Putnam County Leadership Academy graduates 2021 cohort

The 2021 cohort of the Putnam County Leadership Academy includes (from front left) Program Facilitator Karen Nelson Heavin, Travis Nees, Brooke Trissel, Sarah Bright, Samantha Cooper and Kelly Russ, along with, (back) Brian Cook, Joshua Miller, Kevin Lishka, Ben Hogan, Debbie Anderson, Grant Seidler and Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center Executive Director Kristin Clary. Not pictured is Rob Frank.

Banner Graphic/BRAND SELVIA

The culmination of 11 weeks of discussion and getting out into the community, the Putnam County Leadership Academy celebrated the graduation of its 2021 cohort with a ceremony at Tiger Pointe Country Club Monday afternoon.

The cohort includes the following: Debbie Anderson, Hendricks Power Cooperative; Sarah Bright, North Salem State Bank; Brian Cook, Putnam County Comprehensive Services; Samantha Cooper, Abstract & Title of Putnam County; Rob Frank, Greencastle Fire Department; Ben Hogan, DePauw University; Kevin Lishka and Travis Nees, Crown Equipment Corp.; Joshua Miller and Grant Seidler, Ascena Retail Group; Kelly Russ, Putnam County EMS; and Brooke Trissel, Putnam County Hospital.

In her remarks, Program Facilitator Karen Nelson Heavin provided that she did not “teach” the cohort as it tackled a variety of topics, including different leadership styles, economic structures and getting involved. Most importantly, she said, they all learned from each other.

“This class loved group discussions, and those discussions allowed for providing viewpoints to be shared, belief systems to be challenged and new thoughts to emerge,” Heavin said.

Heavin said the purpose of the Leadership Academy is two-fold, in that it is not focused solely on leadership itself, but also on immersion within the community. As such, the cohort met and interacted with local leaders and learned about organizations and their needs.

In his own remarks, Hogan said it was a “great culture shock” when he moved here from Milwaukee, Wis., about five years ago. He nonetheless found connections through DePauw and then Greencastle, and participating in the leadership academy further underscored this.

“Though I’m not sure that my full appreciation for the town began until enrolling in the Leadership Academy, meeting my peers in the program and the hardworking community members serving the residents in this area, I simply was not aware of all the organizations seeking to improve the quality of life in Putnam County with the breadth of their offerings.”

Equally important, Hogan said, was the opportunity to connect regularly with those in the cohort, and to learn about their businesses and organizations, their challenges and about them as individuals.

Also commenting on the occasion, Russ connected such opportunities through the Leadership Academy with how her generation has seen rapid change, both good and bad. One of those changes, she provided, is seeing anyone in a leadership position being “legitimate.”

“It is more important than ever for programs like this one to encourage the new generation of leaders, and the current generation of leaders, on how to unite for a common cause instead of segregating for their own agenda,” Russ said.

Businesses and organizations interested in learning more about the Leadership Academy may email 67pcla@gmail.com or contact Heavin at 765-721-4488. The 2022 cohort is scheduled to meet from Feb. 23 to May 11.