The Ventura County Leadership Academy (VCLA), founded in 1994, delivers on its mission of connecting people and issues to strengthen our county by developing, educating and inspiring a diverse group of leaders who aspire to enhance the quality of life in Ventura County. The curriculum of the year-long Academy is delivered through ten full-day interactive sessions and exposes the cohort members to critical issues in the region as well as current leaders in their fields of expertise. One of the sessions takes place in Sacramento where the cohort is given a detailed overview of the legislative process and the opportunity to meet with government officials. Other session topics include education, public safety, health care, housing, transportation, economic development, arts, environment, infrastructure and agriculture. Cohort members also complete an immersion activity in the community; examples of past immersion activities reflect the diversity of the cohort members’ interests, such as a police ride along, shadowing an elected official, volunteering at a non-profit organization, and others.
VCLA infuses personal leadership development throughout the curriculum with the goal of ensuring that its graduates recognize that leadership is a relational process and that leading at any level within any organization is a choice one must intentionally make.
The members of this year’s cohort include:
Ashley Bautista, Community Outreach Specialist, City of Ventura Police Department
Carol Ramirez, Business Office Director, Vista Del Mar Hospital Kat Selm, Stewardship Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy
Monica White, President/CEO, FOOD Share
For more information about the Ventura County Leadership Academy please contact: Melissa Baffa (805) 665-3504 or [email protected].
