By Carol Leish
On November 18, at the Ventura city Hall, the graduation of the 2015 Ventura Leadership, through the Ventura Commerce & Education Foundation of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce, took place.
“Participants have gained responsibility in order to lead by example; to pass it on to others; and, to develop relationships,” according to Stephanie Calwell, CEO of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. “Thanks to, Lola Herrera, for recruiting participants. She put her heart and soul into Leadership Ventura. Leadership will be a stepping stone for all of you.”
Thanks go to The Greek Mediterranean Steak and Seafood, at the Ventura Harbor, and to owners, Lynn and Mikelton, for hosting the event.
Mary Jarvis provided personal reflections of the Leadership Ventura program. She emphasized that, “The graduating leaders have been/will continue to be dedicated and passionate in their endeavors.”
During Leadership Ventura’s year of acquiring knowledge, Relly Nadir, showed participants the importance of being able to understand Emotional Intelligence in being able to learn about themselves, and to learn more about their relationships with others. He emphasized the importance of being, ‘smart,’ by showing others that, “We are all smart by gaining self-awareness; mastering the moment in order to become empowered; analyzing situations; recharging; and, teamwork.” Through giving the Myers Brigg test, Naidr enabled participants to learn more about their emotional intelligence by gaining depth about themselves and others.
Leadership Ventura took participants on various themed days once a month for a year. These included: government day; arts and culture day; media day; regional and commerce day; a health and human serves of Ventura County day; military and harbor day; education day; and, a government day.
Amber Stevens introduced the Leadership Class of 2015 and their team projects.
Team 1: City Transitional Living, director Jim Duran, for individuals needing a temporary living place and guidance due to personal circumstances, had, Deborah Lofthouse, Terry McBreen and Rick Jeffrey. The team did a family mural project with children at the site on a wall next to the playground.
Team 2: Tender Life Maternity Home had Jann Huling, Phil Chandler, and Fermin Cortez. “ASAP Painting helped us to repaint walls within the home,” according to Chandler. “We realized the importance of this place by providing a safe haven for pregnant women.” Tender Life Maternity Home, with director Karen Johnson, just celebrated their 30 year anniversary on September 30.
Congratulations to all Leadership Ventura 2015 participants for continuing to make a difference within the community. As the future continues to be in all of the team members hands, the 2015 graduating class, who all got impressive plaques, will be mentors for the 2016 Leadership Ventura group. To become involved in the upcoming class, please contact the Ventura Chamber of Commerce at 643-7222; or through their website at, www.venturachamber.com. Remember that the future is totally within our hands. We can all make a positive difference.
