Leadership development group completes inaugural year

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Note: Travis Fischer is both reporting on and is a participant in the leadership development program.

The Charles City Leadership Development program graduated its first class of community leaders on Wednesday, May 8.

Once a month for the last nine months, 13 sponsored participants representing employees from some of Charles City’s most prominent businesses have met to learn from professional development speakers and explore different aspects of the community.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” said community development director Mark Wicks, who spearheaded the program through the Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce.

The leadership program was inspired by a trip taken by Wicks and city council member DeLaine Freeseman to the Iowa Leadership Exchange in 2022. From that conference, they brought back an idea of how to bolster a new generation of community involvement.

For several years now, Wicks says he has heard from non-profit and volunteers organizations about the struggle they have had finding new people to join and take the lead on community projects and events. At the same time, area employers have recognized difficulty in finding employees with the management and supervisory skills to advance into leadership positions.

To address this leadership gap, the chamber worked in collaboration with NIACC, Floyd County Extension, the Charles City Community School District, the Chamber Education Committee, and several major employers in the area to create a new community development program dedicated to teaching people about leadership and the community.

Participants in the program were able to join at no cost thanks to sponsors, who either selected a specific individual for a seat or offered a scholarship to be used by anybody in the community.

The program began in September, with each monthly session focused on a different theme involving the community. Local history, education, healthcare, government services, tourism, industrial manufacturing, and area non-profit clubs were all featured over the nine month course, giving the group an opportunity to learn about all the different parts of Charles City that make things happen.

“As a born and raised Charles Citian, I thought I knew all there was to know about Charles City, but learned so much about its history and even more about events and what the town has to offer,” said participant Tonya Nosbisch. “The leadership experience has nudged me to volunteer and join groups I never would have. It also gave me an opportunity to network with a great inaugural class.”

Sessions also included professional speakers, who helped the group develop leadership and teambuilding skills through various demonstrations, discussions, and activities.

“I learned we are all leaders in our own ways,” said participant Chris Rimrod. “It’s important that you follow through with what you do best and implement it.”

Along with the monthly session, participants were also encouraged to put their newfound knowledge about Charles City to use by accruing at least ten hours of volunteering in the community. From one-off events like taking down holiday lights at Central Park to becoming regularly involved in a volunteer program, participants were able to find ways to become involved in the community in a way that suits them best.

“The leadership program introduced us to places, organizations and people in Charles City, allowing us to see where we could volunteer our time and talents while giving us skills to take back to our work organizations,” said participant Jill Whitesell.

“I think this program was a great way to not only get to know the community, but also realize how important and impactful a program like this could be,” said participant Taylor Cutsforth.

“That was the hope,” said Wicks. “To get people more involved in the community.”

Wednesday’s session marked the final session for the program, meeting at the Charles City Arts Center and taking a tour of several downtown businesses before moving to the public library for a special presentation from famed Charles City and UNI wrestling coach Jim Miller, who shared his philosophy on motivation and action with the group.

The program officially closed with a special guest speaker, Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, whose work with the Empower Rural Iowa Initiative helped launch this kind of program. Gregg made a trip up to Charles City to congratulate the participants for completing the nine month course.

“Thank you for taking the time to invest in your future and your personal development,” said Gregg. “I think investing in leadership is a difference-maker in communities.”

Mayor Dean Andrews was also on hand to pass out certificates and thank the participants for making the effort to become more involved in the community.

“I hope that it has improved your enthusiasm to be a leader,” said Andrews. “I hope you learned about Charles City, but also that you want to be a part of Charles City.”

With the inaugural program complete, Wicks is collecting feedback from the participants on what they enjoyed, what could be worked on and how the program has affected how they view the community.

“I loved my experience in the program,” said participant Michael Drewelow. “It provided me with the tools to grow as a leader as well as a member of the community.”

“The leadership group was an excellent opportunity that I’m glad I participated in,” said participant Ashley Dittmer.

Wicks expects to see the program continue with a second group next fall, saying that businesses have already expressed an interest in sponsoring more participants.

“Everybody sees a need for this,” said Wicks. “You can make a difference at home or at work or in the community in general.”