Organization

Leadership Portsmouth is a community educational program established in 1990 to help build and enhance the community of Portsmouth by developing the talents, tapping the energies, and harnessing the resources of our region's present and future leaders. Leadership Portsmouth recognizes that the economic health of our community is linked to the vitality of Portsmouth and to the opportunities afforded all its citizens. Leadership enables and helps forge new collaborative efforts that have a lasting and positive impact on their personal and professional lives and on our community.

Purpose

The future of Scioto County depends upon well-informed and involved leadership. Leadership Portsmouth is a comprehensive program that stimulates community involvement among individuals who will guide Scioto County into the next century. The program goals are to:

• Identify existing and potential community leaders, and encourage them to focus on the issues that face Scioto County and its position in the region and the state.

• Instill in these leaders an understanding of "trusteeship", a sense of personal responsibility for the well-being of our community.

• Encourage the development of leadership and creative problem-solving skills in a highly interactive environment.

• Develop networking and team-building opportunities.

Over 100 individuals have already graduated form leadership Portsmouth and are active leaders in our community. If you are interested in serving others, being pro-active in creating solutions for our community, have skills that can help groups work together, and are willing to grow and develop your leadership potential, then you are an excellent candidate for Leadership.

Program Highlights

Leadership skills are developed most effectively through hands-on involvement rather than theory discussion or lecture formats. Leadership Portsmouth consists of a series of intensive monthly sessions designed to expose participants to a broad base of experiences. An array of economic, political, educational and social issues which affect the daily life and future of our community will be presented. Topics most frequently covered include:

Participants will meet with current leaders in government, business, education and development. This provides class members with the opportunity to explore critical concerns with those most experienced in community service. Sessions are also held at a variety of locations through our community to further enhance the Leadership experience.

Benefits

Leadership participants benefit by becoming more effective leaders both at work and in the community. They learn how to build working partnerships to get things done in a challenging and changing environment. They establish important personal and business relationships with other leaders from diverse professional, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Employers benefit by having an optimistic and informed employee who can exercise collaborative leadership to create a healthier, more successful organization. They also benefit from establishing business associations within the alumni network.

The Community at large benefits by having a large number of community-minded leaders skilled at addressing today's complex problems with insight and compassion. Equipped with insight and understanding form exploring our community's traditions, a Leadership graduate is able to capture and utilize the strengths of our community and open doors to creative partnerships and initiatives.

Our Mission

Leadership Portsmouth, Inc. is an organization of area leaders concerned with citizens. Members are all graduates of the Leadership Portsmouth Program, which focuses on community leadership, education, and development. In concert with the Chamber of Commerce the organization acts as an agent or catalyst to instill pride in the community and to spur economic development.

Leadership Portsmouth is a proactive group with an optimistic view of the community. It should serve as a recruitment tool for new Chamber members interested in positive change. The organization is concerned with both internal and external factors and related strategic planning, which is essential to the citizens and the economy of the community. Members are committed to the need to locate new investors and venture capital for the area and to act on innovative ideas that have merit.

The organization is equally committed to the need to recognize, reflect, and describe the positive attributes and advantages to living and working in the greater Portsmouth area. The organization believes that the area can experience a higher quality of living in both urban and rural settings. The organization also believes the area can be more widely recognized for its service industries, agencies, businesses, education, and prospects for increased tourism. The organization further believes that the physical environment, including landscape and climate, and the work ethic of the citizens provide an ideal opportunity for economic growth, social development, and cultural diversity.

For more information, contact Lisa Carver at the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce,
(740) 353-7647.