Local leadership training takes off

Rachel Dorroh • October 24, 2023

Leadership Tri-County's Class of 2024 during orientation.

The Leadership Tri-County (LTC) training program is back in session for the first time since the pandemic began, this time with the largest class to date. For the next nine months, the 30 individuals selected for the 2024 cohort will develop the skills, knowledge, and collaborative network needed to better serve Knox, Laurel, and Whitley counties now and in the future.

One of the new cohort members, Maisie Nelson, is the Executive Director of Development and Communications at Union College. “I’m excited to see, especially after we graduate in June, how we continue to network and work together,” she says.

Union’s president, Dr. Marcia Hawkins, says she encouraged Nelson to apply for the program because of her dedication to the Appalachian region and her collaborative spirit.

“What Maisie learns through membership in Leadership Tri-County, and the relationships she builds, will serve this region and Union very well,” Hawkins says.

Each month, the class of 2024 will gather to learn about a different topic and the regional opportunities and challenges related to it. This month, the group focused on law and justice. Future topics include economic development, health and human services, government, education, tourism, and finally, communication and media.

Additionally, the cohort will host a leadership day for local high school sophomores in February. This collaborative community service project is a way for the cohort to creatively practice what they are learning while building their working relationships with one another.

Nelson says she looks forward to deepening her understanding of how cohort members can “tap into each other's strengths” to serve the Tri-County area.

“I think it's very important, as an educational institution, for Union to be involved with leadership and development opportunities for our area,” Nelson says. “If we can design programs and educational opportunities which cater to the needs of our community and encourage individuals to choose to reside and work within our region, rather than seeking opportunities elsewhere, that's truly beneficial.”

Nelson graduated from Union in 2011 with a bachelor’s in mass communication. Soon after, she landed her dream job of tv news anchor and later moved to Lexington to continue her career. Once she started a family, she decided to transition to communications and marketing work and ultimately chose to return to Union in 2019.

“It’s home,” she says, recalling the immediate sense of belonging she felt when she first visited the campus as a high school junior.

For Nelson and other members of the cohort, the Leadership Tri-County training is personal as well as professional.

“I work in Barbourville. My family lives in Corbin. I have kids in the Corbin school system. And so I absolutely want them to grow up in an area that is flourishing and growing and is diverse,” Nelson says. “We planted our roots.”

Nelson is one of seven members of the 2024 cohort who graduated from Union with either bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Other Union alumni are as follows: Kristi Campbell Burnett ’04, Cierra Gibson ’21, Jacqueline Brown Pillay ’01, Hannah Sizemore ’21, Jennifer Skidmore ’97, and Ryan Yother ’20.

Leadership Tri-County was established in 1987 as a non-profit organization dedicated to identifying and developing leaders in Knox, Laurel, and Whitley counties and fostering collaboration amongst them. Inspired by the statewide leadership network Leadership Kentucky, LTC’s signature training program recruits individuals who demonstrate leadership potential and commitment to the region and who represent diverse professions and life experiences.

This year’s sponsors for the program are AdventHealth and Union College. Sponsors offer various levels of support and share Leadership Tri-County’s mission of serving the communities of Southeastern Kentucky.

Applications for next year’s leadership training program will open in May 2024. To learn more about applying or becoming a sponsor, see the Leadership Tri-County website at leadershiptrico.org. Or, contact Jordyne Carmack at jordyne@jordynecarmack.com or (606) 224-5949.

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