Tribal member graduates from Homegrown Leaders program

by Jun 6, 2019COMMUNITY sgadugi

Doris Johnson, second row center, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from Cherokee, graduated from the Homegrown Leaders program recently. (Photo by N.C. Rural Center)

 

Doris Johnson, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from Cherokee, graduated from the Homegrown Leaders program, a regional leadership and economic development program that develops and supports highly-motivated leaders who are committed to building regional collaboration across multi-county regions in the state.  Homegrown Leaders is a program of the Rural Center and is sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) along with corporate, government and philanthropic partners. This Homegrown Leaders training was held at Western Carolina University on May 29–31.

Certificates were presented to the program’s 16 graduates on the last day of training. “Rural leaders like our Homegrown Leaders graduates are critical to the long-term growth and vitality of North Carolina’s communities,” said Patrick Woodie, NC Rural Center president.

Class participants included economic development professionals, educators, and civic and nonprofit leaders. “The Rural Center promotes leadership that is inclusive, connected, informed and creative. These graduates will join the Rural Center’s leadership alumni network of over 1,200 rural leaders across the state of North Carolina,” said Bronwyn Lucas, director of leadership for the NC Rural Center.

To date, the Rural Center has provided three Homegrown Leaders trainings across the Appalachian Regional Commission’s North Carolina counties with the fourth and final training in the fall of 2019. For more information, visit the Rural Center’s website www.ncruralcenter.org/leadership/

– N.C. Rural Center release