Local Leadership Initiative Celebrates Commencement

Murrells Inlet, SC, (February 15, 2010) — On Thursday, February 18, twenty of Horry and Georgetown Counties’ influential leaders will celebrate the completion of a year-long leadership initiative known as the Waccamaw American Leadership Forum (WALF). The dinner, scheduled for 6 PM at Brookgreen Gardens’ Pavilion Restaurant, will recognize regional leaders who participated in a series of monthly classes and programs, including a five- day wilderness experience run by North Carolina Outward Bound Professionals.

 

The American Leadership Forum's Waccamaw Chapter was launched by the Waccamaw Community Foundation and The Lee Institute with a $290,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Founded in 1980 and developed by The Lee Institute, ALF is a national nonprofit that aims to enhance community leadership through collaborative problem-solving.

 

“The Waccamaw Region is challenged by unseen geographic and demographic boundaries,” says Jonathan Kresken, President of the Waccamaw Community Foundation. “This initiative successfully united an impressive group of leaders and empowered them to tackle issues important to the entire Waccamaw region.”

 

The following individuals successfully completed the highly praised program and will join an active, nationwide network of more than one thousand ALF graduates.

  1. James W. Adamson – Medical Physician, Horry Medical Association
  2. Barbara Blain-Olds – Assistant City Administrator of Conway
  3. Natalie Pruitt – VP of Interactive Media The Sun News
  4. Brad Dean – President & CEO of Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce
  5. Dave DeCenzo – President of Coastal Carolina University
  6. Cindy Elsberry – Superintendent of Horry County Schools
  7. Annette Fisher – President, Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce
  8. Lynne Ford – United Way Director of Resource Development, Georgetown
  9. Liz Gilland – Chairwoman of Horry County
  10. Greg Hembree – Prosecuting Attorney, 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office
  11. Sel Hemingway – County Administrator, Georgetown County
  12. Jonathan Kresken – President and CEO of WCF
  13. Fred Richardson – CEO of Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority
  14. Myers Rollins, Jr. – Gen. Mgr./CEO Coast Regional Transportation Authority
  15. Geales Sands – Executive Director, Francis P. Bunnelle Foundation
  16. Bishop John Smith, Jr. – Greater Bibleway Church
  17. Dan Stacy – Law Offices Lumpkin, Oxner & Stacy, P.A.
  18. Harold Stowe – Chairman of The Waccamaw Community Foundation
  19. Andrew C. Tilmont – Chief Commercial Officer of Burroughs & Chapin Co.
  20. Dennis Wade – President and CEO of The Jackson Companies

 

Greg Hembree, Solicitor of the 15th Judicial Circuit and a participant, had this to say about the experience: “ALF provides a process that breaks down barriers, builds trust and leads to constructive community problem solving through better relationships. It has helped me be a better boss and public servant; and has given me twenty trusted friends.”

 

Dennis Wade, President and CEO of The Jackson Companies, shares Hembree’s enthusiasm: “Over the last year, the ALF experience has been nothing short of outstanding.  ALF provided new perspectives and tools to help me become a more effective leader, both professionally and personally. ALF also allowed me to develop new relationships and expand existing bonds with other business and community leaders from Horry and Georgetown counties.”

 

###

 

 

Additional Information

·The Lee Institute, a nonprofit entity, was created by the Lynnwood Foundation in 1997 to honor and replicate the example of community visionary, Bill Lee. The reality that collaboration builds strong communities is the defining principle of The Lee Institute.

·The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of the US communities where the Knight Brothers previously owned newspapers.

·Founded in 1999, the Waccamaw Community Foundation is a public charity that currently manages approx. $16.5 million in charitable assets. The organization's mission is to rally philanthropic resources for the purpose of building a stronger community and a better quality of life for the people of the Waccamaw Region.

 

 
American Leadership Forum