NNI Graduates First Neighborhood Leader Class
Graduates of NNI's EXCEL Neighborhood Leadership class are, front row, left to right: John Gales, Doug Henderson, Pamela Wiltfong, Rochelle Bradley-Gales, Valerie Anderson, Jerry Sargent, Paula Brooks, Anita McWilliams, and special presenter Police Chief James Corwin; back row, left to right: Paul Matsuoka, Dennis Tedford, Jessica Rich, Tanya Finn, EXCEL Facilitator Jennifer Presberry, Julie Hensley, Dianna Wells, Dawn Ray, Elizabeth Clayton, and James Clayton.
The inaugural class of the Northland EXCEL neighborhood leadership program held its graduation ceremony on Thursday, March 6 at the Kansas City Missouri Police Academy, 6885 NE Pleasant Valley Rd., Kansas City, MO 64119. Police Chief James Corwin spoke to the graduating class.
The Northland EXCEL program was developed by NNI in cooperation with the University Extension and a community advisory committee. Over the course of the last seven months, the 18 Northland EXCEL participants engaged in 30 hours of training on essential leadership skills and strategies. Participants have been given insider knowledge on how to navigate city, county and state bureaucracies as well as how to develop community allies to achieve their goals.
EXCEL participants gained the knowledge, skills and confidence to access appropriate resources to help them be successful advocates for their community and neighborhood. “The March 6 graduation ceremony was a celebration of our time together and an opportunity to recognize the first class of Northland EXCEL,” says Jennifer Presberry, community development manager at NNI. “Developing strong neighborhood leadership is the centerpiece of NNI’s mission. This first class certainly sets a gold standard for future classes,” Presberry says.
The next Northland EXCEL class will be formed in fall of 2008. Interested persons should contact Jennifer Presberry at 454-2000 or Jennifer_presberry@nni.org for information.
Northland Neighborhoods, Inc., located at 3015 NE Vivion Road, is a nonprofit community development corporation established in 1996 for the improvement and revitalization of neighborhoods in the Northland.
