Leadership McLean County November / December 2016 Alumni Newsletter

November/December 2016

Bi-Monthly Alumni Newsletter

LMC Alumni - We have a lot of opportunities for your involvement noted in this newsletter. Enjoy!

LMC Alumni Testimonial Submission Form: Share Your Story!

LMC's mission is to develop community leaders. We would greatly appreciate you sharing your professional, civic or personal success stories by accessing the link below for the benefit of current and future alumni. You graduated. You've succeeded in leadership. Your story is one of hundreds that could inspire new generations of LMC alumni. Let us help you share it!

https://mcleancochamber.wufoo.com/forms/z185e7wv0ype75x/

A sample testimonial is available within the form as a guide. No voice is a more powerful recruiter than yours. Whether your leadership success has been professional, civic, or personal, your generosity in telling the tale helps LMC to connect with future leaders like you.

Leadership Launch Asks: Are You Self-Aware?

Most of us probably strive to be "open," "emotionally smart," "self-improving," and "responsible" leaders. How well do our actions align with that? More pointedly, how would our co-workers answer that question?

Professional speaker Lisa Hurley '10 challenged the class to self-reflect on their values and character, and to gather feedback from partners in the work place and home. What are our blind spots, those things that everyone knows about us - except us? What aspects of ourselves do we keep hidden, and should we be more revealing of them? Are we cheating ourselves of growth by failing to seek new opportunities?

These are not easy questions to explore with those close to us, and that's the beauty of Leadership Launch: a convenient reason to start crucial conversations.

There are always 5 open seats for guests at each Launch beginning at 8:00. Please contact Joe McDonald at [email protected] or (309) 706-1409 if you would like to attend.

November 18: Creativity & Innovation, by Doan Winkel

December 2: Public Speaking, by Julie Navickas

Alumni Spotlight

Who are you? My name is Justin Stuva and I am the Marketing & Member Services Manager for Corn Belt Energy Corporation. I have a beautiful wife Kerry and my 2 year old son Trapper.

Why did you get involved in the LMC Alumni Committee and how do you like being the Chair?

The Leadership McLean County program has been one of the most positive professional experiences that I have ever been through. After completing the program, I knew that I wanted to continue to be attached to the program and do my part to continue to see it succeed. One of the key aspects of the program is to continue to reach out to the alumni of previous classes.

What was the best thing about your experience with LMC?

I was fortunate to make several great friendships from fellow class of 2015 classmates that I am always in contact with. The networking opportunities that the program provides are second to none.

What is your job and what is your favorite part of the job?

I am the Marketing & Member Services Manager for Corn Belt Energy Corporation, headquartered in Bloomington, IL. Throughout my 8 years at Corn Belt Energy, my number one focus is to provide excellent service to the members that we provide electricity to. There is also no greater reward than being able to enhance the abilities and lives of those that work at Corn Belt Energy.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love spending time with my family first and foremost. I have the privilege of being an EMT in LeRoy, IL and love spending time in the outdoors whether it be hunting, fishing or camping.

What's your favorite movie and/or book?

Favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption and favorite book is American Sniper

What food can't you live without?

I could eat tacos or spaghetti just about every day!

What's one thing most people may not know about you?

I love to read books.

Leadership McLean County Class Calendar

11/18/16	Community Service Day	Creativity & Innovation
12/2/16	Government Day	Public Speaking
1/6/17	Mid-Year Retreat	Crucial Conversations, Storytelling, Leadership Courage, Self-Awareness 2, Mid-Year Progress Report
1/20/17	Education Day	Developing Others
2/3/17	Human Services Day	Leading with Heart
2/17/17	Healthcare Day	Nonverbal Communication
3/3/17	Business Day	Building a Winning Culture
3/17/17	Economic Impact Day	Conclusion, Year-End Progress Report

Order your alumni t-shirt

Was your graduating class the best ever? Show off your LMC pride by ordering a LMC alumni t-shirt for only $15! Order yours today!

Note: a minimum of twelve t-shirts are needed to avoid a delay in delivery.

Leaders on Loan Update

The Leaders on Loan program continues to grow! Fourteen project applications were received this year with eight being selected for this year's class. Participants will be lending their expertise to the following organizations:

The Friends of The Autism Place	Central Illinois Institute of Balance
Bloomington Edge	LMC Alumni Committee
IlliniCloud-District 87 Schools	WD Boyce Council, Boy Scouts of America
Junior Achievement of Central Illinois	Central Illinois SCORE

Leadership Lite "Trash Day" Recap

On September 23^rd, 15 LMC Alums plus staff spent a beautiful fall day learning all about trash in McLean County. They started the day with Jim Karch and the City Public Works department, moved on to Henson Disposal, and then to Mid-West Fiber. A tasty lunch at Swingers got the group fueled for an afternoon of learning about local recycling efforts with ISU and the Ecology Action Center.

Wendy Secord, '15 had this to say about the day, "Waste management day was amazing!! I took away a lot of fun facts such as never recycling plastic bags because they are extremely hard on the machines at Midwest Fiber and not using your sink disposal because the energy used is worse than throwing the food away, to bigger issue items like what members of our community are trying to do to increase recycling and how we can help by educating others. I had no idea how educational and inspiring this day would be for me. I've since ordered my new recycle bin, stopped using my sink disposal and am spreading the word as often as possible, including being able to present a slideshow in our staff meeting and soon incorporating some of the recycling ideas and energy saving ideas here at the Cancer Center that we discussed. The best tool I can share with people that we learned about for resources in our community is the ecology action center website. It has EVERYTHING on there that we discussed and more!"

Consider joining us for the next Leadership Lite! Coming early 2017.

Leadership McLean County alumni purpose statement

To provide an opportunity for LMC alumni to:

Connect with each other and the current LMC class
Continue serving McLean County communities through charitable events
Further our networking and leadership skills through alumni activities

Now on LinkedIn and Twitter

You've followed us on Facebook; now join Leadership McLean County Alumni on LinkedIn. The private group is a collection of past LMC graduates and a great place to share and read alumni news and events. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @LMCpride.

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