Leadership Jefferson

Leadership Jefferson is a nine-month program designed to develop a diverse network of dedicated business and community leaders. Facilitated by a professional leadership team, the interactive workshops expose participants to local leaders and activists working to resolve critical issues facing Jefferson Parish. Specific session topics include education & workforce development, healthcare, civic & community engagement, criminal justice, equity & inclusion, economic development, and state government & advocacy.

Click Here For Class of 2024 Details

Class of 2024 Registration Ended on June 30, 2023.

The application process takes place each Summer and is a benefit for members of the Jefferson Chamber. A company must be a member of the Jefferson Chamber in order to submit an application. For further questions, please contact Melissa Chesterman at melissa@jeffersonchamber.org.

Program Overview

Opening Retreat

To facilitate the intense discussion and interaction we expect from program participants, we must allow them to develop a mutual respect and connection with each other. The opening retreat focuses on recognizing individual leadership abilities and their application in a team environment. During the overnight opening retreat, program participants engage in a full day and a half of sessions and enjoy a class dinner to end the first full day. This retreat is the start of learning new leadership skills, challenging their comfort zones, and forming new friendships.

The class learns about the Emergenetics of their brains and how we all work together as structural, analytical, social, or conceptual leaders and colleagues. Through activities and discussion, each class member learns more about how and why we act and react in various situations.

Quality of Life

This session bridges the Opening Retreat with the framework for the rest of the year. A trip to Westwego kicks off the first official session of the year with a focus on improving the quality of life and place in our parish. We invite Jefferson Parish government leaders to speak about ongoing and upcoming projects for various parts of the community, and we tour surrounding historical and arts museum galleries.

Healthcare

Economic Development

Education & Workforce Development

A panel is invited to field questions by participants on the growing concern of our national education system and how new bills/laws will affect us locally. A visit to a Jefferson Parish school rounds out the day. This day proves to increase the perspective and understanding of education and its direct relationship to the economic climate and workforce development of Jefferson Parish and our region.

Equity & Inclusion

Criminal Justice

A major challenge facing communities across the country is educating and informing citizens about our government and criminal justice systems. This session gives program participants an insight into our parish’s courts, law enforcement, and emergency operations. Historically, this session includes a behind the scenes tour of the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center and the JPSO Crime Lab.

Civic & Community Involvement

Closing Retreat

Graduation

What Leadership Jefferson Graduates are saying…

Leadership Jefferson has been a life-changing “table” experience. As I reflect on the difference that this cohort has done for me, my personal and professional experiences, I am thankful for the investment that’s been made in my life by Jefferson Parish Schools and the Jefferson Chamber, as I was given a seat at the table. Through Emergenetics, I recognized and honed in on my true leadership profile, and this enhanced my communication, collaboration, and ability to bring things to the table. As we culminated all of our experiences, we learned that it was okay to take something away from the table because everything that everyone brings means something to someone. As a result, I can emphatically, unequivocally, and unapologetically say that my leadership style and my life will never be the same.

– Dr. Gretchen Williams, Jefferson Parish Public School System
Leadership Jefferson Class of 2023

The Leadership Jefferson program was first class from start to finish. Every session was well planned, and the speakers and experiences were interactive, informative, and eye opening. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is looking to learn more about critical issues facing Jefferson Parish and to meet local leaders who are working to resolve them.

– Scott Lovitt, Audubon Care Homes
Leadership Jefferson Class of 2023

Being part of Leadership Jefferson’s Class of 2023 was a very rewarding, humbling experience. Over a nine-month period, you learn so much about our great parish. The speakers from our sessions gave us a deep dive into their respective areas, and you come out of this program with the ability to engage in conversations about the healthcare system, quality of life, economic development, and education, to say a few. Another big takeaway from Leadership Jefferson are the friendships and contacts that I will have forever. Thank you, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, for putting on this great program.

– Teri Tucker, Citizens National Bank
Leadership Jefferson Class of 2023

As someone who recently moved to Louisiana, the Leadership Jefferson program gave me the opportunity to see how as leaders, we can make a difference in our local community.

– Matt Dixon, New Orleans Saints & Pelicans
Leadership Jefferson Class of 2019

Leadership Jefferson Class of 2024

The 2024 class comprises a diverse group of business leaders from the community:

Stephen Abadie, Impetus
Semaj Allen-Raymond, Jefferson Parish Schools
Kevin Avery, Gretna Economic Development Association
Paula Belanger, Jefferson Ready Start Network
Kenny Belou, T. Baker Smith, LLC
Jim Blazek, Jr., Leaaf Environmental, LLC
Julie Borsch, New Orleans Saints and Pelicans
Katie Bourque, The Ehrhardt Group
Gary Brenner, Hannis T. Bourgeois
Carlos Calix, Ochsner Health
Elizabeth Cigali-Manshel, ITC Creative Branding, LLC
Anna Ciolino, Ciolino Drugs, DBA J.A.C. Pharmacy, LLC
Tamara Dioubate. Priority Health Care
Jacob Fisher, Jefferson Financial Federal Credit Union
Michele Fontenot, Peoples Health
Stephanie Fos, Bourgeois Bennett CPAs
Carlos Garcia, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce
Ashlyn H. Charbonnet, Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans
Christopher Harpster, New Orleans Saints and Pelicans
Claire Heckerman-Whitehead, Laureate Academy Charter School
Daphne Hernandez, OnPath Federal Credit Union
Meghan Holmes, True Title of Metairie, LLC
Kayla Jacob, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP
Rachael Johns, Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy
Wendy Jones, Jones Orthodontics
Shannalyn LaCroix, Citizens National Bank
Liz Lambert, Riess LeMieux
Quentin Marks, Red River Bank
Matt Morgan, Urban Systems, Inc.
Matt Nalls, LaPorte CPAs & Business Advisors
Patti Pannell, Gotcha Covered HR
Amelia Pellegrin, City of Gretna
Paula Polito, Beary Cherry Tree
Stacy Rhone, JEDCO
Darrell Rogers, Inclusivcare
Lauren Ruppel, Jefferson Parish Finance Authority
Dana Scardino, Primary Care Plus
Meggie Schmidt, Renaissance Publishing
Jim Schoen, Fidelity Bank
Dana Silvey, First Horizon Bank
Josh St. Romain, Outfront Media
Tisheata Stallings, Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy
D.J. Taylor, Entergy
Lindsay Thibodeaux, Greater New Orleans Federal Credit Union
Maddie Williams, Design Engineering, Inc.

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