2023 Leadership Northwest Class Begins

Twenty-four women and men make up the 2023 class of Leadership Northwest Missouri, an annual series of sessions that bring together existing and emerging leaders from throughout a 19county region to discover and sharpen their leadership skills, explore regional issues, and build a network of contacts throughout Northwest Missouri.

The 2023 class began with a two-day retreat, January 18 and 19, at Conception Abbey. The participants will gather monthly for day-long sessions in varied locations throughout the region. The series concludes with a July 13 graduation celebration in Hamilton, Missouri.

Will we get 6 more weeks of winter?

For interesting facts about Ground Hog Day, see page 7

Members of the 2023 class and the 14 counties they represent are: Jenna Keyes, Andrew County; Brooke Vette, Melissa Williamson and Kamron Woodring, Atchison County; Alexander Murray, Carrie Watkins and April Wood, Buchanan County; Dr. John Nab, Caldwell County; Jeffrey Martin, Carroll County; Chad Howerton, Clinton

County; RaCail King, Daviess County; Laura Almquist and Shawna Dye, Gentry County; Cole Soptic and Becky Vandevender, Grundy County; Sarah Williamson, Harrison County; Lee Ann Blazer and Adam Summers, Holt County; Kerry Savage, Livingston County; Lisa Colson, Mercer County; and DeAnn Davison, Kelsi Meyer, Ian Myers and Dr. Machelle Skinner, Nodaway County.

Leadership Northwest Missouri has become the catalyst for identifying, training and connecting the leaders of our region and is a pathway for effective leadership for generations to come. There is a deliberate focus on fostering a sense of ownership for the region – that we have interdependent roles and we depend on each other for the progress and success of Northwest Missouri.

Here are comments from some of our 2023 participants:

“LNWMO was such an amazing experience. Not only do you get to learn more about leadership and yourself, you get to meet

The

Lisa Colson, April Wood and John Nab; sixth row Chad Howerton, Carrie Watkins, Brooke Vette and Kelsi Meyer; seventh row Jeffrey Martin, DeAnn Davison and Cole Soptic; and back row Adam Summers and Kamron Woodring.

[See Leader, Page 2] a group of amazing people. Deb, Tim, The Board, and most importantly your class. You immediately form a new