The Chautauqua Leadership Network is celebrating its 20th anniversary, recently hosting a reunion celebration dinner at Chautauqua Golf Club.
The network provides knowledge, team-building skills and networking opportunities for those tasked with forming the area's community leadership. CLN graduates are involved in all aspects of Chautauqua County, from businesses and nonprofit organizations to education and government offices.
To date, more than 460 men and women have completed the almost yearlong course. The network begins with a weekend retreat and ends with a "graduation/induction" reception. The retreat is designed with team building exercises, leadership style assessments, problem solving techniques and networking at the forefront. Then each monthly session builds on those skills and affords an opportunity to use them in practical group projects. The sessions are often led by network alumni who have experience in training the various leadership skills offered.
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Pictured are Larry Robinson and Pene Hutton, who were presented leadership awards at the recent Chautauqua Leadership Network 20th reunion dinner and celebration.
Submitted photo
The Chautauqua Leadership Network encourages past class members to attend sessions to broaden networking contacts and share experiences with the current class. The skill building sessions are held in various locations around the county enabling participants to gain awareness of and appreciation for Chautauqua County's many community assets.
To commemorate the 20-year benchmark, the network held a reunion celebration dinner recently with more than 140 people in attendance. R. Bard Schaack, one of the founding members of CLN, gave a brief history on how and why CLN was developed and the need for it in the community it benefits.
The highlight of the night was the presentations of two leadership awards. This year there were two honorees, Larry Robinson and Pene Hutton.
Larry Robinson of Partners and Robinson, an organizational and leadership development consulting and training firm, has been the lead facilitator of the orientation retreat since 1997 and has successfully launched 16 network classes. Robinson is also an assistant professor in the Accelerated Learning Program at the Rochester Campus of Medaille College. His major areas of interest are in strategic planning, organizational development, leadership and team building.
Pene Hutton is the principal of Hutton Associates, a multi-disciplined financial and organizational management consulting firm which specializes in providing organizational support for the not-for-profit agency. She is a member of the network's class of 1997 and, after graduation she served as a CLN board member. In 1999 she became CLN's director, a position she still holds.
For more information on the Chautauqua Leadership Network, visit www.chautauqualeadership.org or www.clner.org.