to make a long-term impact on the region, should also apply. Only 30 individuals will be selected to participate.

Are Scholarships Available?  Yes. You can download a scholarship application here.

More Information? Contact the Leadership Northern Colorado hotline at (970) 682-3562 or LeaderNoCo@fcchamber.org.

2015 Leadership Northern Colorado Prepares for Graduation
Public and alumni invited to attend presentation on leadership

The sixth Leadership Northern Colorado (LNC) class will soon complete their six month program and LNC alumni and the public are invited to celebrate the class accomplishments and to learn more about leadership at a breakfast  featuring keynote speaker Jim Davidson, a Fort Collins climber, who was on Mount Everest when the recent earthquakes tragically struck Nepal. His intense reporting, photos and videos from Everest were closely covered by CNN, CBS, BBC, ABC and other news agencies. Jim is a resilience expert, a professional speaker, a best-selling author (The Ledge) and an expedition leader with 33 years of experience climbing around the world.

The event will be from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on June 23 at WindsongEventCenter, 2901 Saddler Blvd, outside of Fort Collins. Sponsored by Banner Health Services, Kaiser Permanente, Public Service Credit Union and Austin's American Grill, the event provides a great way for Alumni and the community to reconnect to the program and will raise funds to provide scholarships to future class participants.  Registration is $25 and available at www.FortCollinsChamber.com.  Registration includes breakfast and the keynote presentation by Davidson.

Join the current class and the over 150 graduates of the LNC program to learn about Davidson’s experiences and vision.

High-altitude climbing expeditions require every team member to be tenacious, perseverant and dedicated. When circumstances get really dire, resilient leadership is the catalyst that energizes the team’s safety and success. From his recent Everest experience, Jim Davidson will share resilient leadership strategies for when a tough crisis emerges or a big opportunity materializes.

Leadership Northern Colorado, a joint initiative of the Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland chambers of commerce, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and WeldCounty, is designed to build human capacity and to identify, define and address the issues facing the Northern Colorado region.

The Leadership Northern Colorado program will end June 23 with a final class session and graduation by the 29 participants. The class ran from January through June 2015.

The 2015 Leadership Northern Colorado participants are:

Kim Akeley-Charron, Thompson Education Foundation
Stacey Aurzada, City Attorney's Office, City of Greeley
Clay Bartlett, Coan, Payton & Payne, LLC
Beth Bishop, The Group, Inc.
Katie Bowers, PVH and MCR Foundation
Jennifer Bray, Cornerstone Home Lending, Inc.
Gina DiGiallonardo, Columbine Health Systems
Chris  Donegon, City of Fort Collins
Cash Freeman, RBC Wealth Management
Laura Hoover, Roots Real Estate
Stacy Johnson, Town of Windsor
Leah Johnson, JD Consulting
Todd Karl, US Bank
Dan Klith, Liberty Mutual Insurance
Amy Kolczak, University of Colorado Health
Christine Lotz, Public Service Credit Union
Gregory Miedema, NOCO HBA
Rand E. Morgan, The Community Foundation Serving Greeley & Weld County
Michael Nagl, Warren Federal Credit Union
Joy Nyenhuis, Junior Achievement
Heidi Phelps, City of Fort Collins
Carol Salter, Banner Health
Leah Schaer, Aims Community College
Kirk Silos, Pelican Lakes Country Club
Kerry Slater, Banner Health
Shawn Sullivan, The Neenan Company
Pamela Sunderman, Kaiser Permanente
Ashley Ann Valenzuela-Ruesgen, Aims Community College
Marcy Yoder, United Way of LarimerCounty

About Leadership Northern Colorado

Leadership Northern Colorado is a program developed and designed through collaboration of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, Loveland Chamber of Commerce, Greeley Chamber of Commerce, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and WeldCounty. The regional development program is designed to build human capacity and to identify, define and address the issues facing the Northern Colorado region. The six-month interactive program for 30 select leaders from across the region will focus on regional issues, regionalism and regional leadership skills. For more information, visit www.LeadershipNorthernColorado.com.