Growing Local: Emerging Leaders Graduates First Cohort

"One of the biggest ways to impact a community is to focus on leadership development.

There is great potential in this group of energetic up-and-coming leaders," says one of the educators who led a program in southwest Minnesota that recently graduated its first cohort of 14 participants.

The Southwest Initiative Foundation's Growing Local: Emerging Leaders program supports emerging leaders in southwest Minnesota and is a partnership with University of Minnesota Extension, per a press release.

Cohort participants included Ben Dempcy, Granite Falls; Marissa Brown, Lamberton; Hsa Mu and Joyce Tofte, Marshall; Khrystyna Lupkes, Round Lake; Olivia Maertens, Spicer; KaZoua Thao and Ambar Travino, Tracy; Maria Munoz and John Salgado Maldonado, Willmar; Laura Estudillo Craviotto, Windom; and Than Than Kyaw, Maria Peters, and Suree Sompamitwong, Worthington.

They met monthly from April to September and discussed leadership development topics including self-awareness, strengths, teamwork, board governance, community readiness, cultural insights, committee effectiveness, conflict resolution, and inclusion, per the press release.

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