The class of 2009-2010 had a fantastic kick-off and opening retreat! A huge thank you to Mosaic for the use of their facilities. We had special presentations on generational differences and managing our stress and our conflicts. Below are some photos from the event.
A team builder: constructing something while blindfolded and led with verbal instructions from a team member
The board of Leadership Hillsborough met for their annual retreat on Saturday, July 11th to address an unprecidented challenge; how to react to the probability that many organizations may not be able to afford to send employees to our program. Over twenty board members traveled to the Sirianni family cattle ranch in Northern Pasco County for the annual meeting to select seminar and committee participants and to discuss the upcoming class year.
The economic crisis was addressed earlier in the year by the curriculum committee, chaired by Rachel Roman. She presented a proposal at the June board meeting that would significantly alter the traditional LH format by providing half-day seminars and cutting the registration fee by more than $500. The proposal was approved and the board decided to ask incoming seminar chairs to manage the new guidelines with their committees.
Following a brief meeting that included the introduction of several new board members, the seminar and board committee chair and co-chair selection process was conducted. The group then participated in a brain-storm session to document the experiences associated with each seminar during the previous year. Incoming Chairperson Michelle Van Dyke facilitated the session and will summarize and communicate the results so that seminar committees can benefit from the feedback that was generated.
A barbecue lunch and social time were the rewards for the hard work that took place in the morning. Thanks to past chairperson Drew Sirianni for once again providing the luxurious, relaxing facility for the retreat. New board member Patsy Madrazo experienced one of the unique aspects of driving through a cattle ranch when she encountered a cow blocking the drive on her way in. “I honked, but the cow didn’t move!” announced a shaken Madrazo. Veteran board member Mitzi Minor, who appeared to have already consumed a portion of the lunch that she was delivering when she arrived, advised Patsy to inch toward the cattle when such events take place. “If your foot slips off the brake, it just means that Drew’s kids eat steak for a month.”
Images from Board Retreat:
The Leadership Hillsborough Class of 2008-09 completed their schedule of activities by attending the annual graduation ceremony, held on June 11, 2009 at the Tampa Club. Following a keynote address from Michael Kilgore, Vice President of Marketing and Customer Experiences at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, qualifying class members were presented framed diplomas by LH Chairperson, Sharon Hastings. Class members with perfect attendance for the year were recognized with specially-colored ribbons on their diplomas.
“The Tampa Club continues to be one of the premier sites in Tampa to hold this event and is a wonderful setting to honor the success of such an acclaimed group of community leaders” exclaimed Drew Sirianni, past Chairperson, who remarked that he was attending his sixth LH graduation.
Incoming Chairperson, Michelle Van Dyke, presented Sharon Hastings a framed photograph that had been signed by members of the 2008-09 Board of Directors in appreciation for her service as Chairperson. “Sharon represents all of the good things that Leadership Hillsborough stands for and we have all benefited from her leadership” remarked Van Dyke during the stirring presentation that was followed by a lengthy standing ovation.
Leadership Hillsborough Alum Robert Roman Considered One of Florida’s Best Paddlers.
Board member Robert Roman takes sports seriously. He’s an avid runner, cyclist, golfer and has been a competitive triathlete. He is also one of the many LH alumnae that are members of Tampa-area dragon boat teams. Mitzi Minor, Kenji Plennert, Rahel Roman, Chip Whitworth, Shelly Aubuchon, Kenna Gonzalez, Drew Sirianni and Mark Downing are all involved in the sport.
You’ve probably already heard some of the talk that inevidably comes up whenever the dragon boat team members get together. You know that the TECO team does well locally, regionally and even nationally. What you may not be aware of is the fact that Robert … and a small group of Florida dragon boaters, were recently asked to participate in qualifications to select a US national team, called Team USA.
World Championships for dragon boating are held every two years in major cities throughout the world. In 2008, Sydney, Australia hosted the event and Team USA took the prize for best overall and won the coveted men’s premier 500m race with a world-record time. Based in Philadelphia, Team USA is composed almost exclusively of paddlers from that area, with a few pro-level paddlers thrown in from California and New York. The 2009 Championships are being held at the end of August in Prague, Czech Republic.
Florida dragon boat teams, led by the two TECO teams, have become noticed on a national level after beating a number of Canadian and mixed national teams in Florida Dragon Boat festivals. Bob Macnamara, Director of the Temple University Emergency Medicine Department and head coach of Team USA traveled to Tampa in May to conduct time trials to select paddlers who were good enough to “knock off” his Philadelphia-based crew members.
Robert, Chip and about 25 other Florida paddlers participated in the time trials, which involved paddling a single-seat outrigger canoe down a 500m course on Garrison Channel behind the Marriott Waterside hotel. While both Robert and Chip had excellent times compared with the rest of the field, Robert was among the eight paddlers asked to travel to Philadelphia for a “second look.” Robert ultimately decided not to continue the process after learning that he may be selected as an alternate since his time would have to be dramatically better than the Philadelphia paddlers in his age group to displace one of them. His accomplishment, however, places him in a very elite group within the North American paddling community.
Robert is now eyeing the 2011 World Championships, which will be held right here in Tampa. “It would be the ultimate honor to represent the United States in a world-class event, right here in my own home town, in front of my family and friends.” After his excellent qualifying performance for the 2009 World Championships, Robert is almost certainly going to be wearing a red, white and blue jersey on the Team USA boat!
Sharon Hastings, Chairman, Leadership Hillsborough
Hello, my name is Sharon Hastings, I am the Chairman of Leadership Hillsborough’s Board of Directors.
On seminar days we have the opportunity to meet with company Presidents, CEO’s, three-star Generals, Judges and leaders of the major industries in Hillsborough County. Our seminar days will include visits to local hospitals, courts, jails, Tampa International Airport, MacDill Air Force Base, museums and emergency service facilities.
Our seminar days, opening retreat and mid-year retreat will provide class members with an opportunity to network with other leaders, alumni and Board members of Leadership Hillsborough.
Our curriculum is designed to increase your understanding of the major businesses and industries within Hillsborough County and help you develop your own leadership skills.
I invite you to return often to this newsletter Blog as we post reports on our seminars, provide news on upcoming seminars and contribute articles to help us grow our leadership skills.
Stacey Roussel, WEDU & Linda Oberhaus, Naples Shelter (both Class of 2007)
In September of 2007, two Leadership Hillsborough Alumni, Stacey Roussel and Linda Oberhaus (Class of 2007) landed in New Delhi, India as part of a sixteen member delegation from the Patel Foundation for Global Understanding’s Savita Society, a women and children’s empowerment program. The fourteen day trip was a tour de force across the Indian subcontinent visiting a variety of projects funded by the Patel Foundation and Tampa Bay community as well as several local Indian organizations. Stacey served as the past Chair of the Savita Society, and helped to arrange several of the group’s visits. About the trip, Stacey said, “We simply cannot afford to ignore the problems facing women and children around the world, or in Tampa Bay for that matter. They are too precious and our world is too interconnected.”
“As an advocate for social change and a proponent of equality and peace,” Linda adds, “I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that one in three women globally will be beaten, raped, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime. This statistic is one in four in the United States. These statistics are alarming and clearly demonstrate the pressing need for social change initiatives to address issues of violence and oppression both locally and globally.”
Among other projects, the group traveled to Chennai, located near the tip of India, to visit a village the Tampa Bay community helped to rebuild after the Tsunami disaster. Because the Tsunami hit in the middle of the day, many of the men were out fishing and perished in the water. With funds from the Tampa Bay community a new school, orphanage and women’s home were built – all on one campus creating a family like atmosphere. The campus is sprinkled with marble plaques recognizing the generosity of the Patel Foundation and Tampa Bay community.
The trip concluded in Mota Fafolia, Dr. Kiran Patel’s ancestral village. Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel joined the Foundation delegation to show off the incredible progress in the village including an impressive three story school building and sprawling campus, nearby hospital and hygienic toilet program. The capstone of the trip was launching a micro enterprise program in the village in partnership with local textile designers, the local government and finally Foundation monies and local expertise to benefit the women of Mota Fafolia and surrounding villages.
Linda said, “As leaders in our communities, it is important that we support social change initiatives both locally and globally that work to end violence, abuse, oppression and poverty. Only than can we hope to create peace and equality in the world.”
A public screening of the trip’s documentary will be at the USF School of Public Health on March 20. Stacey’s travel blog including photos and links to the organizations visited can be found at www.staceyroussel.blogspot.com <http://www.staceyroussel.blogspot.com/>
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